8 states have sales tax holidays coming up. When is yours?
Eight states – Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas and West Virginia – are next up to offer you a tax break if you're shopping for school supplies, starting Friday and through the weekend.
Sales-tax holidays for two states – Ohio and Florida – started recently and continue through Aug. 8 and Aug. 11, respectively.
School kids may groan, but it's already that time of year for back-to-school shopping. Several states are once again offering sales-tax holidays to help families save on school supplies.
At least 17 states are offering a weekend or a time period where items related to school, like clothing, shoes, electronics and supplies are tax-free, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Two states – Ohio and Massachusetts – have expanded tax-free holidays that go beyond school-related purchases.
Each state sets its own dates which are generally in July or August.
What states have sales-tax holidays now?
The next sales tax holidays that start Friday and Saturday and last through the weekend are:
Aug 2.-Aug. 3: Iowa.
Aug. 2-Aug. 4: Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia
Aug. 2-Aug. 5: West Virginia
Aug. 3-Aug. 4: Arkanasa
Florida started July 29 and continues through Aug. 11
Ohio started July 30 and continues through Aug. 8.
New Jersey no longer has a tax-free holiday for school supplies. Legislation earlier this year repealed it.
Families have already begun back-to-school shopping
As of early July, more than half, or 55%, of back-to-school and college shoppers had already begun to buy items for the school year, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics' annual survey.
“Families and students are eager to get a jumpstart on their shopping for the start of the school year,'' Katherine Cullen, National Retail Federation (NRF) Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights, said in a press release. "Retailers have anticipated this early demand and are well-positioned to offer a variety of products at competitive prices.”
Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $874.68 on clothing, shoes, electronics and school supplies, according to the NRF. That's $15 less than last year's record of $890.07, but is the second-highest amount in the survey's history.
Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $38.8 billion, also the second-highest on record after last year's high of $41.5 billion, the NRF said.
The most popular destinations for back-to-school shopping are online (57%), department stores (50%), discount stores (47%), clothing stores (42%) and electronic stores (23%).
College students and their families are expected to spend more. On average, they will spend $1,364.75, about the same as last year's $1,366.95. Total college back-to-school spending is expected to reach $86.6 billion, the second-highest after last year's $94 billion.
Consumers remain inflation wary while school-supply shopping
Consumers are feeling negative about the U.S. economy and are inflation weary, according to a new back-to-school study by Ankura Consulting, that showed 51% of respondents had those feelings.
Nearly 75% of shoppers said credit card and personal debt will influence their back-to-school shopping budget.
And consumers are weighing other parts of their budget: nearly 50% of back-to-school shoppers have experienced a significant increase in the cost of their car insurance, while 36% are seeing an increase in their home insurance and 32% have seen a rise in their health insurance. Those cost-of-living expenses eat into their disposable spending, Ankura said.
Does my state have a school supply sales tax holiday?
Here is a list of participating states and what's tax free, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Rules and dates vary by state so check the state’s website for the most updated information. In some instances, local taxes may also still apply.
If a dollar amount is not listed, the state did not appear to indicate a spending limit on that item. A link to most states' details of their holiday are hyperlinked to the name of each state. Generally most purchases online also qualify for the sales-tax holiday, but check your state's requirements.
July 19-21
What's tax-free:
Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
Computers: $750 or less per item
School supplies: $50 or less per item
Books: $30 or less per item
Aug. 3-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item, clothing accessories: $50 or less per item
School supplies
Electronic device used for school
Aug. 18-24
What's tax-free:
Clothing and footwear less than $100
July 29-Aug. 11
What's tax-free:
School supplies: $50 or less per item
Clothing, footwear, accessories: $100 or less per item
Computers and related accessories: $1,500 or less
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles: $30 or less
Aug. 2-3
What's tax-free:
Clothing or footwear: $100 or less per item
Aug. 11-17
What's tax-free:
Clothing, footwear and accessories: $100 or less per item
Backpacks: the first $40 of a backpack/bookbag purchase is tax-free.
Aug 10-11
Eligible retail items bought for personal use costing $2,500 or less (not limited to school supplies)
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July 12-14 (A Senate bill changed the holiday from the last Friday and Saturday in July to the second Friday and Saturday and extended it through Sunday).
What's tax-free:
Clothing, and footwear: $100 or less per item
School supplies: $100 or less per item
Aug. 2-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing: $100 or less per item
School supplies: $50 or less per item
Computers: $1,500
Computer software: $350 or less
Computer peripheral devices: $1,500
Graphic calculators: $150 or less
Aug. 2-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing or shoes: $100 or less per item
Desktop, laptop, tablets or notebook computers: $1,000
Related computer hardware: $500 per item
School supplies: $30 per item
July 30-Aug. 8
What's tax-free:
Ohio's tax-free holiday in 2024 has been expanded to 10 days and is not limited to school-related supplies. The tax-free period includes anything that is considered tangible personal property that is $500 or less, except watercraft, anything with an outboard motor that must be titled, a motor vehicle, alcohol, tobacco, a vapor product or a product that contains marijuana. Dine-in meals, which are usually taxed, are also tax-free if they are less than $500.
Aug. 2-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing or footwear: $100 or less per item.
Aug. 2-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing, shoes and accessories
School supplies
Computers, printers, earbuds and headphones
Certain bed and bath items
Diapers
July 26-28
What's tax-free:
Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
School supplies: $100 or less per item
Computers, including laptops and tablets: $1,500 or less per item
Aug. 9-11
What's tax-free:
Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
Backpacks: $100 or less per item
Facemasks
School supplies: $100 or less per item
Aug. 2-4
What's tax-free:
Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
School supplies: $20 or less per item
Aug. 2-5
What's tax-free:
Clothing: $125 or less per item
Laptop or tablet computers: $500 or less per item
School instruction material: $20 or less per item
School supplies: $50 or less per item
Sports equipment: $150 or less per item
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays,here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Back-to-school shopping? 8 states have sales tax holidays coming up
