Texas ‘Tax-Free’ Weekend Coming Up August 9-11 For Back To School

Those three dreaded words that indicate an abrupt end to summer fun are here, "BACK TO SCHOOL." Luckily, the Great State of Texas has an upcoming opportunity for you to save some money on the items you need for class, so you can look good and learn even gooder'er.

The Texas Tax-Free Weekend will be August 9-11 and the Texas Comptroller is urging everyone to support local businesses while saving money. During the event, shoppers can purchase most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks, each costing less than $100, without paying state sales tax. Qualifying items can be bought from Texas stores and even online sellers doing business in the state.

When, Exactly?

Friday, August 9, and runs through midnight on Sunday, August 11.

Purchases made before or after these dates do not qualify for the exemption, and no tax refunds are available.

Qualifying Items

• Clothing and Footwear
• Face Masks
• Backpacks
• School Supplies

During the holiday, qualifying items can be bought in-store, online, by phone, mail, custom order, or other methods. The transaction must occur within the tax-free period. For in-store purchases, this is straightforward. For remote purchases, the buyer must complete the payment during the tax-free period, even if the item is delivered later.

What Could Go Wrong?

In-store purchases are simple and straightforward, buy in-store while they are open during the hours of the tax-free weekend, and everything is great. However, online can get messy if you're not careful. For example, if you order school supplies online on Sunday, August 11 at 5:00 p.m., but they aren’t shipped until August 16 and arrive on August 20, the purchase is tax-free. However, if your payment is declined and you resubmit it on August 12, the purchase is taxable.

Additional Charges could mess things up as well. Delivery, shipping, handling, and transportation fees are all part of the item's total price. Since items must be under $100 to qualify, these additional charges can affect tax exemption.

A great example is, if you purchased jeans for $95 with a $10 delivery charge totals $105, making the entire purchase taxable because it exceeds $100.

Good luck with your back-to-school shopping on Tax-Free Weekend 2024. For more information about the Texas tax-free weekend, go to the State Comptrollers site.

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