I’ve just updated this post on sales tax free weekends for the current year. Why?
Because summer is the most popular time for states to offer sales tax holidays, no tax days and tax free weekends. 2023 is no different.
However, summer isn’t the only time that states give their residents a holiday from paying sales tax on their purchases.
Some states have sales tax holidays in February.
Others have sales tax free weekends in April and May.
Previously, this post focused on tax-free days in July and August.
They tied into back-to-school shopping, which is why these tax free weekends were so popular.
When it comes to back-to-school spending, smart shoppers know to take advantage of their state’s sales tax free weekend.
Each summer a dozen or more states have these tax free weekends or sales tax holidays.
These sales tax holidays and tax-free weekends are a great way to save money on your back-to-school shopping.
This includes back to college shopping.
What is a tax free weekend
Why do they call a state sales tax holiday a tax free weekend?
Because most of these holidays span a weekend.
They can run Friday to Saturday, or Saturday to Sunday.
In some instances a tax free weekend ends up being a three day weekend for you to save on sales tax.
That is you can shop tax free on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Some of these tax free days run an entire week.
Does a tax free weekend apply to online shopping
This is great news for a sophisticated consumer who likes to shop online.
Yes, a tax free weekend does apply to online purchases and online shopping.
Most of the sources for legit sales tax holiday information confirm that it is up to the online site to honor a tax free weekend.
So this includes Amazon.
In fact, I’ve just added the next few paragraphs to explain this better.
Tax Free Weekend on Amazon
If your state offers a sales tax holiday, you may be wondering if there is also a tax free weekend on Amazon.
Or at any online store, for that matter.
Perhaps your question actually is does tax free weekend apply to online purchases?
Well, I went straight to the source–Amazon–and found out how it handles a tax free weekend on Amazon.
“Many taxing jurisdictions require select taxable products to be temporarily exempt from tax on specific dates. For example, a sales tax holiday may be enacted on “back to school” products before the new school year.
You can find more information about sales tax holidays, including qualifying items, by visiting your state or US territory’s department of revenue (or equivalent) website.
Sales tax holidays may be applied to sales sold by Amazon.com and its affiliates, including marketplace sellers. However, tax may still be calculated on items if they do not qualify.”
Amazon says it will waive the sales tax on qualifying items.
Each state has a rule about what items qualify to be exempt from sales tax.
In addition, each state has a price limit for this exemption.
How to save on sales tax on Amazon
So what does this mean for you and shopping on Amazon during a tax free weekend or a sales tax holiday?
I would recommend making multiple purchases rather than piling everything into your cart.
If you can control what you buy and how much, you’ll have a clearer sense if your items fall within your state’s sales tax guidelines.
Now, if you have Amazon Prime, you won’t pay for shipping anyway.
So, purchasing in multiple orders won’t cost you anything extra.
But, like I said, it will allow you to keep track of your shopping to ensure that your online purchases meet the spending threshold for your state’s tax holiday.
Here’s the latest on shopping during Amazon Prime Day holidays.
Shopping online during a sales tax weekend
I believe by law every store in a state must participate in a sales tax weekend.
However, here’s an option you may not have considered: buy online and pick up in store.
This way you avoid the rush of shoppers but still benefit from not paying sales tax.
Also you don’t have to worry about paying for shipping.
What is included in the tax free weekend
The idea behind most of these sales tax holidays is to give families a break on school supplies.
That’s why participating states have rules on which categories qualify for tax free shopping.
Usually, you’re looking at basic school supplies, such as notebooks, pens, pencils and backpacks.
Some states include computer purchases in their sales tax free weekend holidays.
Other states include “offbeat” items that qualify as being tax free.
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Is there a limit on the tax free weekend
While you, the consumer, are not limited to how many stores you shop tax free, there are spending limits on what you buy.
In other words the sales tax holidays have a cap on what qualifies as tax free.
Other tax free shopping categories
Clothing and footwear are the most common items included during a state sales tax holiday.
However, many of the states with a tax free weekend include the following categories as well:
- school supplies like notebooks and the like
- computers and computer software
- calculators
- book bags and backpacks
Read why my family only buys backpacks with a lifetime guarantee.
When are the tax free weekends
Tax-free weekends happen all year long.
But most of them occur in the summer months of July and August.
In most states that had previously held sales tax holidays, you can expect back-to-school tax free weekend shopping in 2023.
