In 2015 there are 18 different states that are offering some type of sales tax holiday. Many of these are related to back to school shopping, but there are also some sales tax holidays relating to other occasions such as purchasing hurricane preparedness supplies, upgrading to Energy Star appliances, and if you live in Mississippi, you can even take advantage of a sales tax holiday for firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies.
These sales tax holidays range from 2 full days to a whopping 10 days depending on which state you live in. If you’ve already missed your state’s sales tax holiday for 2015 then make sure you add a reminder in your calendar for next year. Many of these states have similar offers year after year.
Alabama Feb 20-22, 2015
Alabama’s February sales tax holiday is focused on severe weather preparedness. There are many safety related items that can be purchased free of state sales tax such as batteries (including cell phone chargers and batteries), radios, flashlights, duct tape, food storage coolers, can openers, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers.
Alabama August 7-9, 2015
Alabama’s August sales tax holiday is focused on back to school shopping. Some of the items that can be purchased free of state sales tax include clothing, diapers, outerwear (coats, gloves, boots), laptops, desktop computers, software, printers, binders, book bags, calculators, crayons, glue, notebooks, pencils, and many other school and art related supplies.
Arkansas August 1-2, 2015
The Arkansas sales tax holiday is focused on clothing and back to school shopping. State and local tax will not be collected on the sale of clothing, footwear, clothing accessories, school supplies, art supplies, and school instruction materials. Some of the items included that you may not have expected are aprons, baby blankets, costumes, diapers, steel toed shoes, wedding apparel, cosmetics, jewelry, sun glasses, briefcases, paintbrushes for artwork, sketch and drawing pads, maps, and globes.
Connecticut August 16-22, 2015
The Connecticut sales tax holiday consists of a full week for clothing and footwear costing less than $100 per item.
Florida August 7-16, 2015
The Florida sales tax holiday is focused on back to school shopping. Some of the items included in the list that you might not expect to see are things such as hairbands, bobby pins, wallets, aerobic/fitness clothing, baby clothes, bathing suits, costumes, diapers and diaper bags, employee uniforms, gardening gloves, hunting vests, martial arts attire, pajamas, sports uniforms, tuxedos, calculators, colored pencils, compasses, markers, pens, poster paper, scissors, computer batteries, hard drives, memory cards, scanners, and web cameras.
Georgia July 31 – August 1, 2015
The Georgia July/August sales tax holiday is focused on clothing, computers, and school supplies. Some of the items you might not expect to see on the list of included items are football pads, formal wear, bathing suit cover-ups, belts and suspenders, belts for weightlifting or back support, sleepwear, shoe laces, computer batteries, computer cables, computer microphones, motherboards, routers, computer speakers, blackboard chalk, crayons, erasers, lunch boxes, pencil sharpeners, and textbooks.
Georgia October 2-4, 2015
The Georgia October sales tax holiday is focused on energy efficient and water efficient products. During the holiday ENERGY STAR labeled items with a purchase price of $1,500 or less per item (including air conditioners, dishwashers, doors, light bulbs, windows, refrigerators, and more) will be exempt from sales tax. Additionally, items with a WaterSense label and a purchase price of $1,500 or less per item (including bathroom sink faucets, toilets, showerheads, and more) will be exempt from sales tax.
Iowa August 7-8, 2015
Iowa’s sales tax holiday is focused on select clothing and footwear only. Some of the items included on this list are bow ties, scarves, aerobic clothing, baby clothes, blouses, boots, bridal apparel, jeans, gloves, flip flops, and suits.
Louisiana May 30-31, 2015
Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday in May is aimed at sales of hurricane preparedness items and supplies. The first $1,500 of the sales price of eligible items is tax-free when purchased on these dates. The list of eligible items includes portable self powered light sources and radios, various types of batteries (including cell phone batteries and chargers), portable generators, and food storage coolers.
Louisiana August 7-8, 2015
Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday in August is aimed at Tangible Personal Property (TPP) for non-business use. The first $2,500 of the purchase price of most individual items qualifying as TPP are exempt from state sales tax on these dates. This state sales tax exemption applies to most consumer purchases of TPP with the exception of vehicles, meals, and property used for a business or profession.
