Tax-free weekends for back-to-school can help you save.
Attention all parents and students who are looking to save — back-to-school tax-free weekends are running from late July through late August. Tax-free weekends are an easy way to save because they eliminate or reduce the state sales tax on certain back-to-school shopping items.
What is a tax-free weekend?
A tax-free weekend or tax-free period is when a state waives or reduces sales tax for certain types of items and for a set amount of time. In most states with a tax-free period, items are only tax-free up to a certain dollar amount, meaning a single item must fall below a certain price to qualify.
There may be exclusions on certain purchase categories depending on your state. Sports equipment and protective gear is a common one. Some states, such as Alabama and Missouri, also allow counties and municipalities to opt out of participating in their tax-free period. This means you may have to leave your area to take advantage, depending on where you live.
Shopping during a tax-free weekend means saving money you would normally have spent on state sales tax. In 2026, 18 states are participating in a back-to-school tax-free weekend or week. Each state sets its own rules about what qualifies, how long the exemption lasts, and the spending limits per item.
Note: Illinois’s back-to-school event works differently than most states’. Rather than a full exemption, Illinois reduces its state sales tax rate by 5 percentage points (from 6.25% to 1.25%) on qualifying clothing, footwear, and school supplies for a 10-day period, August 7–16, 2026. Clothing and footwear must be priced under $125 per item to qualify; school supplies have no price cap. Local sales tax may still apply, so the discount isn’t a complete tax-free purchase, as it is in some other states.
When is my state’s tax-free weekend?
Back-to-school sales tax holidays typically occur in late July or early August, coinciding with the start of the school year. Most of these holidays last just a weekend – usually Friday through Sunday – which is why they’re often called tax-free weekends. However, some states extend the savings even longer.
In 2026, Alabama (July 17–19) and Mississippi (July 10–12) kick off the earliest, with Tennessee following July 31–Aug. 2.
A few states give shoppers more than just a weekend:
- Florida (July 20–Aug. 20, 2026)
- Illinois (Aug. 7–16, 2026 — rate reduction, not full exemption)
- Maryland (Aug. 9–15, 2026)
- Connecticut (Aug. 16–22, 2026)
5 states where sales are always tax-free
If you live in one of these five states, you don’t pay state sales tax year-round – so there’s no need for a special tax holiday:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Oregon
In Delaware, New Hampshire, and Oregon, there’s no state or local sales tax. In Alaska and Montana, there’s no state sales tax; however, some local governments may charge local sales taxes, so be sure to check before you shop.
What items are included in the back-to-school tax-free weekend?
Most states limit which items are exempt from sales tax during these weekends. You can typically buy clothing, shoes, school supplies, and sometimes computers or electronics without paying sales tax – but only up to a certain price per item. Connecticut raised its threshold to $300 per item in 2026, among the highest in the country. South Carolina remains the exception with no price cap on eligible items at all. Illinois works differently still: it reduces the state tax rate rather than eliminating it, with no price cap on school supplies.
| Item | Spending Limit |
|---|---|
| Clothing | $75–$300 per item, depending on the state |
| Shoes | $75–$300 per item, depending on the state |
| School Supplies | $20–$100 per item (no cap in some states, including Illinois) |
| Computers | $500–$1,500 per item |
These limits vary by state, so be sure to check your state’s specific rules before you shop.
Shop strategically on your tax-free weekend
There’s a strong incentive to take advantage of no sales tax: back-to-school is consistently the second-largest retail spending period of the year, right after the winter holidays.
In 2026, the National Retail Federation estimates that families with K‑12 children will spend an average of $863.86 on clothing, shoes, supplies, and electronics – pushing total K-12 spending to $43.3 billion, up nearly 10% from last year. College students and their families are expected to spend even more this year, an average of $1,437.79, with total back-to-college spending crossing $100 billion for the first time.
A survey by Capital One Shopping found similar figures: $875 for K‑12 households and $1,365 for college households. Earlier data from Consolidated Credit also aligns, reporting $864 for K‑12 and about $1,199 for college families.
“Back to school just keeps getting more expensive each year, and even more so this year after kids were learning remotely at home for the past few semesters,” says April Lewis-Parks, Education Director for Consolidated Credit. “If you want to avoid credit card debt, you need to take advantage of every opportunity you can to save money.”
Whatever your state’s tax-free dates, planning your big-ticket purchases – like uniforms, computers, or dorm gear – around them can help you keep your budget in check.
Set a budget for how much you want to spend over the weekend: Check your budget and see how much cash flow you have available to spend that weekend. Try to avoid spending more than that, since any extra purchases would end up on a credit card.
Start with the most expensive items first: For example, if you’re buying school supplies and electronics, buy the electronics first so you can make sure to get those items tax-free.
Pair a tax-free weekend with other sales to maximize your savings: This year, retailers are offering big sales to try and drive more business following the huge dropoff in sales during the pandemic. Look for sales and see if you can double up on savings. Check for coupons, follow your favorite retailers on social, and sign up for their emails to get details on exclusive sales.
Consolidated Credit’s financial coaches are also here to help you save. We have monthly webinars that will help you maximize your savings on back-to-school shopping and more. Find out more here.
