Tax-Free Weekend 2026: Every State's Sales Tax Holiday Dates
A state-by-state chart of every 2026 sales tax holiday — exact dates, what qualifies, and the per-item price cap — built from official state revenue sources, plus the states that have quietly stopped running one.
Ringing up a purchase and need the actual sales tax, not just whether it's exempt?
Open the sales tax calculator →2026 sales tax holiday chart — every state, one table
Sorted by search demand. Status is computed as of the day this page was built — July 30, 2026 — not live at the moment you're reading it, so a holiday shown as "Upcoming" may since have started or ended depending on when you're checking.
| State | 2026 dates | Status | What qualifies | Lowest per-item cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing, footwear, school supplies & backpacks | $100 |
| Florida | July 20 - August 20, 2026 | Happening now | Clothing, footwear & accessories; School supplies; Learning aids & jigsaw puzzles; Personal computers & related accessories | $30 |
| Alabama | July 17-19, 2026 | Ended for 2026 | Clothing; Computers, computer software & school computer supplies; Textbooks; School supplies, school art supplies & instructional material | $47 |
| Tennessee | July 31 - August 2, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing; School supplies; Computers | $100 |
| Ohio | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing; School supplies; School instructional materials | $20 |
| South Carolina | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & clothing accessories; Footwear; School supplies; Computers, computer software, printers & printer supplies; Certain bed & bath supplies | No price cap |
| Massachusetts | August 8-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Most retail items bought for personal use | $2,500 |
| Mississippi | July 10-12, 2026 | Ended for 2026 | Clothing, footwear & school supplies | $100 |
| Missouri | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing; School supplies; Computer software; Personal computers; Computer peripheral devices; Graphing calculators | $50 |
| Arkansas | August 1-2, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & footwear; Clothing accessories & equipment; Electronic devices, school supplies, school art supplies & instructional materials | $50 |
| Virginia | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | School supplies; Clothing & footwear; Portable generators (hurricane preparedness); Gas-powered chainsaws (hurricane preparedness); Other specified hurricane-preparedness items; Energy Star & WaterSense products | $20 |
| Oklahoma | August 7-9, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & footwear | $100 |
| Georgia | No 2026 holiday | No 2026 holiday | N/A | N/A |
| Maryland | August 9-15, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & footwear; Backpacks & bookbags | $40 |
| Iowa | August 7-8, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & footwear | $100 |
| New Mexico | July 31 - August 2, 2026 | Upcoming | Clothing & shoes; Computers (desktops, laptops, notebooks & tablets); Computer hardware & accessories; General school supplies; Backpacks, bookbags, maps & globes; Handheld calculators | $30 |
"Lowest per-item cap" is the smallest dollar cap among that state's categories — several states also exempt higher-priced category (like computers) at a much larger cap. See each state's section or the Sources list below for the exact per-category breakdown.
Top states by search demand
Full detail for the eight states with the most "tax free weekend" and "sales tax holiday" search demand — the official term state revenue departments themselves use in their own publications, even though "tax free weekend" is what most shoppers actually type into a search bar.
Texas tax free weekend 2026 (August 7-9, 2026)
Texas's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday." It runs August 7-9, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Upcoming.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing, footwear, school supplies & backpacksMost clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks sold for less than $100 per item. | $100 |
Not exempt: No exemption certificate needed in most cases.
Applies to in-store purchases and to online/catalog sellers doing business in Texas.
Need the full Texas sales tax picture beyond the holiday? See the Texas sales tax rate 2026 page.
Florida tax free weekend 2026 (July 20 - August 20, 2026)
Florida's official name for this event is the "Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday." It runs July 20 - August 20, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Happening now.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing, footwear & accessories | $100 |
| School supplies | $50 |
| Learning aids & jigsaw puzzles | $30 |
| Personal computers & related accessoriesNoncommercial home or personal use only. | $1,500 |
Not exempt: Sales at theme parks, entertainment complexes, lodging establishments, or airports; Video game consoles, cellular phones, furniture; Rental or repair services.
Florida's holiday runs a full month rather than a weekend — by far the longest window of any state on this page.
Need the full Florida sales tax picture beyond the holiday? See the Florida sales tax rate 2026 page.
Alabama tax free weekend 2026 (July 17-19, 2026)
Alabama's official name for this event is the "Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday (21st annual)." It runs July 17-19, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Ended for 2026.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| ClothingPer article of clothing. | $156 |
| Computers, computer software & school computer suppliesA single purchase. | $1,173 (per purchase) |
| TextbooksPer book, noncommercial purchases. | $47 |
| School supplies, school art supplies & instructional materialNoncommercial purchases. | $78 |
Not exempt: Clothing accessories (jewelry, handbags, wallets, watches, umbrellas, sunglasses); Protective equipment (hard hats, safety glasses, welder gear); Sport or recreational equipment (cleats, shoulder pads, ski boots).
