Tax Free Weekend 2024: How to Maximize your Savings
Have you ever stood in line at the checkout counter, watching the total get rung up, and cringed when you saw how much sales tax added to your bill? As if the damage to your wallet wasn’t bad enough already!
Well, there’s good news. You can dodge that sales and use tax bullet completely during tax free weekends.
These brief windows of opportunity happen throughout the year, giving you days or even weeks when you can score huge savings on back to school supplies, appliances, emergency preparedness items, and more without paying a cent of sales tax. Keep reading to unlock the secrets of maximizing tax free weekends in your state!
Why tax free weekends matter?
Saving a few bucks on sales tax may not seem like a big deal. But when you add up how much you spend annually on clothing, school supplies, computers, and household items, that sales tax really starts to hurt.
For example, if you spend $500 on back to school clothes and supplies for your kids in a state with a 6% sales tax, you’ll pay an extra $30 at checkout. Ouch.
But if you do that $500 shop during a tax free weekend? Congrats, you just kept an extra $30 in your wallet where it belongs!
And it gets even better…
Tax free weekends often have caps on how much you can spend tax free per item. So you can save sales tax on bigger purchases too, like computers, appliances, and outdoor equipment.
Turns out there are massive discounts hiding in plain sight for the savvy shopper who plans around to buy items that qualify for the sales tax exemption.
When are sales tax free weekends in 2024?
Every state handles tax free weekends a little differently. Some states host them every year, while others have stopped doing them altogether. And the product categories, purchase caps, and dates can vary widely.
Here’s a state-by-state guide so you can plan your shopping trips around these golden opportunities.
Alabama – Dates: July 19-21
Eligible Items:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
- Computers under $750
- School supplies under $50
- Books under $30
Get ready to save on clothing essentials, laptops for the kids, and restocking the home office during Alabama’s mid-July tax free weekend.
Arkansas – Dates: August 3-4
Eligible Items:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
- Accessories under $50
- School supplies (no limit)
Arkansas gives you two days in early August to score clothes, shoes, bags, and everything you need to head back to school free from local states tax.
Connecticut – Dates: August 18-24
Eligible item:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
Connecticut rocks over a week of tax free clothing and shoe shopping in late August. Now that’s a sweet back to school bonus!
Florida – Dates: July 29 – August 11
Qualified Items:
- School supplies under $50
- Clothing, footwear, and accessories under $100
- Computers and accessories under $1,500
- Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles under $30
Florida gives you an awesome 2 full weeks covering the end of July and start of August to take advantage of tax free prices on apparel, electronics, and school gear.
Dates: September 1-7
Eligible Items:
- Tools under varying limits
Come September, shop for drills, saws, wrenches, and more without the extra sales tax.
Iowa – Dates: August 2-3
Eligible Items:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
Iowa’s weekend Tax Free event at the start of August is ideal for discount summer wardrobe refreshers.
Louisiana – Dates: September 6-8
Eligible Items:
- Firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies (no limit)
Outdoorsmen rejoice, Louisiana’s September tax free weekend lets you gear up for hunting season without paying sales tax.
Maryland – Dates: August 11-17
Qualified Items:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
- Backpacks under $40 (first $40 exempt)
Maryland gives you a full tax free week in mid-August to refresh your style from head to toe.
Massachusetts – Dates: August 10-11
Eligible Items:
- All retail items for personal use under $2,500, excluding vehicles, food, alcohol, gas, certain utilities, tobacco, marijuana
Massachusetts opens the floodgates for tax free shopping on all kinds of goods in August, with the exception of a few restricted items.
Mississippi – Dates: July 12-14
Qualified Items:
- Clothing and footwear under $100
- Select school supplies under $100
Dates: August 30-Sept. 1
Eligible Items:
- Firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies (no limit)
Mississippi hosts two tax free weekends, one in July for back to school bargains and another in August for hunting season prep.
