Now that the Fourth of July has come and gone, it’s time to start thinking about returning to school.
To help students, teachers and parents prepare for the backto- school transition, Texas’ taxfree weekend offers savings on school supplies and clothes.
This year’s sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 8 and runs through midnight Sunday, Aug. 10. Qualifying items will be exempt from sales tax when purchased within this period.
Most shoes, clothes and school supplies under $100 will be tax-free over the weekend. Shoppers have no limit on the number of eligible items they can purchase.
The Texas comptroller lists the following school-related items that will be tax-free: - School supplies - Binders - Blackboard chalk - Book bags - Calculators - Cellophane tape - Compasses - Composition books - Crayons - Erasers - Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic and manila) - Glue, paste and paste sticks - Highlighters - Index cards - Index card boxes - Legal pads - Lunch boxes - Markers (including dry erase markers) - Notebooks - Paper (loose-leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper) - Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes - Pencil sharpeners - Pencils - Pens - Protractors - Rulers - Scissors - Writing tablets - Clothing, footwear and other items - Shirts and blouses - Pants and jeans - Dresses and skirts - Jackets and coats - Shoes, boots and sandals - Socks, hosiery and underwear - Sleepwear - Hats and caps - Scarves and gloves - Uniforms (sports, scouts, etc.)
What will not be tax-free?
- Items sold for $100 or more - Clothing subscription boxes - Specially designed athletic activity or protective-use clothing or footwear - Items used to make or repair clothing, such as fabric, thread, yarn, buttons, snaps, hooks and zippers - Jewelry, handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches and other accessories - Computers - Software - Textbooks - Framed backpacks - Athletic, duffle or gym bags - Computer bags This weekend, qualifying items can be purchased in-store, online, by mail or by any other method, as long as the sale occurs within the designated three-day period.
For instance, if a buyer enters their credit card information on an online shopping website at 5 p.m. on Aug. 10 to buy qualifying school supplies, the purchase will still qualify for the exemption even if the items are shipped on Aug. 15 and arrive on Aug. 19.