State sales tax is waived automatically, but local sales tax only drops in localities that opt in — over 300 cities and counties typically do, so check before assuming the full combined rate is off.
Tennessee tax free weekend 2026 (July 31 - August 2, 2026)
Tennessee's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday." It runs July 31 - August 2, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Upcoming.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing | $100 |
| School supplies | $100 |
| ComputersNoncommercial personal use. | $1,500 |
Not exempt: Jewelry, handbags, sports and recreational equipment; Items for trade or business use.
Ohio tax free weekend 2026 (August 7-9, 2026)
Ohio's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday." It runs August 7-9, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Upcoming.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing | $75 |
| School supplies | $20 |
| School instructional materials | $20 |
Not exempt: Food sold in restaurants; Boats, watercraft & titled outboard motors; Motor vehicles; Alcohol, tobacco & vapor products.
This is a return to Ohio's traditional back-to-school format. 2024 and 2025 both ran an expanded, ten-day version covering nearly all items priced at $500 or less; that expanded format was not renewed for 2026, so the caps above are narrower than what returning shoppers may remember from the last two years.
South Carolina tax free weekend 2026 (August 7-9, 2026)
South Carolina's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday (Tax Free Weekend)." It runs August 7-9, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Upcoming.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing & clothing accessoriesAny dollar amount, new or used. | No price cap |
| Footwear | No price cap |
| School suppliesPurchased or leased. | No price cap |
| Computers, computer software, printers & printer suppliesPurchased or leased. | No price cap |
| Certain bed & bath supplies | No price cap |
Not exempt: Items for use in a trade or business; Clothing or footwear rentals; Watches, eyewear, jewelry, cosmetics, wallets, furniture; Items placed on layaway.
South Carolina is the only state on this page with NO per-item price cap at all — a $2,000 suit or a $900 laptop is fully exempt.
Massachusetts tax free weekend 2026 (August 8-9, 2026)
Massachusetts's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday." It runs August 8-9, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Upcoming.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Most retail items bought for personal use | $2,500 |
Not exempt: Meals; Motor vehicles; Motorboats; Telecommunications services; Gas, steam & electricity; Tobacco products; Marijuana products; Alcoholic beverages; Purchases by businesses.
Massachusetts isn't a back-to-school holiday at all — it exempts almost any personal-use retail item up to $2,500, the broadest scope and highest single-item cap of any state on this page.
Mississippi tax free weekend 2026 (July 10-12, 2026)
Mississippi's official name for this event is the "Sales Tax Holiday." It runs July 10-12, 2026 and, as of July 30, 2026, is Ended for 2026.
| Category | Per-item cap |
|---|---|
| Clothing, footwear & school supplies | $100 |
Not exempt: Jewelry, handbags & furniture.
Sources for every state above, including the eight not detailed here, are listed at the bottom of this page.
States with no 2026 tax-free weekend
A sales tax holiday isn't a permanent fixture — it runs only if a legislature re-authorizes it (or writes new dates into statute) every cycle. When that doesn't happen, the holiday simply stops, and a lot of searchers keep looking for it anyway.
Georgia
Georgia has held no back-to-school or Energy Star/WaterSense sales tax holiday since 2016. The authorizing statute, O.C.G.A. § 48-8-3(75) and (82), exempts eligible property only during the exact date ranges written into the paragraph text itself — July 30-31, 2016 for clothing/computers/school supplies, and September 30-October 2, 2016 for Energy Star and WaterSense products. The Georgia General Assembly has not amended either paragraph to add a new date range since. The Department of Revenue's own implementing regulation, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 560-12-2-.110 (current through rules filed as of July 9, 2026), still points only to those same 2016 statutory windows — confirming no 2026 holiday exists under current law.
Rules that trip people up every year
Caps are almost always per item, not per basket
A state's price cap tests each qualifying item on its own — five shirts priced at $80 each all qualify under Texas's $100 cap, even though the receipt total is well over it. Alabama is the one exception on this page: its computers, computer software & school computer supplies cap of $1,173 applies to the whole purchase, not per item.
Online orders generally qualify
If you pay for it during the window and the retailer accepts the order for immediate shipment, it typically qualifies even if it arrives after the holiday ends. An item on backorder, or one the retailer doesn't charge you for until it actually ships, usually does not.
Layaway and rain checks follow their own timing rule
Starting a layaway plan during the holiday window generally locks in the exemption for the eligible items on that plan, even if you finish paying later. A rain check is the opposite: issuing one during the holiday does not preserve the exemption if you actually buy the item after the window closes.
Local tax doesn't always disappear with the state tax
Most states waive both layers together. Alabama is the notable exception on this page — its state sales tax drops automatically, but each city and county separately decides whether to waive its own local tax, so the same holiday can be only partly tax-free depending on where you shop.
