Clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies come off the tax rolls for three days — here’s exactly what qualifies and how to make the most of it.
Statewide, Texas — Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9
Back-to-school shopping hits the wallet hard every year, and Texas gives families a real break to soften the blow. The state’s annual Sales Tax Holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 7 through midnight Sunday, August 9, and for those three days, most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced under $100 per item are exempt from state and local sales tax.
That adds up fast. With combined state and local sales tax reaching 8.25% in many parts of Texas, shoppers save about $8 for every $100 they spend. Texans have saved more than $2 billion since the tradition began back in 1999, and the holiday shows no signs of slowing down.
Here’s the part families love: the exemption applies per item, not per receipt. Buy ten shirts at $80 each and every single one qualifies, even though the total comes to $800. The same goes for mixing and matching, so load up the cart without worrying about the math.
What Qualifies
Clothing and footwear under $100 covers just about everything you’d expect for a new school year: shirts, jeans, dresses, socks, sneakers, uniforms, raincoats, and yes, even cowboy boots. School supplies like pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, glue, calculators, art supplies, and lunch boxes are covered too. Backpacks qualify as well, including wheeled styles and messenger bags, though purchases are limited to ten per transaction. Diapers, both disposable and cloth, also make the list, along with hand sanitizers, wipes, and soaps labeled with “Drug Facts,” which stay tax-free year-round regardless of the holiday.
Worth noting: computers, electronics, and athletic equipment do not qualify during Texas’s back-to-school weekend, a point where Texas differs from some other states running similar sales tax holidays.
Shopping Online or Already on Layaway?
The holiday isn’t limited to brick-and-mortar stores. Qualifying items can be purchased tax-free online, by phone, mail, or custom order, as long as either the item is delivered to and paid for by the customer during the exemption period, or the customer orders and pays during the holiday and the seller accepts the order for immediate shipment, even if delivery happens after the weekend ends. Layaway shoppers get a break too: an item qualifies if it’s placed on layaway during the holiday weekend, or if the final layaway payment is made during that window.
Know Your District’s Calendar
Timing matters this year. A number of Texas school districts start classes the Monday or Tuesday right after the holiday weekend wraps up, which means this really is the last real shopping window before the bell rings for plenty of families. If your district starts early in August, it’s worth planning the shopping trip for Friday or Saturday rather than waiting until the last possible hour Sunday night.
Whether it’s a full cart of new school clothes or just a stack of notebooks and a new backpack, the Texas Tax-Free Weekend is one of the easiest ways all year to stretch a family budget a little further. Mark the calendar, make a list, and get ready to shop smart.
