2025 Sales Tax Holidays by State

Sales tax holidays can be a welcome benefit for consumers, but for ecommerce businesses, they often add complexity to the already challenging task of managing sales tax compliance. Thankfully, these holidays occur only a few times a year.

However, each state handles them differently, which means you’ll need to be well-informed. It’s crucial to understand whether participation is mandatory or merely recommended, whether the holiday affects state taxes alone or includes local taxes, and which specific items qualify for the exemption.

Sales tax holidays generally fall into one of three categories:

• Back to School – exempt clothing, computers, and school supplies
• Second Amendment – exempt guns and ammunition
• Weather Preparedness – exempt items useful during severe weather, such as generators, flashlights, and batteries
• Energy Star – exempt appliances and other home items that meet specific criteria to reduce energy expenditure

The availability and specific dates of the sales tax holidays change from year to year, so we’ve compiled an updated list for 2025 of holidays currently on the books. Early in the year, a lot of these have yet to be announced. We’ll update the table periodically throughout 2025.

States Without Sales Tax Holidays

The following states do not currently have a planned sales tax holiday in 2025:

• Alaska (which has no state wide sales tax)
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Delaware (which has no sales tax)
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Montana (which has no sales tax)
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire (which has no sales tax)
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oregon (which has no sales tax)
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Vermont
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

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.

For a complete guide to helping you understand sales tax and your role in it, read our comprehensive Guide to Sales Tax.

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.