Missouri – Dates: August 2-4
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $100
- School supplies under $50
- Computers under $1,500
- Computer software under $350
- Graphing calculators under $150
Computers, calculators, apparel…Missouri helps you check everything off your back to school list tax free!
Nevada – Dates: October 25-27
Details: Purchases by active duty military, National Guard members, and qualifying relatives are tax free with no limits.
Nevada salutes service members by exempting them from sales tax in October.
New Mexico – Dates: August 2-4
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $100
- Computers under $1,000
- Computer equipment under $500
- Certain school supplies under $30
Dates: November 30
Details: Certain small business purchases under $500
New Mexico gives everyone tax free clothing and school shopping in August, then helps small businesses stock up on tech, equipment, and supplies tax free in November.
Ohio – Dates: July 30 – August 8
Qualified Items:
- All tangible personal property under $500, excluding certain watercraft, motor vehicles, alcohol, tobacco, vapor products, marijuana
Ohio’s generous tax free week event at the end of July includes pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.
Oklahoma – Dates: August 2-4
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $100
Oklahoma keeps it simple with a back to school tax free weekend on clothing in early August.
South Carolina – Dates: August 2-4
Qualified Items:
- Computers, school supplies, clothing (no limits)
South Carolina opens the exempt sales tax floodgates on apparel, electronics, and school supplies for 3 days in early August.
Tennessee – Dates: July 26-28
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $100
- School supplies under $100
- Computers under $1,500
Tennessee comes through with a Tax Free Weekend right before school starts, with savings on clothes, laptops, and other essentials.
Texas – Dates: May 25-27
Qualified Items:
- Select Energy Star products (no limit)
- WaterSense products (no limit)
- Energy Star air conditioners under $6,000
- Energy Star refrigerators under $2,000
Texas helps you save electricity and sales tax on energy efficient appliances over Memorial Day weekend.
Dates: August 9-11
Qualified Items:
Clothing, backpacks, and school supplies under $100
Then they flip the switch to back to school bargains in August.
Virginia – Dates: August 2-4
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $100
- School supplies under $20
- Energy Star and WaterSense products under $2,500
- Hurricane preparedness items under $60
- Generators under $1,000
Virginia’s fax free weekend has you covered from back to school essentials to emergency and energy saving purchases.
West Virginia – Dates: August 2-5
Qualified Items:
- Clothing under $125
- School supplies under $50
- School instructional materials under $20
- Sports equipment under $150
- Computers or tablets under $500
West Virginia gives families a full weekend every August to gear up for the new school year tax free.
Maximize sales tax free weekend savings
Now that you’ve got the inside scoop on when tax free weekends happen in your state, here are some pro tips to make the most of these savings events:
Time it right
Obviously you’ll save the most on back to school supplies during late July and August tax free weekends. But keep an eye out for random sales tax holidays on hunting goods in the fall, Energy Star appliances in the spring, and emergency preparedness items in June before hurricane season. Timing is everything!
Look for limits
Most tax free weekends put a cap on the maximum price per item that’s exempt from sales tax. This limit can be anywhere from $50 to $2,500. Know the limits so you don’t accidentally pay sales tax on items over the threshold.
Layer on savings
Tax free savings make a great base, but you can save even more by stacking on coupons, cash back offers, loyalty program discounts, and other promos.
Shop early
It’s no secret – these weekends mean crowds and low inventory as everyone rushes in for the deals. Shop early in the weekend when selection is best.
Research big purchases
Scoring a brand new laptop interest free is exciting on a tax free weekend! But don’t impulse buy. Research features and compare prices ahead of time to get the best value.
Support local
National chains are convenient, but don’t forget about mom and pop shops during Tax Free Weekends! You’ll get excellent service and support the community.
Tax free weekend = Happy wallet
As you can see, tax free weekends happen often throughout the year and offer outstanding savings if you plan properly.
In fact, you could easily save over $100 this year alone just by timing your shopping trips around these designated tax holidays.
So what are you waiting for? Mark your calendar and get ready to keep more hard-earned cash in your wallet thanks to sales tax holiday exemption!
