During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Comptroller encourages all taxpayers to continue practicing social distancing and support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual Tax-Free weekend.
Qualifying items can be purchased tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, you do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate to buy qualifying items tax free.
This year’s sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 6, and goes through midnight Sunday, Aug. 8.
The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items you buy during the sales tax holiday. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.
Online Purchases and Telephone Orders
To promote social distancing, the Texas Comptroller’s office wants all taxpayers to know that during the Tax-Free Weekend, you can buy qualifying items online or by telephone, mail, custom order or any other means (including in-store purchases) tax free, when either:
- the item is both delivered, and paid for, by the customer during the exemption; or
- the customer orders and pays for the item, and the seller accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period ends.
A seller accepts an order when the seller has acted to fill the order for immediate shipment.
An order is filled for immediate shipment regardless of whether the shipment is delayed due to a backlog of orders or because stock is currently unavailable to, or on back order by, the seller.
In-Store Purchases
The Comptroller’s office urges all taxpayers buying certain qualifying items at their local retailers to practice appropriate social distancing as described in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the sales tax holiday.
Qualifying Items
- Adult diapers
- Aprons (household)
- Athletic socks
- Baby bibs
- Baby clothes
- Baby diapers (cloth or disposable)
- Baseball accessories
- Baseball caps
- Baseball jerseys
- Belts with attached buckles
- Blouses
- Boots (general purpose)
- Cowboy
- Hiking
- Bow ties
- Bowling shirts
- Bras
- Camp clothes
- Caps (baseball, fishing, golf)
- Chef uniforms
- Children’s novelty costumes
- Clerical vestments
- Coats and wraps
- Coveralls
- Diapers (cloth and disposable)
- Dresses
- Earmuffs
- Cold weather
- Employee uniforms (unless rented)
- Fishing caps
- Fishing vests (non-flotation)
- Football accessories
- Football jerseys
- Gloves (generally)
- Dress (unless rented)
- Leather
- Golf accessories
- Golf caps
- Golf dresses
- Golf jackets and windbreakers
- Golf shirts
- Golf skirts
- Graduation caps and gowns
- Gym suits and uniforms
- Hats
- Hooded shirts and hooded sweatshirts
- Hosiery, including support hosiery
- Hunting vests
- Jackets
- Jeans
- Jogging apparel
- Knitted caps or hats
- Leg warmers
- Leotards and tights
- Mask, costume
- Mask, cloth and disposable fabric face masks
- Neckwear and ties
- Nightgowns and nightshirts
- Painter pants
- Pajamas
- Pants
- Panty hose
- Raincoats and ponchos
- Rain hats
- Religious clothing
- Robes
- Safety accessories
- Safety shoes (adaptable for street wear)
- Scarves
- Scout uniforms
- Shawls and wraps
- Shirts
- Shirts (hooded)
- Shoes (generally)
- Boat
- Cross trainers
- Dress
- Flip-flops (rubber thongs)
- Jellies
- Running (without cleats)
- Safety (suitable for everyday use)
- Sandals
- Slippers
- Sneakers and tennis
- Tennis
- Walking
- Shorts
- Skirts
- Sleepwear, nightgowns, pajamas
- Slippers
- Slips
- Soccer socks
- Socks
- Suits, slacks, and jackets
- Support hosiery
- Suspenders
- Sweatshirts
- Sweat suits
- Sweaters
- Swimsuits
- Tennis accessories
- Tennis dresses
- Tennis shorts
- Tennis shoes
- Tennis skirts
- Ties (neckties – all)
- Tights
- Trousers
- Underclothes
- Underpants
- Undershirts
- Uniforms (school, work, nurse, waitress, military, postal, police, fire)
- Veils
- Vests (generally)
- Fishing (non-flotation)
- Hunting
- Work clothes
- Work uniforms
- Workout clothes
Only the school supplies on this list priced under $100 qualify for exemption from tax during the sales tax holiday.
- 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
- Kits*
- 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
* For kits of school supplies that contain exempt items, as well as taxable ones, the taxability depends on the value of exempt or taxable items in it. There is no limit on the quantity of school supplies in a kit, but if the value of the exempt items is more than the taxable ones, the kit is exempt. If the value of the taxable items is more than the exempt ones, then the kit is taxable.