2018 Sales Tax Holidays by State

Published March 27, 2018

While sales tax holidays are a nice treat for consumers, they can make the arduous task of keeping track of sales tax for your ecommerce business even more of a headache. Fortunately, they only come around a few times a year, but of course, every state does things a little differently. That means that you need to know whether you’re required to participate or only strongly encouraged, whether the tax holiday applies to local taxes or only the state sales tax, and what items specifically are included.

There are currently 15 states with at least one sales tax holiday scheduled for 2018, and they generally fall into one of three categories. The most common sales tax holidays are timed to coincide with back-to-school shopping, while second amendment and weather preparedness holidays are regularly scheduled in a few states as well.

As the dates of the sales tax holidays, as well as which states have them and what they’re for, can change from one year to the next, we’ve compiled an updated list for 2018 of state sales tax holidays currently on the books.

State	Type	Dates	Details
Alabama	Weather Preparedness	February 23 – 25, 2018	Local sales and use tax may apply. Retailers are required to participate and are not allowed to charge tax on items that are including among the exemptions. Includes items such as batteries, radios, self-powered lights, sheets/tarpaulins, plywood, food storage cooler, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers. See complete list of exempt items. More Information
Alabama	Back to School	July 20 – 22, 2018	Local sales and use tax may apply. Retailers are required to participate and are not allowed to charge tax on items that are including among the exemptions. Exempts most general-use clothing priced at $100 or less (shirts, pants, shorts, socks, etc). Accessories, protective equipment, and sports equipment is specifically not exempt. Exempts computers, software, and school-related computer supplies priced at $750 or less Exempts non-commercial purchases of school supplies priced at $50 or less (such as pens, paper, binders, etc) Exempts non-commercial purchases of books priced at $30 or less See complete list of exempt items More Information
Arkansas	Back to School	August 4 – 5, 2018	Local sales tax also does not apply. Exempts most general-use clothing priced at $100 or less (shirts, pants, shorts, socks, etc). Exempts most general-use clothing accessories priced at $50 or less (jewelry, watches, briefcases and handbags, etc). Exempts purchases of certain school supplies (only specific items listed) Exempts purchases of certain school art supplies (only specific items listed) Exempts purchases of books related to school or a course of study such as textbooks and reference books See complete list of exempt items More Information
Connecticut	Back to School	August 19 – 25, 2018	Exempts general clothing and footwear priced at $100 per item, or less. Certain items are excluded, such as jewelry, sports uniforms, protective equipment, accessories, and insoles. More Information (from 2017)
Florida	Weather Preparedness	June 1 – 7, 2018	Reusable ice packs under $10 Portable self-powered light source powered by battery, solar, hand-crank, or gas (includes candles, flashlights and lanterns) – under $20 Gas or diesel fuel container (includes LP gas and kerosene containers) under $25 Batteries (AAA-cell, AA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, 9-volt) including rechargeable batteries $30 or less Coolers and ice chests (food-storage; nonelectrical) $30 or less Bungee cords $50 or less Ground anchor systems $50 or less Two-way or weather band radios (powered by battery, solar, or handcrank) $50 or less Ratchet straps $50 or less Tarpaulins (tarps) $50 or less Tie-down kits $50 or less Visqueen, plastic sheeting, plastic drop cloths, and other flexible waterproof sheeting $50 or less Portable generators $750 or less More Information
Florida	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item Certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item More Information Full list of qualifying items
Iowa	Back to School	August 3 – 4, 2018	Exempts general clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less. Certain items are excluded, such as jewelry, watches, protective equipment, umbrellas, skis and skates, and more. Local sales tax is not collected during the tax-free weekend The exemption only occurs on Friday and Saturday – never Sunday Representative items that are exempt More Information (from 2017)
Louisiana	Weather Preparedness	May 26 – 27, 2018	Reduces sales tax to only 3% for qualifying items Includes items generally use during a hurricane, such as candles, flashlights, radios, batteries, food storage, shutters, and generators More information (from 2017)
~~Louisiana~~	~~Back to School / General~~	~~August 3 – 4, 2018~~	~~Reduces the sales tax rate by 2% for all tangible personal property less than $2500~~ ~~Local taxes still apply unless the local jurisdiction also exempts their portion of the total sales tax~~ ~~More information~~ ~~(from 2017)~~ Louisiana legislators "accidentally cancelled" this sales tax holiday (more information about cancellation)
Louisiana	Second Amendment	September 7-9, 2018	Reduces the sales tax rate by 2% for firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies Local taxes still apply unless the local jurisdiction also exempts their portion of the total sales tax More information (from 2017)
Maryland	Energy Star	February 17 – 19, 2018	Exempts Energy Star Products, including Air conditioners Washers and dryers Furnaces Heat pumps Boilers Solar water heaters (which are always tax-exempt) Standard size refrigerators Dehumidifiers Programmable thermostats Compact fluorescent light bulbs Light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs Under the Seller’s Privilege provision, retailers selling other items that don’t qualify for the tax exemption, may still sell these items tax-exempt and absorb the cost of the tax. Certain rules apply. More Information
Maryland	General	August 18 – 19, 2018	Exempts clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less per item. Under the Seller’s Privilege provision, retailers selling other items that don’t qualify for the tax exemption, may still sell these items tax-exempt and absorb the cost of the tax. Certain rules apply. More Information (from 2017)
Massachusetts	Back to School	August 11 – 12, 2018	Includes most tangible personal properly Excludes telecommunications, tobacco products subject to the excise imposed by 15 chapter 64C, marijuana products subject to chapter 94G, alcoholic beverages, as defined in 16 section 1 of chapter 138, gas, steam, electricity, motor vehicles, motorboats or a single item the 17 price of which is more than $2,500. More Information
