--- title: Here's Where You Can Buy School Supplies (and More) Without Paying Sales Tax This Month description: Depending on where you live, you could save as much as 7% on school supplies this month. authors: - name: Kenadi Silcox role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/kenadi-silcox/ bio: Kenadi Silcox was a reporter for Money, covering careers and financial health. She graduated in 2018 from the University of San Francisco with a degree in journalism. at_money_since: 2019 articles: 97 covers: - Education - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology former_staff: true published: '2021-08-03T19:07:06.000Z' modified: '2024-05-08T05:39:40.000Z' section: Education tags: - News word_count: 684 canonical: https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Collage of School supplies and tags with the word Tax on them cut in two.](https://img.money.com/2021/08/News-Tax-Free-School-Supplies.jpg) The cost of back-to-school shopping is expected to be at an [all-time high this year](https://money.com/back-to-school-shopping-2021-shortages-higher-prices/) thanks to higher demand and supply shortages, but families in certain parts of the U.S. can still save money by taking advantage of special tax holidays. Every year around this time, [some states schedule sales tax "holidays"](https://www.taxadmin.org/2021-sales-tax-holiday) that allow shoppers to purchase common school supplies like pencils, notebooks, clothing and computers without having to pay state sales tax (though local taxes may still apply). Not all states have [sales tax](https://taxfoundation.org/2021-sales-taxes/) to begin with, but depending on where you live and what you're buying, this could take as much as 7% off your bill. While the annual back-to-school tax holidays in states like Tennessee and West Virginia have already passed, the majority of participating states will be offering the discount in the first three weeks of August. In states like Florida and Maryland, shoppers will get an entire week of tax-free purchases, but the majority of these holidays are for one weekend only — so be sure to set a reminder ahead of time. It's important to check your state's specific rules for eligibility, as what counts as "school supplies" can vary by location. For instance, art supplies used in schools like molding clay and paintbrushes are exempt in Arkansas, whereas in Ohio those items are still taxable. Additionally, there are also some non-school-related tax holidays going on during the month of August: Shoppers in Tennessee, for example, can [purchase meal ingredients and prepared food](https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/notices/sales/sales21-10.pdf) tax-free between now and Aug. 5, [along with gun safes and safety devices](https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/sales-and-use-tax/sales-tax-holiday/sth-gun-safety.html) between now and June 30, 2022. If your state isn't on the list, you'll still be able to find plenty of deals on school supplies this month. Walmart currently has school supplies [on sale for as low as $0.25.](https://www.walmart.com/cp/back-to-school/1071204?) Target is [offering similar deals](https://www.target.com/c/kids-back-to-school/-/N-5xtyp), as well as providing teachers with [15% off classroom supplies](https://www.passionforsavings.com/in-store/target-teacher-discount/) if they register with the retailer between now and Aug. 29. Here's a full list of tax-free shopping days in August. Read on to find out when your state's back-to-school shopping holiday is and what you'll be able to buy tax-free: ### Arkansas **Date(s):** Aug. 7-8 **Items included:** - School supplies (no price limit) - Clothing up to $100 per item - Electronic devices (no price limit) **Website:** *[https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/excise-tax/sales-and-use-tax/sales-tax-holiday](https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/excise-tax/sales-and-use-tax/sales-tax-holiday)* ### Connecticut **Date(s):** Aug. 15-21 **Items included:** - Clothing and footwear up to $100 per item **Website:** [*https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Sales-Tax/Sales-Tax-Free-Week*](https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Sales-Tax/Sales-Tax-Free-Week) ### Florida **Date(s):** July 31 to Aug. 9 **Items included:** - School supplies up to $15 per item - Clothing up to $60 per item - Computers up to $1,000 per item **Website:** *[https://floridarevenue.com/backtoschool/Pages/default.aspx](https://floridarevenue.com/backtoschool/Pages/default.aspx)* ### Iowa **Date(s):** Aug. 6-7 **Items included:** - Clothing up to $100 per item **Website:** *[https://tax.iowa.gov/iowas-annual-sales-tax-holiday](https://tax.iowa.gov/iowas-annual-sales-tax-holiday)* ### Maryland **Dates:** Aug. 8-14 **Items included:** - Clothing and footwear up to $100 per item **Website:** [*https://marylandtaxes.gov/divisions/comp/Shop\_Maryland\_Tax-free\_Week/Tax\_Free\_Week\_Facts.pdf*](https://marylandtaxes.gov/divisions/comp/Shop_Maryland_Tax-free_Week/Tax_Free_Week_Facts.pdf) ### Massachusetts **Dates:** Aug.14-15 **Items included:** - All taxpayer purchases under $2,500 [(with some exceptions)](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/sales-tax-holiday-frequently-asked-questions#qualifications-for-the-sales-tax-holiday-) **Website:** [*https://www.mass.gov/info-details/sales-tax-holiday-frequently-asked-questions*](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/sales-tax-holiday-frequently-asked-questions) ### Missouri **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - School supplies up to $50 per item - Clothing up to $100 per item - Computers up to $1,500 per item **Website:** [*https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/holidays/back-to-school/*](https://dor.mo.gov/taxation/business/tax-types/sales-use/holidays/back-to-school/) ### New Mexico **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - School supplies up to $30 per item - Clothing up to $100 per item - Computers up to $1,000 per item - Computer equipment up to $500 per item **Website:** [*https://www.tax.newmexico.gov/news-alerts/tax-holiday/*](https://www.tax.newmexico.gov/news-alerts/tax-holiday/) ### Ohio **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - School supplies and instructional materials up to $20 per item - Clothing up to $75 per item **Website:** [*https://tax.ohio.gov/static/ohiotaxalert/archivedalerts/salestaxholiday2021.pdf*](https://tax.ohio.gov/static/ohiotaxalert/archivedalerts/salestaxholiday2021.pdf) ### Oklahoma **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - Clothing up to $100 per item **Website:** *[https://oklahoma.gov/SalesTaxHolidaypdf.pdf](https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/tax/documents/resources/publications/infographics/SalesTaxHolidaypdf.pdf)* ### South Carolina **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - School supplies (no price limit) - Clothing and accessories (no price limit) - Computers and technology (no price limit) - Bedroom and bathroom products (no price limit) **Website:** [*https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend*](https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend) ### Texas **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - Clothing and footwear up to $100 per item - School supplies and backpacks up to $100 per item **Website:** *[https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-490/](https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-490/)* ### Virginia **Dates:** Aug. 6-8 **Items included:** - School supplies up to $20 per item - Clothing up to $100 per item **Website:** [*https://www.tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday*](https://www.tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Education", "item": "https://money.com/education/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Students", "item": "https://money.com/students/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Here's Where You Can Buy School Supplies (and More) Without Paying Sales Tax This Month" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/", "name": "Here's Where You Can Buy School Supplies (and More) Without Paying Sales Tax This Month", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2021-08-03T19:07:06.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/school-supplies-tax-free-days/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-08T05:39:40.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Here's Where You Can Buy School Supplies (and More) Without Paying Sales Tax This Month", "articleSection": "Education", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2021/08/News-Tax-Free-School-Supplies.jpg", "width": 3000, "height": 2000, "caption": "News-Tax-Free-School-Supplies" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenadi Silcox", "url": "https://money.com/author/kenadi-silcox/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/kenadi-silcox/#author", "description": "Kenadi Silcox was a reporter for Money, covering careers and financial health. 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