Louisiana September 4-6, 2015
Louisiana’s Sales Tax Holiday in September is aimed at the Second Amendment. During these dates, individuals’ purchases of firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies are exempt from state and local sales and use taxes. There are many types of hunting supplies that qualify for this tax exemption including types of animal feed, safety gear, archery items, binoculars, decoys, hearing protection, and knives.
Maryland February 14-16, 2015
The Maryland Tax Free Weekend in February is focused on Energy. Qualifying Energy Star products, including air conditioners, washer and dryers, boilers, thermostats, and light bulbs, will be exempt from the Maryland 6% sales tax if purchased on these dates.
Maryland August 9-15, 2015
In August Maryland has a Tax Free Week focused on apparel and footwear $100 or less per item. There is an extensive list of tax exempt items which includes baby clothes, diapers, bath robes, bridal gowns, coats, laundry services, prom dresses, employee uniforms, and tuxedos.
Massachusetts August 15-16, 2015
The August Sales Tax Holiday Weekend in Massachusetts includes most purchases made by individuals for personal use. During these days eligible single items of Tangible Personal Property (TPP) costing less than $2,500 will be exempt from sales and use taxes. The sales tax holiday does not apply to business purchases, motor vehicles, meals, or tobacco products.
Mississippi July 31 – August 1, 2015
The July/August sales tax holiday in Mississippi is applicable to clothing and footwear items. The holiday applies to items priced less than $100 and does not apply to accessories such as jewelry, handbags, backpacks, or luggage.
Mississippi September 4-6, 2015
The September sales tax holiday is focused on the Second Amendment. During this time period sales tax is not due on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and certain hunting supplies. This holiday includes items such as bullets, gunpowder, arrows, hearing protection, and firearm cases.
Missouri April 19-25, 2015
The April sales tax holiday in Missouri is called “Show-Me Green” and is a week long holiday focused on energy efficient appliances. Qualifying New Appliances certified by Energy Star will be exempt from state sales taxes during this time period.
Missouri August 7-9, 2015
Missouri has a second sales tax holiday in August for back to school shopping. The back to school sales tax holiday is for three days and applies to purchases such as clothing, school supplies, and computers.
New Mexico August 7-9, 2015
This New Mexico tax holiday is for back to school shopping and includes clothing and shoes (under $100), computers (under $1,000), related computer hardware (under $500), and school supplies (under $30 per item).
Ohio August 7-9, 2015
Ohio has a one time sales tax holiday in 2015 during which clothing (under $75 per item), school supplies (under $20 per item), and school instructional material (under $20 per item) are exempt from sales and use tax.
Oklahoma August 7-9, 2015
The Oklahoma sales tax holiday is for footwear and clothing sold for less than $100 during the holiday. These qualifying items are exempt from state, city, county, and local municipality sales taxes and retailers are required to participate.
South Carolina August 7-9, 2015
South Carolina’s sales tax holiday is focused on back to school shopping and applies to a wide range of products. Some of the included items are clothing, hats, handbags, shoes, school supplies, bookbags, lunchboxes, calculators, computers, software, blankets, bed linens, bath towels, shower curtains, and pillows. During this time period, eligible items will be exempt from the 6% state sales and use tax and any applicable local sales and use tax.
Tennessee August 7-9, 2015
Tennessee’s sales tax holiday includes tax free purchases on clothing ($100 or less), school supplies ($100 or less) and computers ($1,500 or less).
Texas May 23-25, 2015
The first of two Texas sales tax holidays is for Energy Star certified energy efficient products. Eligible items included air conditioners, refrigerators, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and programmable thermostats. There is no limit to the number of qualifying items that can be purchased during this holiday, but some items have a maximum price limit that must be observed.
Texas August 7-9, 2015
The second of two Texas sales tax holidays is for back to school shopping. This holiday includes most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced less than $100.
Virginia August 7-9, 2015
This year Virginia’s three existing sales tax holidays were combined into one three-day holiday. This sales tax holiday can be used for purchasing qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane preparedness items, emergency preparedness items, Energy Star products, and WaterSense products without paying sales tax. Many of these included items have a price limit that must be observed.
Many of these states include online purchases for their sales tax holiday qualifying items. So make sure you have our free DealTrunk extension installed. We’ll notify you when we find great deals and you can maximize your savings!