Some states are very generous with their tax free weekend by making them nearly a week long.
Therefore, they are tax free shopping weeks, not just weekends.
Here is something important to remember about a tax free weekend. Even though a state sales tax holiday is timed for back to school, you do not have to be a parent with children to benefit. Anyone shopping on a tax free weekend can reap the rewards of a sales tax holiday. Just keep your spending within the rules and the approved categories!
Month by Month sales tax holidays
Here is a month-by-month breakdown of when sales tax holidays happened in 2022.
I’ve started updating this schedule for 2023.
January sales tax holidays
none
February sales tax holidays
- Alabama
- Maryland
March sales tax holidays
none
April sales tax holidays
- Missouri
- Texas
May sales tax holidays
- Texas
June sales tax holidays
- Florida
- Tennessee
July sales tax holidays
- Alabama
- Florida
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
August sales tax holidays
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
September sales tax holidays
- Florida
October sales tax holidays
none
November sales tax holidays
none
December tax holidays
none
How to approach sales tax weekends and holidays
Here is an alphabetical listing of the more than dozen states with tax free weekend shopping this summer.
I’ve included the dates of the individual sales tax holidays.
Also, I have the categories the state has included for tax free shopping and links to online retailers in those categories.
This allows you to shop from the comfort of home and save on sales tax for your back to school shopping.
Note: some of these state sales tax holidays also include hurricane preparedness and disaster products.
If you live in a state that’s susceptible to storms, it would be smart to take advantage of tax free shopping for these products, too.
Here are tips on how to prepare your home for hurricane season.
Which states have sales tax holidays
Below is the list of states with a sales tax holiday this year.
Alabama (AL)
Arkansas (AR)
Connecticut (CT)
Florida (FL)
Iowa (IA)
Maryland (MD)
Massachusetts (MA)
Mississippi (MS)
Missouri (MO)
New Mexico (NM)
Ohio (OH)
Oklahoma (OK)
South Carolina (SC)
Tennessee (TN)
Texas (TX)
Virginia (VA)
West Virginia (WV)
Alabama Sales Tax Holiday
In Alabama, you can enjoy sales tax holidays twice during the year.
The first sales tax holiday occurs in February.
Alabama’s second sales tax holiday occurs during the summer.
It is usually in mid July.
Alabama Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday
The first of two sales tax free weekends in Alabama happens on the last full weekend in February.
In 2023 that’s Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26.
It’s called the Severe Weather Preparedness tax holiday.
That’s when the state offers this incentive for residents to stock up on hurricane preparedness products.
Here’s what qualifies for tax-free shopping:
- generators (up to $1,000)
- supplies (up to $60)
These “supplies” include items you could use throughout the year, such as cell phone chargers, plastic drop cloths and duct tape.
Alabama Back to School Sales Tax Holiday
The Alabama Tax Free Weekend starts on the third Friday and ends that following Sunday.
So, for 2023, that would be July 21-July 23, 2023.
That’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
So a three-day sales tax free weekend.
The following items are exempt from Alabama state sales tax:
- books (up to $20)
- clothing (up to $100)
- computers (up to $750)
- school supplies (up to $50)
You can find more information about Alabama sales tax holidays, including the Alabama tax free weekend, on the state’s Department of Revenue website.
Arkansas Tax Free Weekend 2023
The tax free weekend Arkansas in 2022 was August 6-7, 2022.
The state has not updated the dates for the 2023 sales tax holiday yet.
That’s just two days.
This sales tax free weekend in Arkansas is on Saturday and Sunday.
Here are the three categories that qualify for the tax free weekend in Arkansas, plus spending limits:
- Clothing and footwear (each item must cost less than $100)
- Clothing accessories and equipment (priced under $50 per item)
- School supplies, school art supplies, and school instructional materials (no price limit mentioned)
According to the statute, all retailers in Arkansas must participate in this sales tax holiday.
You can find more information on the Arkansas sales tax holiday on the Department of Finance and Administration website.
What’s included in the Arkansas tax free weekend
Believe it or not, Arkansas includes wedding apparel in its list of tax exempt clothing during the tax free weekend.
So are diapers and underwear.
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Connecticut Tax Free Week 2023
In the state of Connecticut (CT), the sales tax holiday is actually an entire week of tax-free shopping.
The CT tax free week is always the third week in August.
In fact, according to state statute, Sales Tax Free Week begins on the third Sunday of August and runs until the following Saturday.
