As you start thinking about hitting the stores for back to school supplies and clothing for your kids keep in mind the tax free weekend (or week) schedules offered by many states. If you’re lucky enough to live in or near an area that offers a tax break you can save your hard earned pennies with just a little planning. Here is a listing of states and dates offering tax free shopping along with the items that qualify for the savings. Feel free to click on any state for more information.
Alabama‘s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing under $100, school supplies under $50, books under $30 and computers/computer equipment under $750
Connecticut’s Tax Free Week: Aug. 15-22, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $300.
Georgia’s Tax Free Week: July 30-Aug. 2, 2009. Applies to clothing under $100, computers and computer equipment under $1500 and school supplies under $20.
Iowa’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-8, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $100.
Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday: August 7-8, 2009. Applies to purchases under $2,500. (Excludes the purchase of taxable services, automobiles, and meals)
Mississippi’s Tax Free Weekend: Jul 31-Aug. 1, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $100.
Missouri’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing under $100, school supplies under $50, computer software under $350, Computers and computer equipment under $3,500. (Some cities and counties in Missouri choose not to participate.)
New Mexico’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $100, School supplies under $15, computers under $1,000 and computer equipment under $500.
New York: Shoppers are exempt from the 4% state sales all year. Applies to clothing and shoes under $110.
North Carolina’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing, shoes and school supplies under $100, sports and recreation equipment under $50, computers under $3,500 and computer equipment under $250.
Oklahoma’s Tax Free Weekend: August 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $100.
South Carolina’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing, accessories, footwear, school supplies, computers and computer equipment.
Tennessee’s Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing and school supplies under $100 and computers under $1500.
Texas’ Tax Free Weekend: Aug. 21-23, 2009. Applies to clothing and shoes under $100. Includes backpacks under $100 for elementary and secondary students .
Virginia’s Tax Free Shopping Schedule: Aug. 7-9, 2009. Applies to clothing and footwear under $100 and school supplies under $20.
Washington D.C.’s Tax Free Week: Legislation has been enacted to repeal the District of Columbia’s August 2009 sales tax holiday. The repeal will avoid the loss of an estimated $640,000 in sales tax revenues in the current fiscal year.
Happy Shopping!!
What a great list Tina! I’d like to ask our readers to please comment if we missed any states.
Also, does anyone out there have any Shopping Tips or Strategies for Back to School Tax-Free shopping weekends?
e.g. Some states extend the “holiday” to school supplies and include computers – so these weekends can also be a great time to buy items for your household. Or, don’t have kids in school yet? Usually baby/infant and toddler wear are also included – so you can shop for your little ones and pre-schoolers too!
We’d love to hear your tips and ideas. Please comment & Share.
Fyi–DC cancelled their tax free in August because of budget issues.
Lisa, Thank you very much for letting us know that Washington D.C. has canceled the August sales tax holiday. This saves D.C. approximately $640,000 of much needed tax revenues during this time period. We’ve updated our post to reflect the change.
TIP: On your tax-free weekend or week, think beyond the stores. This clever Kelly’s Kids rep took advantage of her tax-free weekend to promote her business. http://greenkiddos.blogspot.com/2009/08/kellys-kids-order-today-tax-free.html
Curious… Just noticed an article on-line about Virginia’s upcoming back to school tax-free shopping holiday, August 7-9. CWDKids is featured in the article because they have a brick and mortar store in at Gayton Crossing shopping center in western Henrico County. Residents of the state of Virginia always pay Sales Tax if ordering on-line, so it will be interesting to see if they think of voiding that requirement for on-line sales this weekend too.
Thank you so much for letting us know that Washington D.C. has canceled the August sales tax holiday.
You did not mention Florida.
Does Florida have one this year?
The state of Florida will not be offering its typical sales tax holiday during 2009. In the past, the sales tax holiday was voted upon in the state legislature, but was not brought up for a vote this year. We’ll have to wait and see if Florida decides to offer a sales tax free week again in 2010.