The following eight states will give you a tax discount if you purchase school supplies and they are Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The tax breaks will begin on Friday and go through the weekend. Two states have begun their sales-tax holidays, Ohio and Florida, which run through August 8 and August 11, respectively. Though school children may moan, back-to-school buying is already underway.
Once more, a number of states are providing sales-tax holidays to assist families in saving money on school supplies. As per the Federation of Tax Administrators, a minimum of 17 states are providing a weekend or a period during which school-related purchases such as apparel, shoes, gadgets, and supplies are exempt from taxes. Ohio and Massachusetts are the two states that have extended tax-free holidays to include non-school-related transactions. States determine their own dates, which are usually in July or August.
Holiday Tax Free Weekend
Politically, states continue to support sales tax holidays, which are times when certain products and services are free from state (and occasionally local) sales taxes: One more than the previous year, 19 have hosted or plan to hold sales tax holidays in 2024. Outdoor recreational equipment is no longer subject to state sales tax in Florida during the summer, while apparel is exempt in Iowa and Oklahoma during the holidays.
Politicians support sales tax holidays because they provide customers with obvious, direct discounts real or perceived in a highly visible manner. Customers frequently think they are receiving a great deal. As a result, their popularity endures in spite of their economic inefficiencies, unexpected outcomes, and repeated failure to meet their predetermined objectives.
States with tax-free sales this month for back-to-school supplies
| State | Tax Holiday Dates | Items |
| Alaska | – | Sales tax is determined by individual municipalities. |
| Arizona | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Arkansas | August 3-4, 2024 | School and art supplies, electronics (up to USD 50 per item), school instructional materials, diapers and Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item). |
| California | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Colorado | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Connecticut | August 18-24, 2024 | Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item). Excludes accessories and protective or athletic Apparel. |
| Delaware | – | Delaware will not have a state sales tax. |
| Florida | July 29-August 11, 2024 | Apparel (up to USD 100 per item), school supplies (up to USD 50 per item) and PC and accessories (up to USD 1,500 per item). |
| Georgia | – | The state discontinued sales tax holidays in 2016. |
| Hawaii | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Idaho | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Illinois | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Indiana | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Iowa | August 2-3, 2024 | Select Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item). |
| Kansas | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Kentucky | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Louisiana | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Maine | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Maryland | August 11-17, 2024 | Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item), backpacks and book bags (tax relief only applies to the first USD 40 spent on these items). |
| Massachusetts | August 10-11, 2024 | Most retail items for personal use up to USD 2,500. Excludes food items, utilities and transportation. |
| Michigan | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Minnesota | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Mississippi | July 12-14, 2024 | Apparel, footwear, accessories and school supplies (up to USD 100 per item). |
| Missouri | August 2-4, 2024 | Apparel and diapers (up to USD 100 per item), personal PC and electronic devices (up to USD 1,500), graphing calculators (up to USD 150), PC software (up to USD 350) and school supplies (up to USD 50). |
| Montana | – | It does not have a state sales tax. |
| Nebraska | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Nevada | – | It will not have a tax holiday for school-related purchases. |
| New Hampshire | – | It does not have a state sales tax. |
| NJ | – | The tax holiday was repealed in 2024. |
| New Mexico | August 2-4, 2024 | Apparel, diapers and footwear (up to USD 100 per item), PC (up to USD 1,000) and related hardware (up to USD 500) and school supplies (up to USD 30). |
| New York | – | Apparel and footwear under USD 110 are exempt from NY state sales tax. Certain municipalities and counties also have their own exemptions and tax holidays. |
| NC | – | The statewide sales tax holiday was repealed in 2014. |
| North Dakota | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Ohio | July 30-August 8, 2024 | All personal property that is USD 500 or less. |
| Oklahoma | August 2-4, 2024 | Select Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item). |
| Oregon | – | Oregon will not have a state sales tax. |
| Pennsylvania | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. Items such as Apparel, textbooks and select PC services are always sales tax exempt in Pennsylvania. |
| Rhode Island | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| South Carolina | August 2-4, 2024 | Apparel, accessories, footwear, PC, software, printers, school supplies, diapers and certain bed and bath supplies. |
| South Dakota | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. Beginning July 1, 2023, overall sales tax in the state was temporarily reduced from 4.5% to 4.2%. The resolution lasts until 2027. |
| Tennessee | July 26-28, 2024 | Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100 per item), school and art supplies (up to USD 100 per item) and personal PC and tablets (up to USD 1,500). |
| Texas | August 9-11, 2024 | Apparel, footwear, cloth or disposable face masks, diapers, backpacks and school supplies (up to USD 100 per item). |
| Utah | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| Vermont | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. Certain necessities, like Apparel and athletic equipment, are always sales tax exempt. |
| Virginia | August 2-4, 2024 | Qualifying school supplies (up to USD 20) and Apparel and footwear (up to USD 100). |
| Washington | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
| West Virginia | August 2-5, 2024 | Apparel and diapers (up to USD 125 per item), school supplies (up to USD 50 per item), sports equipment (up to USD 150), instructional materials (up to USD 20 per item) and PC and tablets (up to USD 500). |
| Wisconsin | – | The state discontinued sales tax holidays in 2019. |
| Wyoming | – | It will not have a designated tax-free period. |
Ember Orion is a journalism student who loves to write about social security and government schemes. Ember’s dream is to become a top-level anchor in the USA.