17 States With Back-to-School Tax Holidays
The back-to-school season has changed ever since the pandemic struck, and even though much instruction will take place in-person, some districts will still offer virtual or remote learning. But what's transformative for the 2022 shopping season is the effect of inflation.
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With the CPI reaching an incredible 9.1% in June, costs for all types of school supplies are likely to be much higher than they were in 2021. According to data from the National Retail Federation, 87% of shoppers for kids K-12 say that their shopping in 2022 will be impacted by current economic conditions.
In spite of any negative economic news, back-to-school spending is still expected to jump in 2022. According to the result of a survey conducted by consulting services firm Deloitte, 37% of parents still plan to spend more than they did in 2021. By Deloitte's calculations, this translates to an average spend of $661 per child in 2022, up 8% from the $612 spent in 2021.
Whether your back-to-school shopping list includes new tech or just new clothes, you might be able to save on your purchases if you live in one of these 17 states that have back-to-school tax holidays.
1. Alabama
Dates: July 15-17
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing items costing $100 or less
Computers, computer software and school computer supplies with a sales price of $750 or less
Other school supplies, school art supplies and school instructional material costing $50 or less
Books costing $30 or less
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2. Arkansas
Dates: Aug. 6-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing items costing less than $100
Clothing accessories and equipment costing less than $50
School supplies, school art supplies and school instructional material
3. Connecticut
Dates: Aug. 21-27
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing less than $100
4. Florida
Dates: July 25 - Aug. 7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
School supplies selling for $50 or less per item
Clothing, footwear and certain accessories selling for $100 or less per item
The first $1,500 of the sales price of personal computers and certain computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use
5. Iowa
Dates: Aug. 5-6
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing less than $125 (reduced rate of 1.25%)
6. Maryland
Dates: Aug. 14-20
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing less than $100
The first $40 of a backpack or bookbag purchase
7. Massachusetts
Dates: Aug. 13-14
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Retail items of up to $2,500 purchased for personal use
8. Mississippi
Dates: July 29-30
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing less than $100
School supplies costing less than $100
9. Missouri
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing valued at $100 or less
School supplies, up to $50 per purchase
Computer software valued at $350 or less
Personal computers and computer peripheral devices costing $1,500 or less
Graphing calculators costing $150 or less
10. New Mexico
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and shoes costing less than $100
Desktop, laptop, tablets and notebook computers costing $1,000 or less
Computer hardware costing $500 or less
School supplies under $30
11. Ohio
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing priced at $75 or less
School supplies and school instructional material priced at $20 or less
12. Oklahoma
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing less than $100
13. South Carolina
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and accessories
Footwear
School supplies used for school assignments
Computers, software and printers
Certain bed and bath supplies
14. Tennessee
Dates: July 29-31
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing items costing $100 or less
School and art supplies with a purchase price of $100 or less per item
Computers for personal use, tablets and laptops with a purchase price of $1,500 or less
15. Texas
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear sold for less than $100
School supplies and backpacks sold for less than $100
16. Virginia
Dates: Aug. 5-7
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Clothing and footwear costing $100 or less per item
School supplies costing $20 or less per item
Portable generators costing $1,000 or less
Gas-powered chainsaws costing $350 or less
Chainsaw accessories costing $60 or less
Other hurricane preparedness items costing $60 or less
Energy Star and WaterSense products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use costing $2,500 or less
17. West Virginia
Dates: Aug. 5-8
What You Can Get Tax-Free:
Certain clothing costing $125 or less
Certain school supplies costing $50 or less
Certain school instructional materials costing $20 or less
Certain sports equipment costing $150 or less
Certain computers and tablets costing $500 or less
States That Never Have Sales Tax
It's a tax holiday every day for these states that have no sales tax year-round:
Alaska
Delaware
Montana
New Hampshire
Oregon
How To Save Even More on Back-to-School Shopping
Shopping during a tax holiday is just one way you can save on back-to-school shopping. Here are a few other savings tips:
Use coupons
Comparison shop for big-ticket items before making any purchases
Buy school supplies in bulk and split costs with other families
Shop without kids, who might ask you to buy more expensive items than you had budgeted for
Buy used books and textbooks
Take advantage of student discounts
Shop online with a cash-back or coupon-finding browser extension like Honey
Don't forget about the dollar store
Shop with a cash-back credit card
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John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 17 States With Back-to-School Tax Holidays
