As youngsters prepare to go back to school all over the United States, many parents and other bargain hunters are taking advantage of tax-free weekends in their respective states.
Tax-free weekends can be a great time to look for deals!
What Is a Tax-Free Weekend?
Tax-free weekends, also known as sales tax holidays, are weekends or periods of days in states and other jurisdictions that let shoppers buy certain items without having to pay exempt from state and/or local sales taxes.
Tax-free weekends are typically held around the back-to-school season: late July into August.
Let’s look at states with upcoming tax-free weekends and weeks. Depending on the state, the sales may have price limits and other restrictions so click on the links below to see the details for shopping in your area.
These States Have Upcoming Tax-Free Weekends in 2021
| State | 2021 Dates | Tax-Free Items |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | August 7-8 | Certain electronics, school supplies, art supplies, school instructional materials and clothing. See the full list. |
| Connecticut | August 15-21 | Certain clothes, including jackets, shoes less than $100 per item. See the full list. |
| Florida | Now Through August 9 | Certain clothing, footwear, and accessories selling for $60 or less per item, certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item, and the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers. See the full list. |
| Iowa | August 6-7 | Select clothing and footwear. See the full list. |
| Maryland | August 8-14 | Qualifying clothing and footwear up to $100; the first $40 of a backpack/bookbag purchase. See the full list. |
| Massachusetts | August 14-15 | Retail items up to $2,500. See the details. |
| Missouri | August 6-8, | Certain back-to-school purchases, such as clothing, school supplies, computers, and other items. See the full list. |
| New Mexico | August 6-8 | Clothing or shoes sold for less than $100; Desktop, laptop, notebook, or tablet computers sold for no more than $1,000; School supplies. See the details. |
| Ohio | August 6-8 | An article of clothing up to $75; an item of school supplies up to $20; an item of school instructional material up to $20. See the details. |
| Oklahoma | August 6-8 | Any article of clothing or footwear less than $100. See the details. |
| South Carolina | August 6-8 | Tax-free items range from clothing, accessories, and shoes to school supplies, backpacks, and computers. See the details. |
| Texas | August 6-8 | Most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks sold for less than $100. See the details. |
| Virginia | August 6-8 | Qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items. See the details. |
Money expert Clark Howard says when it comes to tax-free weekends, you should concentrate only on the items you need because not everything is on sale.
“Retailers are very savvy promoting these tax holidays and actually bump prices up because people come in just buying anything because it’s tax-free,” he says.
Clark wants you to do your due diligence as you shop.
How To Save on What You Buy During Tax-Free Weekend
- Always comparison shop to ensure you get the best deal.
- Don’t be afraid to ask the cashier for any coupons that could apply to your purchase.
- If you have one, use a rewards credit card to take advantage of cashback perks and more.
“The most important thing is don’t ever negotiate with yourself,” Clark says. “Don’t say, ‘I just can’t afford that’ until you’ve found out if you can get a bargain.”
Looking for deals every day of the week? Check out ClarkDeals.com.
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