So, for 2023 that is August 20-26, 2023.
That’s was when you can shop without paying CT sales tax.
Normally, the sales tax rate in CT is 6.35%.
Florida Tax Free Holidays
There are many more tax free holidays in Florida than in years past.
Some are for a few days.
Others are a few weeks.
And a handful are a year long–I kid you not.
All of them start in the spring and summer months.
Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday
The Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is now a two-week long law in the state.
It coincides with the start of hurricane season on June 1.
There is a related sales tax holiday, starting on July 1 and running through June 30, 2024.
That is not a typo.
It is two-years long.
This related sales tax holiday is for the following:
“[R]etail sales of impact-resistant doors, impact-resistant garage doors, and impact-resistant windows for commercial or noncommercial use.”
Year-long Florida Sales Tax Holidays
In 2022 Florida introduced two sales tax holidays that will run for a full year.
They started on July 1, 2022 and go through June 30, 2023.
These sale tax holidays make purchases in the following categories tax exempt:
- Children’s diapers and clothes
- Energy Star appliances. More details on the specific Energy Star appliances and products that qualify here.
Florida Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 2023
There is the annual tax-free shopping holiday tied into back-to-school shopping.
In 2022 that was July 25-August 7 in Florida.
However, the state has not announced the dates for 2023 or even if there will be a back to school sales tax holiday for 2023.
Illinois Back to School Sales Tax Holiday Week 2023
The State of Illinois brought back its sales tax holiday in 2022.
Deemed the Illinois back to school state sales tax holiday, it started August 5 and went through August 14, 2022.
Keep in mind that this sales tax holiday in Illinois is not tax free shopping.
It’s a reduction of the state’s local sales tax.
Normally it is 6.25%; during the sales tax holiday 8/5-8/14/22, you’ll pay just 1.25% for IL sales tax.
This reduction is 5% overall.
So, those living in a place with a higher sales tax rate can expect it to be reduced by 5%.
For example, the sales tax rate in Chicago is 10.25%.
Therefore, during the state sales tax holiday, purchases in Chicago will have a 5.25% sales tax rate.
Items eligible for this back to school tax holiday include qualifying clothing and footwear with a retail selling price of less than $125 per item.
Also, certain school supplies students use in the course of study.
School supplies are not subject to the $125 threshold.
Finally, it’s not clear if Illinois will be repeating this sales tax holiday in 2023.
Iowa Tax Free Weekend 2023
The Iowa annual sales tax holiday always happens each year on the first Friday and Saturday of August.
That’s Friday and Saturday only, by the way.
So the tax free weekend in Iowa is not a full weekend for sales tax free shopping.
That’s important to keep in mind.
As far as tax free weekend online shopping goes, here is more from the Iowa Department of Revenue about the annual Iowa sales tax holiday:
Eligible items purchased by mail order, catalog, or Internet are exempt if they are [d]elivered during the exemption period, or [o]rdered and paid for during the exemption period, even if delivery is made after the Sales Tax Holiday.
So, for 2023, the Iowa sales tax holiday is Friday, August 4, and Saturday, August 5.
Remember, it does not include Sunday.
Maryland Sales Tax Holidays 2023
Maryland is another state that offers more than one sales tax holiday throughout the year.
The first sales tax holiday occurs in February; the second sales tax holiday occurs during the summer, usually in early to mid August.
Maryland Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday
The first of the two sales tax free weekends in Maryland is usually right around Valentine’s Day.
It focuses on Energy Star products and is called Shop Maryland Energy Weekend.
Here is how the Maryland Taxes website describes when this sales tax holiday happens each year:
The sales and use tax-free weekend, called Shop Maryland Energy, takes place in February and applies to the sale of a qualified Energy Star product or a solar water heater that is sold between 12:01 a.m. on the Saturday immediately preceding the third Monday in February and 11:59 p.m. on the third Monday of February.
As far as what is exempt from sales tax, it’s important to remember that not every Energy Star item qualifies.
More from Maryland:
Only air conditioners, clothes washers, clothes dryers, furnaces, heat pumps, standard size refrigerators, compact fluorescent light bulbs, dehumidifiers, boilers and programmable thermostats that have been designated as meeting or exceeding the applicable Energy Star efficiency requirements developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy and are authorized to carry the Energy Star label are exempt during the Shop Maryland Energy weekend. In addition, the exemption applies to the sale of any solar water heater.
Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week
Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week is Maryland’s sales tax holiday tied into back-to-school shopping.
It starts the second Sunday in August and goes through the following Saturday.
Therefore, for 2023, this sales tax holiday in Maryland is August 13-19, 2023.
Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday 2023
Turns out the Massachusetts sales tax holiday is actually a law that’s been in place since 2018.
So, you can expect this to happen each year in August.
That would be on the second Saturday and Sunday in August.
So, for 2023, the tax free weekend MA is August 12-13, 2023.
More details can be found on the Massachusetts Department of Revenue website.
Why Massachusetts’ tax free weekend is different
The Massachusetts sales tax holiday is different from any other state.
How?
Pretty much everything you buy during the tax free weekend is exempt from sales tax.
This includes meals out at restaurants.
Also, it includes items costing under $2,500 (with a few exceptions) along with all of the back to school items you would expect to save money on during a sales tax holiday.
There is a limit on clothing, though. Items of clothing must be priced under $175 to be exempt from sales tax.
Either way the Massachusetts sales tax holiday is a great opportunity to support local businesses in the retail and restaurant sectors.
Online sales and the Massachusetts sales tax holiday
As far as online sales and the Massachusetts tax free weekend, here is what the Massachusetts Department of Revenue has to say:
If you order and pay for an eligible item over the internet on the sales tax holiday, Eastern Daylight Time, that item will qualify for the sales tax holiday exemption. No sales tax is due on that purchase, even if delivery of the item occurs after the sales tax holiday weekend.
Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday 2023
Mississippi is another state offering two sales tax holidays during the year.
Both occur in the summer.
One is in July; the other is in August.
Mississippi Back to School Sales Tax Holiday
Look for the Mississippi back to school sales tax holiday the last weekend of July.
In fact, the Sales Tax Holiday always begins on the last Friday in July and ends at midnight the following Saturday.
So, in 2023, the date for the Mississippi back to school sales tax holiday is July 28-29, 2023.
During that time you do not have to pay sales tax on any article of clothing, footwear or school supplies that costs less than $100.
That’s a single item priced under $100–not your total purchase.
Here is what the Mississippi tax site says about online purchases during the sales tax holiday:
“Sales of eligible items that were placed or ordered by mail, telephone, or the internet are not subject to Sales Tax if the purchaser orders and pays for the items during the Sales Tax Holiday and the items are less than the $100.00 threshold.”
Mississippi Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday
Given the name of this sales tax holiday, it’s no surprise that it focuses on firearms, hunting supplies and ammunition.
Mississippi residents can look forward to the Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday on the last weekend of August each year.
That would be Friday through Sunday.
There does not seem to be any price limits for qualifying purchases to be exempt from sales tax.
So, for 2023 the Mississippi Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday is August 25-27, 2023.
Missouri Sales Tax Holiday 2023
Missouri is another state with two sales tax holidays during the year.
The first sales tax holiday is in April; the second sales tax holiday happens over the summer, usually in early August.
Here’s what you need to know about Tax Free Weekend Missouri.
Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday
The cleverly named Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday focuses on new energy-efficient Energy Star appliances only.
Get the play on words?
Missouri is the “show me” state.
And instead of “show me the money” they’re saying “show me the green”?
Cute, right?
Anyway, this sales tax holiday is always seven-days long, from April 19-25.
Missouri Back to School Tax Free Weekend 2023
According to Missouri state law, the Missouri back to school sales tax holiday begins on the first Friday in August and continues through the following Sunday.
So, in 2023 the Missouri sales tax holiday was Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6.
The Missouri Department of Revenue has included the following in the Missouri sales tax holiday:
- Clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less
- School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase
- Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less
- Personal computers – not to exceed $3,500
- Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $3,500
New Mexico Tax Free Weekend 2023
New Mexico calls its back to school, tax free holiday the New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax Holiday.
It is always the first full weekend in August, on the first Friday through the first Sunday.
For 2023, the dates are August 4-6, 2023.
During the New Mexico sales tax free weekend, you won’t pay sales tax on the following:
- Clothing or shoes must be priced at less than $100 per unit
- The price limit for desktop, laptop, tablets or notebook computers is $1,000
- The price limit for related computer hardware is $500
- School supplies for use in standard, general-education classrooms must be priced under $30 per unit
Find out how school uniforms can save parents money.
Ohio Sales Tax Holiday 2023
Ohio residents will no longer have to ask, “When is the tax free weekend in Ohio?”
