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For residents in some states, this weekend is the perfect time to shop for going back to school.
According to the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), four states have school-related sales tax holidays this weekend, including Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Another 10 states have school or clothing-related tax holidays that start next weekend, including Arkansas, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
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Other states have similar tax holidays that will happen later in the summer, or that have already happened this year, according to the FTA.
However, school and clothing purchases aren’t the only sales tax holidays that states offer.
Read on to see the details on school-related sales tax holidays, or to find out what other sales tax holidays are available in your state.
Mississippi
Mississippi’s sales tax holiday for clothing, footwear and school supplies that cost less than $100 per item started on Friday and will end on Saturday night.
The state also has a “Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday” from Aug. 27-30 on firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies.
Florida
Florida’s school-related tax holiday runs from Saturday through Aug. 9 and includes school supplies that cost $15 or less.
The Sunshine State’s 10-day tax holiday also includes clothing, footwear and accessories that cost $60 or less as well as the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and accessories, according to the state’s website.
Florida also has two other sales tax holidays, though both have already happened this year. The state’s disaster preparedness sales tax holiday ran from May 28 through June 6, while its Freedom Week Sales Tax Holiday — for tickets to live music, sporting events and other performances — ran July 1-7.
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Tennessee
Tennessee’s school-related tax holiday started Friday and will run through Sunday. On those days, people can buy apparel that costs $100 or less per item, school and art supplies that cost $100 or less per item, and personal computers or laptops that cost $1,500 or less.
Meanwhile, the Volunteer State is also offering a sales tax holiday on food, food ingredients and prepared food from Friday through Aug. 5 and a sales tax holiday on gun safes and safety devices, which started on July 1 and will run through next year until June 30, 2022.
West Virginia
West Virginia’s sales tax holiday also started on Friday and will run through Monday. Items included in the sales tax holiday include clothing that costs $125, school supplies that cost $50, sports equipment that costs $150 or less and laptops and tablets that cost $500 or less.
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Arkansas
From Aug. 7-8, Arkansas is giving residents a sales tax holiday on clothing that costs less than $100 per item, clothing accessories that cost less than $50 per item, certain electronic devices, certain school supplies, school art supplies and school instruction material, according to the website.
Iowa
Iowa offers residents an annual sales tax holiday on select clothing and footwear that costs less than $100 per item from Aug. 6-7, according to the state’s website.
For residents in some states, this weekend is the perfect time to shop for going back to school because of sales tax holidays. (iStock)
Maryland
Maryland gives residents a week to buy clothing and footwear that cost $100 or less per item without paying sales tax. This year, the state’s clothing sales tax holiday runs from Aug. 8-14.
The state also held a sales tax holiday weekend on energy-efficient appliances in February.
Missouri
From Aug. 6-8, Missouri offers a sales tax holiday on clothing items that costs $100 or less, school supplies that cost $50 or less per purchase, computer software that costs $350 or less, personal computers less than $1,500, computer accessories that cost less than $1,500 and graphing calculators that cost $150 or less.
However, numerous cities, counties and districts have opted out of the sales tax holiday, so people shopping in those places will still have to pay sales tax.
Missouri also offered a sales tax holiday on qualifying energy star certified appliances that cost up to $1,500 per appliance in April, according to the state website.
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New Mexico
New Mexico has a sales tax holiday from Aug. 6-8 on school supplies and clothing.
According to the state website, clothing and shoes that cost less than $100, personal desktop computers, laptops and tablets that cost $1,000 or less, computer accessories and equipment that cost $500 or less, and school supplies are all tax exempt that weekend.
Ohio
From Aug. 6-8, Ohio is exempting certain school and clothing items from sales tax, including clothing that costs $75 or less, school supplies that cost $20 or less and school instructional material that costs $20 or less.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a sales tax holiday weekend on clothing and footwear items that cost less than $100 Aug. 6-8, according to the state website.
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South Carolina
South Carolina’s sales tax holiday weekend — which runs Aug. 6-8 — includes a variety of items, such as school supplies, clothing, computers, some kinds of bedding and bath supplies, musical instruments for school, and other items, according to the state’s website.
Texas
The sales tax holiday weekend in Texas runs Aug. 6-8. Qualified items include school supplies — including backpacks — that cost less than $100, clothing and footwear that costs less than $100 and other items.
Aside from clothing and school supply-related sales tax holidays, Texas also has an Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday in April and an Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday for qualifying energy efficient appliances in May.
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Virginia
Virginia’s sales tax holiday weekend — which is for school supplies, clothing, emergency preparedness and energy efficient appliances — is Aug. 6-8.
Qualified school supplies must cost $20 or less per item and qualified clothing and footwear must cost $100 or less per item.
For further information on eligible emergency preparedness items and appliances, check the Virginia sales tax holiday website.
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Connecticut
Connecticut’s sales tax holiday is a bit later than many other states and lasts a full week. From Aug. 15-21, the state won’t tax clothing and footwear that costs less than $100.
Massachusetts
Though Massachusetts doesn’t have a school-specific sales tax holiday, the state does have two sales tax-free days, Aug. 14-15.
According to the state website, “retail items of up to $2,500, purchased in Massachusetts for personal use on these two days, will be exempt from sales tax.”
Several items that do not qualify for the tax exemption include meals, motor vehicles, motorboats, telecommunications services, gas, steam, electricity, tobacco products, marijuana or marijuana products, alcohol or anything that costs more than $2,500, according to the website.
Alabama
Alabama had its two sales tax holidays earlier this year. The state’s back to school sales tax holiday was July 16-18 and its severe weather preparedness was Feb. 26-28, according to the state’s Department of Revenue.