Reverse the math: what a receipt total tells you
Bought something during a sales tax holiday, or in a state without one, and want to work backward from a tax-inclusive total to the pre-tax price? Use the reverse sales tax calculator to back out the tax and the original price from what actually hit your card. To check a specific state's everyday combined rate for the other 51 weeks of the year, the sales tax calculator covers all 50 states plus DC.
Frequently asked questions
When is tax free weekend 2026?
There's no single national date — each state that runs one sets its own. The earliest 2026 sales tax holiday on this page is Mississippi's (July 10-12, 2026), and the most common single window is 6 states (Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Missouri, Virginia, Oklahoma) sharing the same Friday-through-Sunday dates in early August. See the full chart above for every state's exact dates.
Tax free weekend 2026 Texas — when is it?
Texas's Sales Tax Holiday runs August 7-9, 2026. Qualifying clothing, footwear, school supplies & backpacks sold for less than $100 per item are exempt from Texas sales tax, both in-store and from online sellers doing business in Texas.
Florida tax free 2026 — what are the dates and rules?
Florida's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs July 20 - August 20, 2026 — a full month rather than a weekend, the longest window of any state on this page. Caps vary by category: clothing, footwear & accessories at $100, school supplies at $50, learning aids & jigsaw puzzles at $30, personal computers & related accessories at $1,500.
Alabama tax free weekend 2026 — what's exempt?
Alabama's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday (21st annual) runs July 17-19, 2026. Clothing is exempt up to $156 per article, computers and school computer supplies up to $1,173 per purchase, textbooks up to $47 per book, and school/art/instructional supplies up to $78 per item. State sales tax drops automatically, but local sales tax only drops in participating cities and counties — check before assuming the whole receipt is tax-free.
Ohio tax free weekend 2026 — same as the last two years?
No — Ohio's August 7-9, 2026 holiday reverts to the traditional back-to-school format: clothing up to $75, school supplies up to $20, school instructional materials up to $20. This is a return to Ohio's traditional back-to-school format. 2024 and 2025 both ran an expanded, ten-day version covering nearly all items priced at $500 or less; that expanded format was not renewed for 2026, so the caps above are narrower than what returning shoppers may remember from the last two years.
Tennessee tax free weekend 2026 — what qualifies?
Tennessee's July 31 - August 2, 2026 holiday covers clothing up to $100, school supplies up to $100, computers up to $1,500. Not included: jewelry, handbags, sports and recreational equipment; items for trade or business use.
Is there a sales tax holiday 2026 in every state?
No. Of the 16 states covered on this page, 15 have a verified 2026 sales tax holiday and 1 do not — see the "states with no 2026 tax-free weekend" section below for the ones that don't and why.
Do sales tax holiday price caps apply per item or to the whole purchase?
Almost always per item, not per basket — buying five shirts priced at $80 each on the same receipt still exempts all five even though the total is well over most states' caps, because each shirt is tested against the cap on its own. The one exception on this page is Alabama, whose computers, computer software & school computer supplies cap of $1,173 is a per-purchase limit rather than per item.
Do online orders qualify for a sales tax holiday?
Generally yes, in every state on this page — an order placed and paid for during the holiday window typically qualifies even if it ships afterward, as long as the retailer accepts it for immediate shipment rather than a deliberately delayed delivery date. A backordered item that isn't charged until it ships, after the window closes, usually does not qualify.
Does local sales tax still apply during a state's tax-free weekend?
It depends on the state. Most of the states on this page waive both the state and local portions of tax on qualifying items. Alabama is the clear exception: the state waives its own sales tax automatically, but each city and county decides separately whether to waive its local tax too — so a purchase in a non-participating Alabama locality can still carry local sales tax during the state's own holiday.
Sources
- Texas Comptroller — Sales Tax Holiday (Publication 98-490)
- Florida Department of Revenue — Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday
- Alabama Department of Revenue — 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Fact Sheet
- Tennessee Department of Revenue — "Sales Tax Holiday Continues Two Decades of Savings" (2026-07-17)
- Ohio Department of Taxation — Sales Tax Holiday
- South Carolina Department of Revenue — Information Letter #26-16
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Holiday FAQ
- Mississippi Department of Revenue — Sales Tax Holiday: July 10-12
- Missouri Department of Revenue — Back to School Sales Tax Holiday (Consumers)
- Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration — Sales Tax Holiday Instructions for Retailers 2026
- Virginia Tax — Virginia Sales Tax Holiday
- Oklahoma Tax Commission — Sales Tax Holiday
- Comptroller of Maryland — Frequently Asked Questions About Tax-Free Week
- Iowa Department of Revenue — Annual Sales Tax Holiday
- New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department — "New Mexico back-to-school tax holiday is next weekend" (2026-07-24)
- Georgia Secretary of State — Rules & Regulations, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 560-12-2-.110 (Sales Tax Holidays)