Mark your calendars if you reside in one of the states listed below. For 2022, we’ve compiled a list of every sales tax holiday, tax-free weekend, and tax-free week so you can shop for back-to-school supplies at a discount. Tax-free weekends can be a wise time to shop and save money, given the stress inflation is putting on all of our finances.
A Resident Of New Jersey? The State Has Declared A New Tax-Free Week For 2022, So You’re In Luck.
GET BACK-TO-SCHOOL DEALS
Table Of Contents
Weekends Without Taxes By State (2022).
Advice For Tax-Free Weekend Shopping.
Tax-Free Weekends: What Are They?
Participating states reduce sales tax on specific items during tax-free weekends (or weeks, in some circumstances), which helps make back-to-school shopping a little cheaper. In other words, you won’t pay sales tax if you shop at a retailer in a state while that state is holding its tax-free holiday. If you make a legitimate purchase, the annoying state sales tax will be waived at checkout without any paperwork or coupons being needed. There are various limitations on what can be purchased tax-free in all states that offer tax-free weekends.
Yes, national merchants must participate in tax-free weekends in the states where they have a business. So long as you shop at stores like Walmart, Amazon, and Target during your state’s tax-free weekend or tax-free week, you won’t have to pay sales tax.
Notably, even during tax-free weekends, some towns charge their own local taxes, which are not always eliminated.
This year, 17 states are participating, including five that don’t levy sales taxes: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
Tax-Free Weekend Is When?
Most states that have tax-free shopping festivals do so in August. However, this varies by state. In July, there are a few weekends with tax-free shopping. The majority of tax holidays start at midnight and go until 12:01 am.
Be aware that some jurisdictions, like Texas and Florida, also provide additional tax-free holidays for purchasing eco-friendly products and preparing for severe weather.
Dates of States’ Tax-Free Weekends in 2022
Tax-Free Weekend In Alabama
When: From July 15 at midnight through July 17 at midnight.
Tax-free Items: Clothing costs no more than $100 per item, laptops no more than $750, school supplies no more than $50 per item, and books no more than $30 each. These limits apply to EACH ITEM, not to EACH CART. For instance, if each item in your cart costs $100 or less, you are free to fill it with more than $100 worth of clothing.
Fine print: Certain things, like game consoles, handbags, helmets, athletic apparel, and more, are prohibited.
Weekend Without Taxes In Arkansas
What: August 6 at 12:01 am to August 7 at 11:59 pm.
Tax-free Items: Select electronic devices (no price cap), select school supplies (no price cap), clothing and footwear under $100 per item, accessories (including cosmetics!) under $50 per item, and school art supplies (no price limit).
Fine print: Certain items, such as costumes and athletic attire, are prohibited. However, diapers ARE covered by the tax-free weekend, so stocking up on them is a wise move. Additionally, cosmetics are tax-free. Be aware that there are no price constraints for the electronics category, so Arkansans should concentrate on those expensive things like laptops and tablets. No game consoles, though; the electronics must be “items typically utilized by a student in the course of education.”
Additionally, if you utilize a store discount to get the item’s price below the cutoff point, congratulations! The item is now tax-free. Contrarily, if you utilize a manufacturer’s coupon, the original price tag governs whether an item is tax-free.
Connecticut Tax-Free Weekend
When: August 21–22 AND April 10-April 16.
For 2022, Connecticut changed the tax-free week and now gives two of them. The original one, the yearly tax-free week, continues to take place in August (the third Sunday through the following Saturday). Connecticut will extend its April tax-free holiday by one week in 2022.
What Is Tax-Free? Connecticut residents won’t be charged tax on apparel and footwear priced under $100 per item during either of the tax-free weeks. But there is one distinction. Wallets are exempt from tax during the week of April. The week of August is tax week for wallets. If purchasing a wallet is on your list, bear that in mind.
No refunds, per the fine print! Because you receive the rebate later, it doesn’t matter if the rebate would cause the price to go below $100. However, you can reduce the item’s price to under $100 and make it tax-free by using quick reductions (such as coupons or promo codes).
Tax-Free Weekend In Florida
When: July 1–7 AND July 25–August 7.
What’s Tax-Free: This summer, Florida will host two tax-free weeks.
Freedom Week: The first takes place from July 1–7. the first $35 of the sales price for pool inflatables and toys; the first $75 of the sales price of coolers, oars, and paddles; the first $500 of the sales price of kayaks; and SO much more (read this list of all the summery stuff you can get tax-free during Florida’s Freedom Week, for example). The governor of Florida enacted it in 2021. It applies to outdoor recreational items.
Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: The second sales tax holiday, which spans from July 25 to August 7, is more customary for back-to-school purchasing. It includes apparel and shoes priced at $100 or less each, some school supplies priced at $50 or less each, learning aids and jigsaw puzzles priced at $30 or less each, and personal computers priced at $1,500 or less (for noncommercial use only).
