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Tax free weekend 2026: every state, date, and way to save more

By Team Fetch

July 23, 2026

Key Takeaways

More than 20 states offer tax-free shopping periods in 2026, with most back-to-school holidays falling between late July and early August.
The most common tax-free weekend dates are August 7 through 9, 2026, shared by Texas, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, and others.
Exempt items typically include clothing, school supplies, backpacks, and computers, though price caps vary by state.
States like California, New York, and Pennsylvania do not hold sales tax holidays. States with no sales tax (Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, Alaska) don't need them.
You can stack your tax-free haul with rewards apps like Fetch to earn points on your purchases on top of the tax break.

Key takeaways

More than 20 states offer tax-free shopping periods in 2026, with most back-to-school holidays falling between late July and early August.
The most common tax-free weekend dates are August 7 through 9, 2026, shared by Texas, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri, and others.
Exempt items typically include clothing, school supplies, backpacks, and computers, though price caps vary by state.
States like California, New York, and Pennsylvania do not hold sales tax holidays. States with no sales tax (Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, Alaska) don’t need them.
You can stack your tax-free haul with rewards apps like to earn points on your purchases on top of the tax break.

Over 20 states offer tax-free shopping periods in 2026, giving families a real chance to keep more money in their pockets during back-to-school season. These sales tax holidays exempt qualifying items like clothing, school supplies, and electronics from state sales tax, and most of them land between late July and early August.

But here’s the thing most tax-free weekend guides won’t tell you: the tax break is just the starting point. Smart shoppers are stacking their tax-free purchases with rewards apps to earn points on everything they buy, turning one weekend of no sales tax into an even bigger win. This guide covers every participating state, the exact dates and eligible items you need to know, and how to squeeze even more value out of your next shopping trip.

Whether you’re loading up on school supplies, refreshing a back-to-school wardrobe, or grabbing a new laptop for the semester, consider this your complete playbook for tax-free weekend 2026. We’ll break down every participating state with dates and price caps, walk through what qualifies (and what doesn’t), and show you how to earn rewards on top of the tax break so your receipts work even harder.

Which states have tax free weekend in 2026?

Not every state participates in sales tax holidays, and the ones that do don’t all follow the same schedule. Some kick off in July, most cluster around the first weekend of August, and a few run for an entire week or longer. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of every state offering a back-to-school tax-free period in 2026, organized by timing so you can plan your shopping trips around the right dates.

July tax-free holidays

State	Dates	What’s exempt	Price caps
Mississippi	Jul 10–12	Clothing, footwear, school supplies	Under $100 per item
Alabama (back-to-school)	Jul 17–19	Clothing, computers, school supplies, textbooks	Clothing under $156; computers under $1,173; supplies under $78
Florida	Jul 20–Aug 20	Clothing, footwear, bags, school supplies, learning aids, computers	Clothing/footwear under $100; supplies under $50; computers under $1,500
Tennessee	Jul 24–26	Clothing, school supplies, computers	Clothing/supplies under $100; computers under $1,500
New Mexico	Jul 31–Aug 2	Clothing, computers, school supplies, calculators	Clothing under $100; computers under $1,000; supplies under $30
West Virginia	Jul 31–Aug 3	Clothing, footwear, computers, school supplies, sports equipment	Clothing under $125; computers under $500; supplies under $50

Florida really goes for it here. A full month of tax-free shopping? That’s not a weekend, that’s a summer vacation for your wallet.

August tax-free holidays (the big cluster)

State	Dates	What’s exempt	Price caps
Arkansas	Aug 1–2	Clothing, accessories, electronics, school supplies	Clothing under $100; accessories under $50
Iowa	Aug 7–8	Clothing, footwear	Under $100 per item
Illinois	Aug 7–16	Clothing, footwear, school supplies	Under $125 (reduced tax rate of 1.25%)
Missouri	Aug 7–9	Clothing, computers, school supplies, software, calculators	Clothing under $100; computers under $1,500; supplies under $50
Ohio	Aug 7–9	Clothing, school supplies, school materials	Clothing under $75; supplies/materials under $20
Oklahoma	Aug 7–9	Clothing, footwear	Under $100 per item
South Carolina	Aug 7–9	Clothing, footwear, computers, school supplies, bed and bath items	No price cap on most items
Texas	Aug 7–9	Clothing, footwear, school supplies, backpacks	Under $100 per item
Virginia	Aug 7–9	Clothing, footwear, school supplies	Clothing under $100; supplies under $20
Massachusetts	Aug 8–9	Most tangible personal property	Under $2,500 per item
Maryland	Aug 9–15	Clothing, footwear, backpacks	Clothing/footwear under $100; backpacks (first $40 exempt)
Connecticut	Aug 16–22	Clothing, footwear, backpacks	Under $300 per item