That’s because a few years ago, this tax free weekend became a permanent sales tax holiday.
The Ohio sales tax holiday now happens each year on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of August.
Thus, the Ohio Tax Free Weekend.
Think of it as Ohio back to school tax free weekend or the Ohio tax free holiday.
In 2023 it is Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6.
More information on the Ohio Department of Taxation website.
What qualifies during the Ohio sales tax free weekend
The Ohio Department of Taxation says that during this Ohio sales tax holiday, the following items are exempt from sales and use tax:
- Clothing priced at $75 per item or less;
- School supplies priced at $20 per item or less
- School instructional material priced at $20 per item or less
Oklahoma Tax Free Weekend 2023
Oklahoma’s annual sales tax holiday is a three-day event in August.
It is always the first Friday – Sunday in August.
So, for 2023, it is August 4-6, 2023.
Retailers are required to participate in the three-day sales tax holiday and may not collect sales and use tax on sales on qualified footwear and clothing items priced less than $100 dollars.”
South Carolina Sales Tax Holiday 2023
South Carolina’s sales tax holiday is always the first Friday in August and goes through the following Sunday.
So, for 2023, it is August 4-6, 2023.
Some of the items you’ll be able to purchase tax free include computers, clothes, and school supplies.
From a press release about South Carolina’s annual 72-hour Sales Tax Holiday, which the state is promoting with the hashtag #sctaxfree:
“The South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) reminds shoppers that eligible items can be purchased online and in-store without paying the state’s 6% Sales Tax and any applicable local taxes during South Carolina’s Sales Tax Holiday.”
Shoppers will also find tax-free items for their home or dorm room.
Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday 2023
Tennessee is offering two different sales tax holidays.
Both of them begin at some point in July.
Normally, the Tennessee sales tax rate is 7%.
Back to school shopping sales tax free weekend
The Tennessee back to school tax-free weekend occurs the last week of July each year.
Tennessee’s traditional sales tax holiday on clothing, school supplies and computers is the last full weekend in July.
So, for 2023, it is Friday, July 28, 2023 through Sunday, July 30, 2023.
That’s over a three-day weekend of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It’s the sales tax holiday that focuses on clothing, school supplies and computers.
Gun safe sales tax holiday in Tennessee
In 2022 Tennesse started a one-year sales tax holiday on gun safes and gun safety devices.
It ends on June 30, 2023.
Texas Tax Free Weekend 2023
You know how everything is bigger in Texas?
Well, the same is true when it comes to sales tax holidays.
Texas offers three tax-free shopping holidays throughout the year.
So, when are these tax-free weekends in TX?
There are three of them held in:
- April
- May
- August
Texas Emergency Preparedness Supplies Sales Tax Holiday
The Emergency Preparedness Supplies Sales Tax Holiday happens each April.
In 2023 it is April 22-24.
Here is a detailed list of tax-exempt items that qualify as being emergency preparedness supplies:
- Less than $3000
- Portable generators
- Less than $300
- Emergency ladders
- Hurricane shutters
- Less than $75
- Axes
- Batteries, single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt)
- Can openers – nonelectric
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Coolers and ice chests for food storage – nonelectric
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kits
- Fuel containers
- Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits
- Hatchets
- Ice products – reusable and artificial
- Light sources – portable self-powered (including battery operated)
- Examples of items include: candles, flashlights and lanterns
- Mobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers
- Radios – portable self-powered (including battery operated) – includes two-way and weather band radios
- Smoke detectors
- Tarps and other plastic sheeting
Texas Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday
The Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday is the month following the emergency supplies sales tax.
Or, in other words, May.
For 2023, it is May 27-29.
Here is a detailed list of items that qualify.
Note: Texas says you can buy, rent or lease these items, and still not pay sales tax:
- air conditioners (with a sales price of $6,000 or less)
- refrigerators (with a sales price of $2,000 or less)
- ceiling fans
- incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs
- clothes washers
- dishwashers
- dehumidifiers
Texas Back to School Sales Tax Holiday/Tax Free Weekend
The annual Texas tax free weekend for back to school shopping is in August.
That’s when you can buy most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas.
For the 2023, it is August 11-13, 2023.
Virginia Tax Free Weekend 2023
The 3-day sales tax holiday starts the first Friday in August at 12:01 am and ends the following Sunday at 11:59 pm.