The small print: If you ship your order during the sales tax holiday OR put an item on layaway during the sales tax holiday, you can still get your items tax-free whether you utilize layaway or a buy now, pay later service. Find out more about Florida’s tax-free weeks.
Tax-Free Weekend in Iowa
When: August 5, 12:01 a.m.–August 6, 11:59 p.m.
What’s Tax-Free: Over the weekend, there is no tax on clothing or footwear that costs less than $100.
However, as they are not considered to be clothes, backpacks are still subject to taxation. If you’re unsure of what qualifies as apparel, have a look at this list. Buyers of BOGO deals should know whether they qualify for tax-free purchases depending on both items’ cost. For instance, if boots buy one, get one free, and the first pair is $110, the tax will be due; you cannot assert that each pair is only $55 by averaging the prices.
Tax-Free Week In Maryland
When: From August 14 at midnight through August 20 at midnight
Tax-free Items: $100 or less for clothing and footwear; $40 for the first backpack or bookbag.
Details: Do you shop online? You won’t pay taxes during the tax-free holiday as long as your qualified item is paid for and the store accepts your purchase immediately. So use caution while purchasing an item that is out of stock.
Tax-Free Weekend In Massachusetts
13 and 14 August.
All retail items for personal use costing $2,500 or less are exempt from taxes, except motor vehicles, motorboats, meals, communications services, gas, steam, electricity, tobacco products, and marijuana and marijuana-related products. You did read that correctly. Massachusetts Tax-Free Weekend is indeed that adaptable.
The fine print states that you must pay tax on the entire amount if you spend more than $2,500 per item. But there is one (slight) exception—clothing. In Massachusetts, the first $175 of an article of apparel is already exempt from tax. Therefore, if you spend more than $2,500 on apparel during Massachusetts Tax-Free Weekend, the first $175 is tax-free. Whenever you browse for those fancy bags, keep that in mind.
Tax-Free Weekend In Mississippi
When: from July 29 at midnight until July 30 at midnight
Tax-free items like clothing, school supplies, and shoes are under $100 each. Excludes bags and bags.
A weekend without taxes See the complete list of tax-free and chargeable items. Mississippi Fine Print The tax-free holiday does not apply to layaways in Mississippi. However, Mississippi has the following advantage: Shipping charges for online orders are not included in the sales price, unlike in some other jurisdictions; therefore they won’t cause an item to lose its tax-free status.
Tax-Free Weekend In Missouri
When: From August 5 at midnight to August 7 at midnight
Tax-free Items: Any apparel item, including shoes, with a taxable value of less than $100; school supplies, with a purchase limit of $50; graphing calculators, with a limit of $150; computer software, with a taxable value of less than $350; and personal computers, with a limit of less than $1,500.
Read the fine print for exceptions. Also, note that some counties and localities in Missouri can choose not to take part in the tax-free holiday.
Tax-Free Weekend In New Jersey (New For 2022)
When: August 27–September 5
What is Tax-Free: Selected electronic items, including computers, printers, personal digital assistants, computer storage devices, pens, pencils, notes, binders, school art materials, paintbrushes, clay, glazes, reference books, reference maps, and globes.
The fine print states that this tax-free week is flexible because there are no price thresholds for any of the specified items.
New Mexico Weekend Without Taxes
When: From August 5 at midnight to August 7 at midnight
Tax-free Items: Priced at less than $100 per, clothing or shoes, $1,000 for computers, $500 for related computer hardware, and under $30 for school supplies.
Note that participating in New Mexico’s tax-free weekend is not compulsory of retailers, so be sure to inquire before you buy. A complete list of exclusions can be found here.
Tax-Free Weekend in Ohio
When: From August 5 at midnight to August 7 at midnight
Clothing priced at $75 per item or less, school supplies, educational materials, and clothing priced at $20 per item or less are all exempt from sales tax.
Most accessories, such as hats and jewellery, are not included in the tax-free weekend.
Tax-Free Weekend In Oklahoma
When: August 6–8
Clothing and shoes costing less than $100 are exempt from taxes.
The small print states that jewellery, athletic shoes, and protective gear are not included. Rainchecks are not accepted, as in most states unfortunately, if anything sells out over Tax-Free Weekend.
South Carolina Weekend Without Taxes
When: From August 5 at midnight to August 7 at midnight
Clothing, footwear, accessories, school supplies, computers, software, printers, and bed & bath goods are all exempt from sales tax.
The South Carolina Tax-Free Weekend is distinctive because there are no monetary thresholds for qualifying purchases. Bath mats, bedding, towels, shower curtains, mattress pads, blankets, and more are included in the bed and bath category (specific to the state); see the whole list.
