Your Guide to the Back to School Tax-Free Weekend
The best time for back to school shopping is coming up, or may have already passed! Unless you live in one of the states who opt out of the sales tax holiday, you are bound to save some bucks if you do it right. Many stores actually lower prices and accept coupons during tax-free weekend so do your research to get more bang for your buck! According to the National Retail Federation, the average household spends anywhere from $350 - $650 on school supplies. That's a lot of moolah! Be sure to check out your local newspaper for sales, find those coupons and make a list before heading out. Not a fan of crowds and lines? No worries! Tax-free weekend applies to online purchases as well!
Before heading out (or jumping online) to begin your back to school shopping, make sure you know the rules. There are exclusions! Some items do not count as "school supplies" while others do - hand sanitizer is tax-exempt but cosmetics are not. Unfair! Backpacks are tax-exempt but if your little smarty pants wants to take a briefcase to school, that briefcase will be taxed. You can find a list of your state's tax-exempt items by visiting your government's website. For example, here's Texas' tax-exempt list.
Below is a list of all the states participating in Tax-Free Weekend. The price next to each item indicates the amount you must stay under, per item, for it to be tax-free.
Happy Shopping!
ALABAMA: Clothing ($100), computers ($750), school supplies ($50), and books ($30) - August 7-9
ARKANSAS: clothing ($100) - August 1-2
CONNECTICUT: clothing and footwear ($300) - August 16-22
FLORIDA: clothing ($100), supplies ($15), and computers ($750) - August 7-16
IOWA: clothing ($100) - August 1-2
MARYLAND: clothing and footwear ($100) - August 10-16
MISSISSIPPI: clothing and footwear ($100) - July 25-26
MISSOURI: clothing ($100), computers ($3,500), and school supplies ($50) - August 1-3
NEW MEXICO: clothing ($100), computers ($3,500), and school supplies ($50) - August 1-3
OKLAHOMA: clothing ($100) - August 1-3
SOUTH CAROLINA: clothing, school supplies, computers - August 7-9
TENNESSEE: clothing ($100), school supplies ($100), computers ($1,500) - August 1-3
TEXAS: clothing ($100), backpacks ($100), school supplies ($100) - August 7-9
VIRGINIA: clothing ($100), school supplies ($20) - August 7-9
[Pic Via Flick'r - EvelynGiggles]
