Are you looking to save on your back-to-school shopping? Texas Tax-Free Weekend is the perfect time to do it! From August 5-7, you can purchase most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks tax-free. This includes items sold online and by catalog businesses, as long as they do business in Texas. To qualify for the exemption, each item must be priced below $100.
Online Purchases and Telephone Orders
If you’re shopping online or by telephone, the Tax-Free Weekend rules still apply. The sale is only Tax-Free if the item is ordered and paid for during the Tax-Free Weekend.
Clothing and Footwear
Qualifying Items
During the sales tax holiday, you can buy most footwear and clothing (sold for less than $100) tax free. You do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate.
The exemption applies to each eligible item sold for less than $100, and there is no limit to the number of qualifying items you can buy.
For example, if you buy two shirts for $80 each, each shirt qualifies for the exemption because each is less than $100, even though the total purchase price is $160.
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
- certain baggage items (see below)
Baggage Items That Do Not Qualify
The following items do not qualify for this exemption:
- framed backpacks
- luggage
- briefcases
- athletic, duffle or gym bags
- computer bags
- purses