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    • These 17 states offer tax-free holidays for back-to-school shopping
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    These 17 states offer tax-free holidays for back-to-school shopping

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    School-age children are likely groaning about purchasing school supplies, but several states are once again offering sales tax holidays to help families save on school supplies purchases.

    Connecticut is the last of 17 states to begin the sales tax holiday, beginning on August 18 and lasting through August 24. In Maryland, the sales tax holiday began on August 11 and lasts through August 17.

    Most of the 17 states hosting sales tax-free days this summer are offering a tax break on school-related items such as clothing, shoes, electronics and school supplies, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Two states — Ohio and Massachusetts — have expanded the tax-free holidays to include purchases beyond school-related purchases.

    Each state sets its own dates, which are usually in July or August. Many states have already held their tax holidays.

    New Jersey no longer has a tax-free exemption for school supplies. A law passed earlier this year eliminated it.

    Families have already started shopping for the school year

    By early July, more than half (55%) of school and college shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the new school year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

    “Families and students are looking to start their back-to-school shopping soon,” said Katherine Cullen, vice president of industry and consumer insights at the National Retail Federation (NRF), in a press release. “Retailers have anticipated this early demand and are well positioned to offer a variety of products at competitive prices.”

    Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $874.68 on clothing, shoes, electronics and school supplies, according to the NRF. While that’s $15 less than last year’s record amount of $890.07, it’s the second-highest amount in the survey’s history.

    Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $38.8 billion, the NRF says, making it the second-highest spending ever after last year’s high of $41.5 billion.

    The most popular destinations for shopping for school supplies are online stores (57%), department stores (50%), discount stores (47%), clothing stores (42%) and electronics stores (23%).

    College students and their families are expected to spend more, spending an average of $1,364.75, about the same as last year’s $1,366.95. Total back-to-school college spending is expected to reach $86.6 billion, the second highest after last year’s $94 billion.

    Consumers remain concerned about inflation when purchasing school supplies

    According to a new back-to-school study from Ankura Consulting, consumers have negative attitudes toward the U.S. economy and are annoyed by inflation, with 51% of respondents expressing these feelings, according to the study.

    Nearly 75% of shoppers said credit card and personal debt will impact their back-to-school shopping budget.

    Finance: Do schools charge too much for school supplies? Many parents say yes.

    And consumers are weighing other aspects of their budgets: Nearly 50 percent of back-to-school shoppers saw a significant increase in the cost of their auto insurance, while 36 percent saw an increase in their home insurance and 32 percent saw an increase in their health insurance. These living expenses are putting a strain on their available budget, Ankura said.

    Is there a tax-free period for school supply sales in my state?

    Here is a list of participating states and what is tax-free according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Rules and dates vary by state, so check the state website for the most up-to-date information. In some cases, local taxes may still apply.

    If no dollar amount is listed, it appears that the state has not specified a spending limit for that item. Most states have a link to holiday details associated with the state name. Generally, most online purchases qualify for the sales tax-free day as well, but check your state’s requirements.

    Alabama

    19 to 21 July

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes: $100 or less each
    • Computers: $750 or less per item
    • School supplies: $50 or less per item
    • Books: $30 or less per item

    Arkansas

    3-4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item, clothing accessories: $50 or less per item
    • School supplies
    • Electronic device used for school

    Connecticut

    18-24 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes under $100

    Florida

    29 July – 11 August

    What is tax-free:

    • School supplies: $50 or less per item
    • Clothing, shoes, accessories: $100 or less per item
    • Computer and related accessories: $1,500 or less
    • Learning aids and puzzles: $30 or less

    Iowa

    2-3 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes or shoes: $100 or less per item

    Maryland

    11-17 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothing, shoes and accessories: $100 or less per item
    • Backpacks: The first $40 of a backpack/bookbag purchase is tax-free.

    Massachusetts

    10 – 11 August

    • Eligible retail items purchased for personal use that cost $2,500 or less (not limited to school supplies). There are several exceptions where the tax still applies, including: meals, motor vehicles and boats, gas and electricity, tobacco, marijuana or alcoholic beverages, and any single item costing more than $2,500.

    Relive childhood: For some toy sellers, it is worth filling the shelves with nostalgia

    Mississippi

    July 12 – 14 (A Senate bill moved the holiday from the last Friday and Saturday in July to the second Friday and Saturday and extended it to Sunday).

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes: $100 or less each
    • School supplies: $100 or less per item

    Missouri

    2 to 4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothing: $100 or less per piece
    • School supplies: $50 or less per item
    • Computers: $1,500
    • Computer software: $350 or less
    • Computer peripherals: $1,500
    • Graphing calculator: $150 or less

    New Mexico

    2 to 4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes or shoes: $100 or less per item
    • Desktop, laptop, tablet or notebook computer: $1,000
    • Related computer hardware: $500 per item
    • School supplies: $30 per item

    Ohio

    30 July – 8 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Ohio’s tax-free holiday in 2024 has been extended to 10 days and is not limited to school supplies. The tax-free period includes anything considered tangible personal property worth $500 or less, excluding watercraft, anything with an outboard motor that must be registered, a motor vehicle, alcohol, tobacco, a vapor product or a product containing marijuana. Restaurant meals, which are normally taxed, are also tax-free if they are worth less than $500.

    Oklahoma

    2 to 4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes or shoes: $100 or less each.

    South Carolina

    2 to 4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothing, shoes and accessories
    • School supplies
    • Computers, printers, earphones and headphones
    • Certain bed and bath items
    • Diapers

    Tennessee

    26 to 28 July

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes: $100 or less each
    • School supplies: $100 or less per item
    • Computers, including laptops and tablets: $1,500 or less per item

    Texas

    9 to 11 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes: $100 or less each
    • Backpacks: $100 or less each
    • Face masks
    • School supplies: $100 or less per item

    Virginia

    2 to 4 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothes and shoes: $100 or less each
    • School supplies: $20 or less per item

    West Virginia

    2 to 5 August

    What is tax-free:

    • Clothing: $125 or less per piece
    • Laptops or tablet computers: $500 or less per item
    • School supplies: $20 or less per item
    • School supplies: $50 or less per item
    • Sports equipment: $150 or less per item

    Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up here for our free newsletter, The Daily Money, which also includes consumer news on Fridays.

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