Here are the states with tax holidays for back-to-school shopping

Tax Free Weekend Back To School

With back-to-school shopping just around the corner, many states are offering tax-free shopping days or weekends.

Alabama kicks off its three-day tax holiday starting July 16, with 16 other states and Puerto Rico following suit later this summer, offering consumers anywhere from two days to a week to make tax-free purchases.

"This gives consumers a little bit of an extra bang for their buck," Diane Yetter, founder of the Sales Tax Institute, told Yahoo Money. "People could save 6-9% on clothing and school supplies for back to school."

A worker stocks shelves of back-to-school supplies at a Target store in Colma, Calif. (Photo: Getty)
A worker stocks shelves of back-to-school supplies at a Target store in Colma, Calif. (Photo: Getty)

The average cost of back-to-school clothes and supplies will run $268 per child, according to KPMG's Back to School 2021 survey. Footwear and school supplies are anticipated to be the biggest areas of back-to-school costs for families.

"Originally it only applied to clothing and usually was limited to about $100 per item, then they expanded into things like school supplies, backpacks, and then started including computers and tablets as more schools started requiring that as part of school supply purchases," Yetter said.

Here are the states participating in tax holidays. It's important to double check that the county you live in is participating in your state’s tax free holiday.

Alabama

Tax holiday dates: July 16 - July 18

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • Computers, computer software, and school computer supplies under $750 in a single purchase
  • School supplies up to $50 per item
  • Books under $30 per item

Arkansas

Tax holiday dates: August 7 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • Clothing accessories up to $50 per item
  • Electronics used by a student (cell phone, computer, calculator, etc.)
  • School supplies, art supplies, and instructional materials

Connecticut

Tax holiday dates: August 15 - August 21

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item

Florida

Tax holiday dates: July 31 - August 9

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes and accessories up to $60 per item
  • School supplies up to $15 per item
  • Computers and computer accessories up to $1,000 in total

Iowa

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 7

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item

Maryland

Tax holiday dates: August 8 - August 14

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • Backpacks up to first $40 of item

Massachusetts

Tax holiday dates: August 14 - August 15

What’s tax-free:

  • Any retail items $2,500 or less

Mississippi

Tax holiday dates: July 30 - July 31

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes and school supplies up to $100 per item

Missouri

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • School supplies up to $50 per purchase
  • Computer software up to $350 per purchase
  • Computers up to $1,500 per purchase
  • Computer accessories up to $1,500 per purchase
  • Graphing calculator up to $150 per purchase

New Mexico

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • Computers and tablets up to $1,000 per purchase
  • Computer software up to $500 per purchase
  • School supplies up to $30 per item

Ohio

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $75 per item
  • School supplies and instructional materials up to $20 per item

Oklahoma

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item

Puerto Rico

Tax holiday dates: July 16 - July 17

What’s tax-free:

  • School uniforms
  • School supplies

South Carolina

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes
  • Clothing accessories
  • School supplies
  • Computers, software, printers, and printer accessories
  • Select bed and bath linens
  • No dollar value limits on any items or purchases

Tennessee

Tax holiday dates: July 30 - August 1

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes and school supplies up to $100 per item
  • Computers and tablets up to $1,500 per item

Texas

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes, school supplies, and backpacks up to $100 per item

Virginia

Tax holiday dates: August 6 - August 8

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothes up to $100 per item
  • School supplies up to $20 per item
  • Hurricane and emergency preparedness products, varying from $60 to $1,000 per item
  • Energy Star and WaterSense products up to $2,500 per item

West Virginia

Tax holiday dates: July 30 - August 2

What’s tax-free:

  • Clothing up to $125 per item
  • School supplies up to $50 per item
  • School instructional materials up to $20 per item
  • Laptops and tablets up to $500 per item
  • Sports equipment up to $150 per item