So, for 2023, it is August 4-6, 2023.
The Virginia sales tax holiday covers three important shopping categories:
- back to school supplies (school supplies must be priced $20 or less, and clothing and footwear $100 or less)
- hurricane and emergency preparedness items (supplies under $60 and generators prices at $1,000 or less)
- Energy Star products (costing less than $2,500)
FYI, here is an article on additional tips to prepare your home for hurricane season.
West Virginia Sales Tax Holiday 2023
In 2021, West Virginia began offering an annual sales tax holiday.
This would save you from paying the 6% West Virginia sales tax.
The West Virginia State Sales Tax Holiday begins each year on the Friday before the first Sunday in August and ends the following Monday.
So, for 2023, that is August 4-6, 2023.
What qualifies as tax free in West Virginia?
Here’s an outline:
- clothing priced at $125 or less;
- school supplies priced $50 or less;
- school instruction material priced $20 or less;
- laptop and tablet computers, not purchased for use in a trade or business, priced at $500 or less; and
- sports equipment, not purchased for use in a trade or business, priced at $150 or less
States that don’t tax clothing purchases
A big part of these tax free shopping weekends, at least during back to school, is saving on clothing purchases.
However, in some states, there is no need to have tax shopping holidays.
Why?
Because they don’t charge tax on clothing purchases at all.
Below is a list of states that always have tax free shopping on clothing.
That’s because sales tax never applies.
So, which states don’t have sales tax on clothing? Here you go:
- Minnesota (MN)
- New Hampshire (NH)
- New Jersey (NJ)
- Pennsylvania (PA)
- Rhode Island (RI)
- Vermont (VT)
States without any sales tax
There are currently just a handful of states without any sales tax.
This is good to know if you’re looking to shop and save money by shopping tax free.
Here are the states that do not have any sales tax:
- Alaska (AK)
- Delaware (DE)
- Hawaii (HI)
- Montana (MT)
- New Hampshire (NH)
- Oregon (OR)
States that no longer have tax free weekends
Unfortunately, many states have stopped offering tax free weekends.
That’s too bad, especially with prices and inflation on the rise.
Below is a list of states that used to offer tax free shopping holidays over a week or a weekend, at one time or another.
Unfortunately, they no longer do.
That means that they continue to charge sales tax on everyday items.
Here is a list of those states:
- District of Columbia (DC)
- Georgia (GA)
- Idaho (ID)
Illinois (IL)- Indiana (IN)
- Kansas (KS)
- Kentucky (KY)
- Louisiana (LA)
- Maine (ME)
- Michigan (MI)
- Montana (MT)
- New York (NY)
- North Carolina (NC)
- North Dakota (ND)
- South Dakota (SD)
- Utah (UT)
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Final thoughts on state sales tax holidays and tax free weekends
I’m lucky enough to have lived most of my adult life in states that don’t have sales tax on certain things.
For example, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you don’t pay sales tax on clothing.
However, if I lived in a state or commonwealth that did tax those items, I surely would want to take advantage of state sales tax holidays or tax free shopping weekends whenever they came around.
I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful in your quest to shop tax free. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Iowa is wrong it starts at 12:01am on Friday and ends at 12:00pm Saturday night. Sunday is not included.
Thank you. I will fix that.
I thought Georgia was having a tax free weekend, 29-31 July
This article from 11 Alive explains that Georgia stopped offering this in 2016: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/education/why-georgia-no-longer-offers-tax-free-day-back-to-school-shopping/85-e61eb10f-42ed-4176-877c-53a36f8fcdd9
I thought the Virginia Sales tax holiday legislation was in effect through July, 2022 and therefore there would not be a tax holiday weekend in August for school supplies this year. I’m glad to see this might not be the case. Can you please provide your source of information?
The Virginia Commonwealth website: https://www.tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday
Leah
Thanks, but the info on that website page is old. The video is from 2020. I believe at this point the Virginia sales tax holiday period is set to expire in July 2022, per Senate Bill 1018 and House Bill 1529.
Thanks for letting me know.
When you visit that website now, it shows that there WILL be a sales tax holiday in Virginia in 2022.
https://www.tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday
I reside in Arkansas. If I purchase an eligible item online from a different state, will it be tax free?
That’s a really good question and I’m not sure. Here is a link to your state’s tax office. Maybe they can help. https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/excise-tax/sales-and-use-tax/sales-tax-holiday
Leah