Mississippi	Back to School	July 27 – 28 2018	Exempts clothing priced at $100 or less per item. Exempts footwear priced at $100 or less per item, but excludes skates, skis, etc. Accessories (watches, jewelry, wallets, umbrellas, etc) are NOT exempt Certain cities may elect not to participate More Information (2017) – this document includes a list of eligible and non-eligible items
Mississippi	Second Amendment	August 31 – September 2, 2018	Exempts firearms, ammunition and certain hunting supplies General hunting supplies and animals used for hunting are not exempt Certain cities may elect not to participate More Information (2017) – this document includes a list of eligible and non-eligible items
Missouri	Energy Star	April 19 – 25, 2018	Exempts the following appliances if they are Energy Star certified: Clothes washers, clothes dryers, water heaters, dishwashers, air conditioners, furnaces, refrigerators, freezers, and heat pumps Trash compactors, conventional ovens, ranges and stoves are not currently certified as Energy Star compliant, and therefore do not qualify. However, if the Energy Star label should be applied in the future, these items would become exempt during the holiday. Local jurisdictions may elect to participate or not. See the link below for cities which will and will not participate. More Information (2017)
Missouri	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing having a taxable value of $100 or less Exempts school supplies, as long as the total purchase does not exceed $50 Exempts computer software with a taxable value of $350 or less Exempts personal computers with a taxable value of $1,500 or less Exempts computer peripheral devices, not to exceed $1,500 Exempts graphing calculators not to exceed $150 The sales tax holiday may not apply to any retailer when less than two percent of the retailer’s merchandise offered for sale qualifies for the sales tax holiday. However, the retailer must provide the taxpayer a refund of the sales tax paid if the customer requests one. Local jurisdictions may elect to participate or not. See the link below for cities which will and will not participate. More Information (2017)
New Mexico	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing or shoes priced at less than $100 per unit. Exempts desktop, laptop, tablets or notebook computers priced at $1,000 or less Exempts related computer hardware priced at $500 or less. Exempts school supplies for use in standard, general-education classrooms priced below $30, $100, or $200 per unit, depending on the type of supplies Certain exclusions apply in all groups. More Information (2017)
Ohio	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing priced at $75 or Less Exempts school supplies priced at $20 or Less Exempts instructional materials priced at $20 or Less More Information
Oklahoma	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing and shoes priced at $100 or less per item More Information (from 2017)
South Carolina	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing priced at $100 or Less Exempts school supplies priced at $100 or Less Exempts computers priced at $1,500 or Less Certain items are excluded, such as (but not limited to) rentals, mattresses, cameras, uniforms, sports equipment, and more. See the list here More Information (from 2017)
Tennessee	Back to School	July 27 – 29, 2018	Exempts most clothing, school supplies, and computers Clothing and schools supplies must be individually priced at $100 or less to be exempt. Computers must be priced at $1500 or less to qualify for the exemption. More Information
Texas	Weather Preparedness	April 28 – 30, 2018	Exempts portable generators priced at $3000 or less Exempts hurricane shutters and emergency ladders priced at $300 or less Exempts Batteries (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt), first aid kits, fuel containers, ground anchor systems and tie-down kits, hatchets and axes, mobile telephone batteries and chargers, nonelectric coolers and ice chests for food storage, nonelectric can openers, portable self-powered light sources (hand cranked flashlights), portable self-powered radios, including two-way and weather band radios, reusable and artificial ice products, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors, tarps and other plastic sheeting priced at $75 or less More Information
Texas	Energy Star and Water Efficient Products	May 26 – 28, 2018	Exempts the following Energy Star products: air conditioners with a sales price of $6000 or less; refrigerators with a sales price of $2000 or less; ceiling fans, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, clothes washers, dishwashers, and dehumidifiers Exempts products such as toilets, faucets, shower heads, and irrigation controls that cary the WaterSense label or logo. Exempts certain water conserving products like mulch, rain barrels, and plants, but only if the products are for use on residential property More Information about Water Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday More Information about Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday
Texas	Back to School	August 10 – 12, 2018	Exempts clothing and footwear priced at less than $100 Exempts backpacks used by elementary and secondary students priced at less than $100. Wheeled backpacks are included as long as they can also be worn with straps on a person’s back. Luggage is excluded. Exempts personal purchase of school supplies. (Businesses must provide an exemption certificate to avoid sales tax.) Retailers may not advertise that they will pay customers’ sales tax on non-exempt items. However, they may advertise that the selling price includes sales tax. More Information
Virginia	Back to School / Energy Star / Weather Preparedness	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing and footwear costing less than $100 per item Exempts school supplies costing less than $20 per item Exempts portable generators costing less than $1000, gas-powered chainsaws costing less than $350, and chainsaw accessories and other hurricane preparedness items costing less than $60 Exempts qualifying Energy Star or WaterSense products for home use that cost less than $2500 each More Information (from 2017)
Wisconsin	Back to School	August 3 – 5, 2018	Exempts clothing, if the sales price of any single item is $75 or less A computer purchased by a consumer for the consumer’s personal use, if the sales price of the computer is $750 or less School computer supplies purchased by the consumer for the consumer’s personal use, if the sales price of any single item is $250 or less School supplies, if the sales price of any single item is $75 or less More Information

