Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state’s sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11-13.
State law exempts sales tax on qualified items — such as clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks — priced below $100, saving shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend. The dates of the sales tax holiday and list of tax-exempt items are set by the Texas Legislature.
“As Texans prepare for the back-to-school bell, this is the perfect time to take advantage of the opportunity to save money on everything from blue jeans to ballpoint pens,” Hegar said. “As the father of three, I know how these expenses can add up.”
The Comptroller’s office estimates that shoppers will save $136 million in state and local sales tax during this sales tax holiday.
Apparel and school supplies that may be purchased tax free are listed on the Comptroller’s website at TexasTaxHoliday.org. Here are some of the items that are tax-exempt:
CLOTHING
- Aprons (household)
- Athletic socks
- Baby bibs
- Baby clothes
- Baby diapers (cloth or disposable)
- Baseball caps
- Baseball jerseys
- Belts with attached buckles
- Blouses
- Boots (general purpose)
- Hiking
- Cowboy
- 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 jerseys
- Gloves (generally)
- 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
- Scarves
- Scout uniforms
- Shawls and wraps
- Shirts
- Shirts (hooded)
- Shoes (generally)
- Shorts
- Skirts
- Sleepwear, nightgowns, pajamas
- Slippers
- Slips
- Soccer socks
- Socks
- Suits, slacks, and jackets
- Support hosiery
- Suspenders
- Sweatshirts
- Sweat suits
- Sweaters
- Swimsuits
- 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
- Work clothes
- Work uniforms
- Workout clothes
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
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.
During the annual sales tax holiday, qualifying items can be purchased tax free online or by telephone, mail, custom order or any other means (including in-store purchases) when either:
- the item is both delivered to, and paid for by, the customer during the exemption period; 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.
Texas’ sales tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999.
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