August is prime sales tax holiday time
Monday, July 31, 2023
Get ready Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia shoppers. Your back-to-school tax holidays are coming up in August. And yes, Floridians, your event wraps up this week.
With August just one day away, it's definitely time for parents and youngsters alike to get ready for the reopening of classrooms.
Yes, those two groups likely will celebrate (or not) differently. But there's one thing they can share, shopping for school clothes and supplies.
That's why August is the big month for back-to-school sales tax holidays. Of the 17 scheduled this year, 14 are in August, including Florida's summer tax-free shopping event. It kicked off July 24 and wraps up Sunday, Aug. 6.
The rest of August will see sales tax holidays in Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.
Most of these special tax-exempt shopping days will be this coming weekend. Some will start on Friday, Aug. 4, with a few beginning Saturday. And most will end on Sunday, Aug. 6. But not all.
The precise starting and ending dates for August's sales tax holidays are listed alphabetically by state in the table below. The information comes from the various state tax departments, as well as the Sales Tax Institute and Federation of Tax Administrators.
2023 State Sales Taxes Holidays |
||
State & Sales Tax Rate |
Holiday Days |
Tax-Free Products |
Arkansas 6.5% |
Clothing $100 or less |
|
Connecticut 6.35% |
Clothing and footwear $100 or less |
|
Florida 6% |
Clothing $100 or less |
|
Iowa 6% |
Clothing and footwear priced at less than $100 |
|
Maryland 6% |
Clothing and footwear $100 or less |
|
Massachusetts 6.25% |
Almost every personal item |
|
Missouri 4.225% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
Clothing $100 or less |
New Jersey 6.625% |
Computers less than $3,000 |
|
New Mexico 5% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
Clothing or shoes $100 or less |
Ohio 5.75% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
Clothing $75 or less |
Oklahoma 4.5% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
Clothing, footwear $100 or less |
South Carolina 6% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
No purchase price limit |
Texas 6.25% |
Clothing, footwear, backpacks |
|
West Virginia 6% |
Friday, Aug. 4 |
Clothing, footwear $125 or less |
Shop wisely: As noted in my earlier post on the full summer 2023 schedule of state sales tax holidays, most of these special shopping days are billed as back-to-school events. That's why most feature items youngsters need for class.
But even those with that moniker also tend to be more inclusive. They're not limited to children's clothing. And you don't have to prove that the computer you buy is only going to be used by the young students' homework.
So pay attention to what is tax-exempt (or not). The links in the table will take you to official lists of eligible items.
Knowing what's tax-free is one of the 6 shopping tips to maximize sales tax holiday savings. Check that post out, then make your list, which also is of the tax holiday shopping suggestions.
Addendum: My tumblr blog Tumbling Taxes' related post has Macklemore's video "Thrift Shop" for your tax holiday shopping playlist.
You also might find these items of interest:
- Tax holidays are popular, but bad tax policy
- City and other local taxes add to overall sales tax takes
- 5 sales-tax-free states are perfect places to shop year-round
Advertisements
š Search Amazon Business and Money Books š
The text link above is an affiliate ad. If you click through and then buy a product, I receive a commission.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.