Back-to-school season sneaks up fast, and this year 17 states are offering families a break on the sales tax bill for school clothes, supplies, and even laptops — a welcome bit of relief as the cost of outfitting kids for a new year keeps climbing.
Why It Matters for Your Wallet
Between clothes, shoes, backpacks, notebooks, and the occasional new laptop, back-to-school shopping can easily run into hundreds of dollars per child — and that bill multiplies fast for families with more than one kid heading back to class. Sales tax holidays temporarily suspend the state sales tax, which typically runs 3% to 7%, on qualifying items during a set window, meaning the sticker price really is the price you pay at checkout.
Key Dates to Know
Florida offers the most generous window this year, running a full month from July 20 through August 20, letting families shop on their own schedule rather than racing to beat a single weekend. Mississippi kicked things off even earlier, starting July 10. Most other states cluster their tax holidays around the first weekend of August, with Connecticut running August 16–22 and Maryland set for August 9–15.
Typical categories covered include clothing and footwear (often capped around $100 per item, though some states go much higher), school supplies, backpacks, calculators, and in several states, computers and other electronics — sometimes with no price cap at all.
Read the Fine Print
Rules vary significantly by state, so it pays to check the details before you shop:
- Price limits matter. An item just a few dollars over the cap may not qualify for the exemption at all.
- Online orders usually count — but typically only if the order is placed during the tax-free window itself.
- Some cities opt out. A handful of municipalities still charge local sales tax even during a statewide holiday, so check local rules too.
Not every state participates — Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, and about a dozen others don’t currently offer a back-to-school sales tax holiday, though some have year-round exemptions on clothing or no state sales tax at all. If your state does participate, mark your calendar: popular sizes and doorbuster school supplies tend to sell out fast, so shopping the first morning of the holiday is your best bet for the widest selection.
