How To Shop a Tax Free Weekend

How To Shop a Tax Free Weekend

A great way to save on Back To School expenses is to know how to shop a Tax Free Weekend (hurricane and energy efficient appliances also have tax free weekends).  The list of states that participate in a Tax Free Weekend is shrinking so if you live in one who does you are fortunate! I live in Virginia and our tax free weekend for 2021 is August 6-8.  We also have hurricane preparedness stuff free that weekend and select energy efficient appliances.

Shopping online? Many large online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target should be participating in Tax-Free Weekend, which means that you can shop without paying tax!

How to Shop a Tax Free Weekend

1.  If you have time go from store to store.  Different stores have different deals.  If you have the time and can plan ahead hit a few stores with a plan to grab certain items.  It will help you save in the long run.

2.  Buy a few extra and hide them.  Everyone knows by December some of these school supplies will have mysteriously disappeared.  Grab extra pencils, notebook paper and anything else they might  need to take back in January.

3.  Stock your home office.  Tax free weekend isn’t JUST for school.  If you have a home office grab some extra supplies.  I usually grab extra pens and pencils this weekend (my cat hides them from me slowly over the year).

4.  Don’t forget to buy ALL the clothes.  At least in the state of Virginia some unusual items are included in the clothing category (lingerie, bathing suits, insoles, rain boots etc) so take a good look at your needs for the next year.  This weekend isn’t just for jeans and t-shirts with pop stars on them.

5.  Price Match.  If you don’t want to go from store to store, price match.  At Target you can take an ad from any competitor and they will match the price.  This can cut your shopping time down and help you get everything you need in one place!

Here are the rules for the Virginia Tax Free Weekend

When is it?

August 6-8. The 3-day sales tax holiday starts the first Friday in August at 12:01 am and ends the following Sunday at 11:59 pm.

What is it?

During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax.

What items are eligible?

• School supplies, clothing, and footwear 
  • Qualified school supplies – $20 or less per item
  • Qualified clothing and footwear – $100 or less per item
• Hurricane and emergency preparedness products  
  • Portable generators – $1,000 or less per item
  • Gas-powered chainsaws – $350 or less per item
  • Chainsaw accessories – $60 or less per item
  • Other specified hurricane preparedness items – $60 or less per item
• Energy Star™ and WaterSense™​ products 
  • Qualifying Energy Star™ or WaterSense™ products purchased for noncommercial home or personal use – $2,500 or less per item

What Other States Have Tax Free Weekends?

Alabama: 7/16- 7/18: Clothing ($100 or less), Computers ($750 or less), School supplies ($50 or less), Books ($30 or less)

Arkansas: 8/7- 8/8: Clothing ($100 or less), School Supplies and Textbooks

Connecticut: Dates have not been confirmed: Clothing and Footwear (less than $100 ea.)

Florida: 7/31-8/9: Clothing ($60 or less), School Supplies ($15 or less) Computers ($1000 or less)

Iowa:  8/6-8/7: Clothing & footwear ($100 or less)

Maryland: 8/8-8/14: Clothing & Footwear ($100 or less), Backpack (first $40)

Massachusetts: 8/14-8/15: First $2500 of personal property

Mississippi: 7/30-7/31: Clothing, School Supplies & Footwear ($100 or less)

Missouri: 8/6-8/8: Clothing ($100 or less), Computers ($1,500 or less), School Supplies ($50 or less), Computer Software and Accessories ($350 or less), Graphing Calculators ($150 or less)

New Mexico: 8/6-8/8: Clothing & Shoes ($1oo or less), Computers ($1,000 or less), Computer Software and Accessories ($500 or less)
School Supplies ($30 or less)

Ohio: 8/6-8/8: Clothing ($75 or less), School Supplies ($20 or less)

Oklahoma: 8/6-8/8, Clothing & footwear ($100 or less)

South Carolina: 8/6-8/8: Clothing & Footwear, Computers, School Supplies, Bed & Bath Linens (no price limits)

Tennessee: 7/30-8/1: Clothing ($200 or less), Computers ($3,000 or less), School Supplies ($200 or less)

Texas: 8/6-8/8: Clothing and Footwear ($100 or less), Backpacks and School Supplies ($100 or less)

Virginia: 8/6-8/8: Clothing & Shoes ($100 or less), School Supplies ($20 or less), Hurricane Prep Items & Energy Star Appliances

West Virginia: 7/30-8/2: Clothing ($125 or less), School Supplies ($50 or less), Computers or Tablets ($500 or less), Sports Equipment ($150 or less)