School supplies
Tax & AccountingJuly 22, 2020

Whether schools open this fall or not Back-to-School Sales Tax Holidays are available in many states

Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting explores upcoming state sales tax breaks to help parents prepare their kids for the new school year.

What 

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, many states and localities are debating if they can open schools this fall and how to do so safely. This August, several states are offering sales tax holidays during which state sales tax charges are temporarily waived on back-to-school items and other qualifying products. The savings are open to all consumers, but these temporary tax exemptions only apply to specific items outlined by each state.

Why 

Consumers in some states with tax holidays can take advantage of the sales tax holidays in August regardless of whether their schools open or not.

Upcoming Back-to-school Sales Tax Holidays by state:

Arkansas August 1-2 Clothing items under $100, clothing accessory or equipment under $50, school art supply, school instructional material, and school supply.
Connecticut August 16-22 Clothing and footwear (not athletic or protective clothing or footwear, jewelry, handbags, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches, and similar items) that cost less than $100 per item.
Florida August 7-9 Clothing, footwear, wallets, and bags that cost $60 or less, school supplies that cost $15 or less, and computers and accessories for home or personal use that cost $1,000 or less.
Iowa August 7-8 Clothing and footwear (not accessories, rentals, athletic or protective) with sales price of less than $100 per item.
Maryland August 9-15 Items of clothing (not accessories) and footwear with a taxable price of $100 or less.
Massachusetts August 29-30 Nonbusiness retail sale of tangible personal property with a price of up to $2,500 per item.
Mississippi July 31-August 1 Clothing, footwear, and school supplies with sales prices of less than $100.00 per article.
Missouri August 7-9 Noncommercial purchases of clothing (not accessories) with taxable value of $100 or less per item; school supplies up to $50 per purchase; computer software with taxable value of $350 or less; personal computers and computer peripherals up to $1,500; and graphing calculators with a taxable value of $150 or less. Localities may opt out. If less than 2% of retailer's merchandise qualifies, retailer must offer a tax refund in lieu of tax holiday.
New Mexico August 7-9 Footwear and clothing (not accessories or athletic or protective clothing) with sales price of less than $100 per item; school supplies with sales price of less than $30 per item; computers with sales price of $1,000 or less per item; computer peripherals with sales price of $500 or less per item; book bags, backpacks, maps and globes with sales price less than $100 per item; and handheld calculators with sales price of less than $200 per item. Retailers are not required to participate.
Ohio August 7-9 School supplies with a price of $20 or less, clothing with a price of $75 or less, and school instructional materials with a price of $20 or less.
Oklahoma August 7-9 Any article of clothing or footwear (excluding accessories, rentals, and athletic or protective clothing) that is designed to be worn on or about the human body and that has a sales price of less than $100.
South Carolina August 7-9 Clothing (not rentals), clothing accessories, footwear, school supplies, computers, printers, printer supplies, computer software, bath wash clothes, bed linens, pillows, bath towels, shower curtains, bath rugs.
Tennessee July 31-August 2 Clothing (not accessories), school supplies, and school art supplies with sales price of $200 or less per item; and electronic devices with sales price of $3,000 or less per item.
Texas August 7-9 Clothing and footwear (not accessories, athletic, protective, or rentals), school supplies, and school backpacks with sales price of less than $100 per item.
Virginia August 7-9 School supplies and clothing: clothing and footwear with selling price of $100 or less per item, and school supplies with selling price of $20 or less per item.

Who

Mark Luscombe, JD, LL.M, CPA, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting and Carol Kokinis-Graves, JD, attorney and senior state tax analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting who specializes in tracking, analyzing, and reporting issues regarding state and local sales and use taxes, are available to discuss specific sales tax holidays for each state, including:

  • 2020 effective dates
  • Qualifying items (school supplies, clothing, computers, software, etc.)
  • Dollar limits 

Please note

The content of this article is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. The information is provided with the understanding that Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services

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