Tax-Free Weekend in Tennessee
When: From July 29 at 12:01 am to July 31 at midnight AND from August 1 at 11:59 pm to August 31 at midnight.
Tax-free Items:
Tennessee will have two tax-free weekends in the summer of 2022:
Back-to-School (July 29–31): Clothes, school supplies, and computers that cost no more than $1,500 each.
Food (from August 1 to 31): Tennessee residents do not pay sales tax on food and food ingredients for the full month.
Details: Bags and accessories are not included in the tax-free weekend for back-to-school purchases. Flash drives, software, and printer ink are not included in the “computers” category.
Tax-Free Weekend In Texas
When: August 5–8
What Is Tax-Free? Sales and use taxes are not applied to most apparel, footwear, school supplies, swimsuits, and bags valued at $100 or less.
Details: Do you shop online? During the Texas tax-free weekend, everything should be fine if you enter your credit card information into an online store. Your transaction will be taxed if your credit card is denied and you don’t retry in time. Study up on the tax-free weekend in Texas.
Virginia Weekend Without Taxes
When: From August 5 at 12:01 am until August 7 at 11:59 pm.
School supplies costing $20 or less each item and appropriate apparel and footwear costing $100 or less each are tax-free items. Additionally, during the weekend, you can purchase tax-free Energy Star and WaterSense products and supplies for hurricane preparedness.
Details: Are you using a gift card? It cannot be used to lower the item’s price in order to qualify for tax-free status. For instance, even though you only paid $95 for a $120 jacket and used a $25 gift card, the clothing is still subject to tax.
Tips For Maximizing The Tax-Free Weekend
Do you reside in a state that is providing a sales tax holiday? To shop wisely and prevent disappointment at the register, remember these tips:
Construct a shopping list. In the end, state sales taxes range from 4 to 10 percent (depending on whether local or municipal taxes are considered when calculating the state holiday). That equals a savings of $4 to $10 off of $100. Therefore, avoid using the tax-free weekend as an excuse to load your car up with unnecessary items.
Concentrate on expensive products in various states. If your state offers a tax-free weekend that includes expensive electronics and laptops, take full advantage of it. Even a 7 percent reduction in your state’s sales tax equals $70 off a $1,000 laptop. You go, inflation.
Understand what qualifies for the tax-free weekend in your state. Depending on your state, tax-free weekend sales often only apply to a limited range of goods. Understanding what things are eligible for the tax-free discount will save you a lot of time and money. For instance, several states hold tax-free weekend sales around the start of the school year, so school supplies and uniforms may be exempt from paying taxes, but a similar product, like a backpack or laptop bag, may not. Best to be aware beforehand.
Arrive early. The savvy buyers in your state are aware that this weekend is tax-free. So, to optimize your selection, shop as early as possible. Since most states don’t provide tax-free rainchecks, you’re out of luck if the item you want sells out.
Use coupons. Avoid forgetting to apply coupons and promo codes since you are so ecstatic about paying $0 sales tax. If a state has a tax-free threshold, in some situations, this will also bring the price of an item down to it. You can increase your savings by utilizing a coupon and receiving a tax-free “discount”. This year’s best back-to-school deals can be found at these shops. Install our Deal Finder browser extension as well, which will automatically search and use online coupon codes for you.
Shop online tax-free this weekend. Does tax-free weekend have a website? Oh, yes. Don’t let the commotion of in-store shopping or the crowds stop you from making savings. Online shopping for eligible items is permitted in all states taking part in Tax-Free Weekend 2022 if the following conditions hold true:
During the tax-free weekend in your state, you finish making your purchase and making your payment.
During the tax-free weekend, your online retailer is open for business in your state.
Your purchases are eligible for tax-free status and comply with its requirements.
You reside in the participating state (your shipping/billing address typically confirms this).
Be aware that delivery expenses complicate matters: The issue is complicated by shipping expenses. You don’t have to worry about delivery expenses pushing your item above the tax-free threshold because shipping charges aren’t included in the item’s price in some areas. In other areas, however, the reverse is accurate, and you must be concerned that shipping charges will affect your item’s ability to be sold tax-free. Additionally, some state regulations require the retailer to split the shipping fees among all the things in your online shopping cart. We’re also perplexed if you have both eligible and ineligible items in your cart. Before you go shopping, familiarise yourself with the rules in your state; if things get confusing, think about placing an order for only the items that qualify.
States That Aren’t Taking Part This Year
Arizona California Colorado Georgia Hawaii
- Louisiana: Louisiana used to offer a tax-free weekend but hasn’t for several years.
Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maine Michigan Minnesota Nebraska NevadaNew York North Carolina North Dakota Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota
Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia
Wisconsin: Wisconsin has offered tax-free weekends in the past, but the legislature hasn’t approved such an event for this year.
Wyoming
