When Is Your State’s Tax-Free Weekend?
Anyone planning to make a big purchase in 2024 might want to wait for a sales tax-free weekend or sales tax-free week if their state offers one. What is a tax-free weekend? A tax-free weekend is a period of time — often a weekend, sometimes even a week — when the sales tax is temporarily lowered or eliminated.
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States often hold these “shopping holidays” at certain times of the year, such as during back-to-school shopping season or before hurricane season, but the eligible items are not just limited to school supplies and emergency preparedness. Clothing, diapers and — in some states — computers may be on the list as well. Check online to see what your state allows to be purchased tax-free during this time.
You can save a lot of money by planning your major purchases for a no-sales-tax weekend or week. But keep a sharp eye out and buy only what you need.
Back-to-School Tax-Free Days
Many states offer tax-free weekend sales exclusively for the back-to-school season. These sales are typically around July and August, just before the school year begins. Shoppers in some states can enjoy tax-free purchases of school supplies, certain types of clothing and computers on these designated days.
Hurricane Preparedness Tax-Free Days
Residents of hurricane-vulnerable states should pay close attention to when their tax-free weekends are. Some states have tax-free days for hurricane preparedness-related purchases such as generators and emergency supplies. And some states have a specific Energy Star tax-free holiday in which energy-efficient products are declared tax-free for a weekend. These typically take place before or during hurricane season — hopefully not during a hurricane.
Which States Have Tax-Free Weekends in 2024?
It pays to know whether your state offers tax-free shopping days and no-tax weekends you can plan around to save money on your purchases this year. You may be wondering, “When is the tax-free weekend in my state?” Check out this list of tax-free days that either happen annually or have already been announced for 2024:
tate | Tax-Free Days in 2024 | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
Alabama | – Feb. 23-25 (last weekend of February) | – Severe weather preparedness items, generators, and power cords |
Arkansas | – Aug. 3-4 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100; accessories under $50; select school supplies |
Connecticut | – Aug. 18-24 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100 |
Florida | – July 1, 2022-June 30, 2024 | – Retail sales of impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors |
Iowa | – Aug. 2-3 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100 |
Louisiana | – Sept. 6-8 | – Firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies |
Maryland | – Feb. 15-17 | – Solar water heaters and Energy Star products, including air-conditioners, washers, dryers, heat pumps, and energy-friendly lighting |
Mississippi | – July 26-27 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100 |
Missouri | – April 19-25 | – Energy Star products, up to $1,500 per item |
New Jersey | – Aug. 24-Sept. 2, 2024 | – Computers up to $3,000 per item; school computer supplies up to $1,000 per item; school art supplies, instructional materials, and sports or recreational equipment |
New Mexico | – Aug. 2-4 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100; computers priced at $1,000 or less; computer equipment priced at $500 or less; school supplies under $30 |
Oklahoma | – Aug. 2-4 | – Articles of clothing or footwear under $100 |
South Carolina | – Aug. 2-4 | – Articles of clothing, accessories, footwear, computers, school supplies, and select bedding |
Tennessee | – July 26-28 | – Articles of clothing priced at $100 or less; school supplies priced at $100 or less; computers priced at $1,500 or less |
Texas | – April 27-29 | – Portable generators priced at less than $3,000 an item; ladders and hurricane shutters priced at less than $300 an item; other emergency supplies priced at less than $75 an item |
Virginia | – Aug. 2-4 | – School supplies, weather preparedness supplies, and Energy Star products |
West Virginia | – Aug. 2-5 | – Clothing up to $125; school supplies up to $50; school |
Additional tax-free weekends might be announced throughout the year.
States Without Tax-Free Days in 2024
Although many states have tax-free days to help you save a little money on seasonal items, there are some states that don’t offer a tax-free week or tax-free shopping day. But Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon are all states with no sales tax at all, so you don’t have to wait for a tax-free holiday to shop there. Alaska also does not have a state sales tax, but local sales taxes might apply in some jurisdictions.
States that have not yet announced a tax-free weekend or holiday in 2024 include:
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
More Ways To Save
Some individuals might itemize sales tax deductions on their tax return or take a tax exemption to reduce their taxable income, but even if you’re not one of them, you can offset your costs by shopping during a tax-free day or weekend in your state — or a neighboring one. Tax-free weekends may also apply to items sold online, so you can shop tax-free in the applicable states on sites like Amazon. You can save even more by looking out for tax-free weekend deals on coupon sites.
Chris Ozarowski contributed to the reporting for this article.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: When Is Your State’s Tax-Free Weekend?
