TEXAS — The much-anticipated annual Tax-Free Weekend is set to kick off on Friday, August 8, continuing through Sunday, August 10.
Texas shoppers have an opportunity to save money on essential items as they gear up for the new school year.
Items that qualify are certain school supplies and specific items of clothing, footwear, and backpacks (sold for less than $100).
During the holiday, you can buy qualifying items in-store, online, by telephone, by mail, by custom order, or any other means. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.
Qualifying Items
- 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
Items That Do Not Qualify
The following items do not qualify for exemption during the sales tax holiday:
- items sold for $100 or more
- clothing subscription boxes
- specially-designed athletic activity or protective-use clothing or footwear
- For example, golf cleats and football pads are usually worn only when people play golf or football, so they do not qualify for the exemption.
- Tennis shoes, jogging suits and swimsuits, however, can be worn for other than athletic activity and qualify for the exemption.
- clothing or footwear rentals, alterations (including embroidery) and cleaning services
- items used to make or repair clothing, such as fabric, thread, yarn, buttons, snaps, hooks and zippers
- jewelry, handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches and other accessories
- computers
- software
- textbooks