South Carolina deserves a shoutout. No price caps on most items? You could grab a new laptop, a full wardrobe, and a set of bedsheets, all tax-free. That’s a pretty great deal.

States that do NOT have tax-free weekends

According to the Federation of Tax Administrators, several states with sales tax choose not to offer sales tax holidays, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. States without any sales tax at all (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon) don’t need them.

Special note on online shopping

In most participating states, online purchases made during the tax-free period qualify for the exemption. The item just needs to ship to an address within the participating state. This means you can shop from your couch in pajamas and still skip the sales tax. Not a bad deal.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind, though. Some states require the order to be placed during the holiday window, not just delivered. Others may exclude marketplace sellers or third-party vendors on larger platforms. Always double-check your state’s specific rules before placing a big online order.

What can you buy tax-free?

The exact list of eligible items varies by state, but most back-to-school sales tax holidays cover the same core categories. Here’s a general breakdown to help you plan your shopping list.

Commonly exempt items

Clothing and footwear: T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, socks, underwear, jackets, and coats all typically qualify. Most states cap individual items at $100, though Connecticut goes up to $300 and Massachusetts covers items up to $2,500.
School supplies: Notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, folders, rulers, scissors, glue sticks, and binders. Price caps are usually $20 to $50 per item, depending on the state.
Backpacks: Nearly every participating state includes backpacks. Some states limit the exemption to the first $40 (looking at you, Maryland), while others like South Carolina have no cap at all.
Computers and tablets: Roughly half of participating states include computers, with price caps ranging from $500 (West Virginia) to $2,500 (Massachusetts). Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Missouri cap computer exemptions at $1,500.
Bed and bath items: A few states go beyond the classroom. South Carolina includes bed linens, bath towels, and similar household items with no price cap, making it one of the most generous tax-free holidays in the country.

Items that typically do NOT qualify

Not everything on the shelf gets the tax-free treatment. Before you toss something in the cart assuming it’s exempt, check this list of common exclusions:

Jewelry, watches, and accessories (except in a few states like Arkansas)
Cosmetics, skincare, and beauty products
Furniture, home decor, and large household items
Athletic equipment and sports gear (except West Virginia, which exempts sports equipment under $150)
Items priced above the state’s price cap
Specialty or protective clothing (think: football helmets, ski boots, safety goggles)

The tricky part is that some items look like they should qualify but don’t. A regular pair of sneakers? Tax-free. Cleats specifically designed for soccer? Probably not. When in doubt, check your state’s department of revenue website for the full list of qualifying and excluded items.

A quick note on price caps

Price caps are per item, not per transaction. If your state exempts clothing under $100, a $90 jacket is tax-free but a $110 jacket is fully taxable. You can buy ten $90 jackets and they’re all exempt. Planning your purchases around these thresholds can make a real difference.

Your $95 backpack? Tax-free. That $105 designer backpack? Full tax. Sometimes the smartest move is shopping just under the cap.

How to save even more during tax free weekend

Here’s where this guide gets different from everything else out there. Most tax-free weekend articles stop at the dates and eligible items. But the tax break is really just layer one. Here’s how to stack even more value on top of it.

Stack your tax-free purchases with rewards

The sales tax exemption hits at checkout, but your receipt still earns you rewards. Snap your receipt in after every tax-free purchase, and you’ll earn Fetch Points toward free gift cards from places like Amazon, Starbucks, and more.

Here’s what that looks like in real numbers. Say you do a $500 back-to-school haul in Texas during tax-free weekend. At the combined state and local sales tax rate of 8.25%, you’re keeping roughly $41 in your pocket. Then you snap that receipt in Fetch and earn points on the entire purchase. The tax break and the rewards work together because they operate on completely different layers. One happens at the register. The other happens when you open your phone.