States Without Sales Tax Holidays

The following states do not currently have a planned sales tax holiday: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Some of these used to have sales tax free weekends/holidays but cancelled them in recent years:

North Carolina cancelled theirs in 2014, and although legislators considered adding it back in 2016, it did not pass.

Georgia and several of the states listed above as not having a have had various sales tax holidays in the past and may again pass legislation to approve them for 2018. At this time, however, there are no firm sales tax holidays in these states. (We will update this page as legislation passes and additional holidays are approved.)

Other states are considering new sales tax holidays.

Indiana – Bills in both houses of the state legislature last year would have created a tax-free weekend in Indiana for items like clothing and school supplies. Those bills failed to become law, but it’s an idea that has recently been in circulation.
Nebraska – Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha has introduced LB361 that would create a back-to-school sales tax holiday, aiming to keep shoppers from heading to Iowa to make their purchases. (Iowa currently has a sales tax holiday.) The bill would exempt clothing and footwear.
New Mexico – This state is actually looking to get rid of their tax holiday.
Rhode Island – Rep. Joseph Solomon Jr. (D-Warwick), has tried repeatedly to create a tax-free weekend for back-to-school shopping. Similar measures failed in both 2015 and 2016. The proposal would exempt most tangible personal property under $2500 from sales tax.
Tennessee – Tennessee currently has a back-to-school tax holiday, but is considering adding a second-amendment tax holiday as well. It is currently stuck in committee in the senate and has been placed behind the budget in the house.
Texas – Although Texas already has three sales tax holidays, Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe has proposed a bill to exempt guns and most hunting supplies for a period just before the start of hunting season for several years in a row.
Virginia – Senator Scott Surovell wants to extend the back-to-school tax free weekend to include computers. Note that this holiday is assumed but not yet official as of this writing.
Washington – House Bill 1457 from Rep. Morgan Irwin would establish a back-to-school sales tax holiday for the state of Washington. If passed, it will exempt clothing items that don’t exceed $100 and school supplies of $10 or less from sales tax during the holiday.

Tips for Retailers

In order to make sure you track your sales accurately during these sales tax holidays, you need to know whether or not you are required to participate in the sales tax holidays, and plan accordingly. This includes modifying tax calculations on your website or in-store as needed, and classifying exempt items properly. The use of sales tax software like our TaxTools product can help simplify the process and help you make sure you’re in compliance with tax holiday laws and regulations.

Breaking it Down

If you analyze the list above, you’ll notice that there are really only 4 main types of tax holidays. These are:

Back to School Sales Tax Holidays – These are the most common across the board. The holiday generally happens just before school-age children are set to return to the classroom in the fall. What gets exempted from sales tax differs somewhat by state, but it generally includes school supplies, clothing, shoes, and sometimes computers and software.
Energy Star Appliance Sales Tax Holidays – This holiday encourages consumers to decrease their use of energy resources by purchasing appliances that are more energy or water efficient.
Second Amendment Sales Tax Holidays – Despite the political divide over gun rights, several states exempt these items from sales and use tax with a holiday. In general, these occur just before the start of hunting season.
Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays – This type of holiday exempts items that people would need when power goes out, severe storms hit, or during other types of emergencies. Think batteries, flashlights, and power generators.

Filed Under: Sales Tax Dates, Tax Rules

2018 Sales Tax Holidays by State

States Without Sales Tax Holidays

Tips for Retailers

Breaking it Down

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2018 Sales Tax Holidays by State

States Without Sales Tax Holidays

Tips for Retailers

Breaking it Down

Get Updates

Ecommerce sales tax is complicated. Let us take the guesswork out of your website's sales tax calculations with our automation services. Start your free trial today.

Ecommerce sales tax is complicated. Let us take the guesswork out of your website's sales tax calculations with our automation services.

Start your free trial today.