That’s two wins from the same shopping trip, no extra effort required.

Shop the sales that piggyback on tax-free weekend

Retailers aren’t going to let tax-free weekend go by without running their own promotions. Major stores roll out back-to-school sales, clearance events, and buy-one-get-one deals right alongside the tax holiday. Layer a store sale on top of the tax exemption, and suddenly that $80 pair of sneakers costs significantly less than the sticker price.

Check weekly ads and retailer apps before you head out. Sign up for email lists from your favorite stores a week or two early so you get a preview of what’s on sale. The deals compound, and that’s the whole point.

Pro tip: some retailers extend their own back-to-school promotions a few days beyond the official tax-free period. If your state’s holiday ends Sunday, the store sales might still be running Monday. Keep your eyes open.

Make a list and check it twice

Impulse buying during tax-free weekend is real. You walk in for notebooks and walk out with a cart full of things that don’t even qualify for the exemption. Before you shop, make a list of exactly what you need, check the price caps for your state, and stick to items that actually qualify.

This is especially important if you’re shopping for multiple kids. Write out what each one needs, note the price caps in your state, and set a budget per child. If your state caps clothing at $100 per item, you know to skip the $120 jacket and grab two solid options under the threshold instead.

A little planning goes a long way. And your future self (the one who isn’t stressed about the credit card bill) will thank you.

Shop early on Friday

Most tax-free periods start at 12:01 a.m. on the first day. If you can shop Friday morning instead of Saturday afternoon, you’ll beat the crowds and have first pick of the best deals. This is especially true for popular items like laptops and tablets that some stores stock in limited quantities.

Check your offers before you go

Before you head out the door, open your Fetch app and browse your personalized offers. Some back-to-school categories carry bonus point offers during this time of year, which means even more points on the purchases you’re already planning to make.

Snap your receipts, earn your points, and turn your tax-free weekend haul into free gift cards. That’s the kind of reward that keeps giving long after the school year starts.

Save every receipt

This one is simple but easy to forget: keep every receipt from your tax-free shopping trips. Even though you’re not paying sales tax, your receipt still earns rewards when you . A crumpled receipt at the bottom of a shopping bag is still worth points. Don’t leave them behind.

FAQs

Do all states have a tax free weekend?

No. About 20 states offer sales tax holidays in 2026. States without sales tax (Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Alaska) don’t need them, and several states with sales tax, including California and New York, choose not to offer one.

When is tax free weekend 2026?

Most states hold their tax-free weekends in late July or early August. The most common dates in 2026 are August 7 through 9, shared by Texas, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Some states, like Florida and Connecticut, run extended tax-free periods lasting a week or more.

Does tax free weekend apply to online purchases?

In most participating states, yes. Online purchases made during the tax-free period qualify for the exemption as long as the item ships to an address in the participating state. Check your state’s specific rules, because some require the order to be placed (not just delivered) during the holiday.

How much do you actually save during tax free weekend?

It depends on your state’s sales tax rate and what you buy. In Texas, where the combined state and local rate is 8.25%, a $500 back-to-school shopping trip keeps about $41 in your pocket. Stack that with rewards from snapping your receipt in a , and the total value of your trip goes up even more.

What items are NOT eligible during tax free weekend?

Most states exclude jewelry, cosmetics, accessories, furniture, and items above the price threshold. Athletic equipment, specialty clothing, and protective gear are also commonly excluded. Always check your state’s specific list before shopping.

Can you stack tax-free purchases with coupons and rewards?

Absolutely. Tax-free weekends apply to the sales tax only, so store coupons, loyalty programs, and rewards apps all still work. Snapping your receipt in Fetch after a tax-free purchase earns points just like any other purchase. The tax exemption and your rewards work on separate layers, so you get both.

Make your tax-free weekend work harder

Tax-free weekend is already a win. But the real move? Making sure every receipt from your shopping trips earns you something extra, too.

With , it takes a few seconds. Snap your receipt, earn Fetch Points, and redeem them for free gift cards to places you already love. No coupons to clip, no hoops to jump through, and it’s completely free.