2009 tax holiday schedule Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. SHARE: July 30, 2009 Kay Bell Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Fifteen states are offering shoppers back-to-school sales-tax holidays this year. The participating jurisdictions are listed below alphabetically. Most of the tax-exempt shopping sessions fall in early August. But be sure to carefully schedule your shopping trip or you could miss out on the savings. Georgia’s event starts on a Thursday instead of the usual Friday; Connecticut and Texas shoppers have to wait until later in the month for their tax bargains. And some of the holidays come up a bit short, such as the events in Iowa and Louisiana that end at midnight Saturday instead of running through the end of the weekend. Also, do your homework before you shop. Some items you give the clerk to ring up might not save you any sales-tax dollars. And the tax-free or still-taxable designations aren’t always logical. Participating states have detailed and sometimes seemingly contradictory lists of sales-tax-exempt items and those on which stores will still tally tax. Check them out before hitting the mall. Alabama
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 During the first weekend of each August, Alabama shoppers will be spared paying state sales tax on clothing costing less than $100, as well as on school supplies selling for up to $50 each and books that cost up to $30. Computers and software are also tax-exempt as long as their costs do not exceed $750. While the state sales tax will not be collected this weekend, cities and counties have the choice to opt out of the holiday. The state has compiled a showing which local jurisdictions are participating. More information is available on . Connecticut
Aug. 16 to Aug. 22 Clothing and footwear costing less than $300 per item are free from sales and use taxes during this week. Layaway purchases also qualify, as long as the customer puts the qualifying clothing or footwear on layaway during the tax-exclusion week; none of the subsequent payments, even if made after the sales tax holiday ends, are taxable. Rented clothing, such as formal wear, also is exempt, as long as it does not exceed $300 and the customer takes possession of the clothing during the tax holiday week. Be careful when time-shifting purchases. If you place a tax-exempt article on layaway during the tax holiday week, none of your payments on the item are taxable even if they are made after the holiday ends. But if you get a rain check for a tax-exempt eligible item that is unavailable during the holiday week and you redeem it after the tax holiday ends, the item is taxable. More information is available on . Georgia
July 30 to Aug. 2 Peach State shoppers get a bit of a head start with the state’s sales-tax holiday starting on a Thursday, and it applies to a wide variety of purchases. During the event, state sales tax will not be collected on clothing and footwear selling for $100 or less; a single purchase of $1,500 or less of personal computers and/or related accessories; and general school supplies with a sales price of $20 or less per item. The state will hold a second sales tax holiday Oct. 1 to Oct. 4 for specific energy- and water-efficient products. Tax officials provide details on that holiday on the as that holiday nears. Clothing accessories (handbags, jewelry, etc.) are not tax-free. As for computers, if the single purchase exceeds $1,500, then the entire transaction is taxable. The sales-tax exemptions do not apply to items sold at theme parks, entertainment complexes, hotels, restaurants and airports. Iowa
Aug. 7 to Aug. 8 During the first Friday and Saturday of each August in the Hawkeye State, no tax (including school and local option sales levies) will be collected on clothing or footwear items costing less than $100. The tax break is available for each eligible article, regardless of how many items are sold on the same invoice to the same customer. Local option taxes also are not collected during these two days. The holiday does not extend into Sunday. All items priced at $100 or more remain taxable. Also check the exempt list carefully. Belts without buckles attached are still taxed during the two holiday days, but if you buy a belt with a buckle on it, the item is tax-free. More information is available on . Louisiana
Aug. 7 to Aug. 8 Pelican State shoppers will not have to pay sales tax on most items purchased for personal use that do not exceed $2,500 each. If a product costs more than the exemption limit, sales tax will be collected on the amount over $2,500. Sales tax will continue to be collected on vehicles and restaurant meals, including to-go orders. Also, the holiday does not apply to sales taxes levied by parishes, municipalities, school boards and other state political subdivisions. More information is available on and . Mississippi
July 31 to Aug. 1 The State holds its first-ever sales tax holiday this year, offering shoppers two days in which they don’t have to pay state or city sales taxes on items of clothing and footwear priced at less than $100. Accessories, including jewelry, handbags, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches, backpacks, briefcases and similar items will still be taxed. More information will be available in and its . Missouri
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 Missouri will show shoppers a state sales-tax break on clothing and footwear items worth $100 or less; school supplies priced at $50 or less; personal computers bought for $3,500 or less; computer peripheral equipment also priced at $3,500 or less; and software costing $350 or less. Many of the state’s , and will continue to collect local sales-tax levies. In nonparticipating jurisdictions, only Missouri’s 4.225 percent state sales tax will be excluded from eligible sales during that weekend. New Mexico
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 Shoppers will find this state even more enchanting this weekend, when clothing, shoes, computers and associated peripherals and school supplies are sales-tax exempt. Eligible clothing must cost less than $100, computers less than $1,000 and peripherals less than $500. School supplies also are tax-exempt as long as they cost no more than $15 and are items that “students normally use in a standard classroom for educational purposes.” Among the items specified are notebooks, paper, writing instruments and crayons. The tax holiday law specifically excludes watches, radios, compact disc players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable desktop telephones, copiers, office equipment, furniture or fixtures. These items, say lawmakers, are not considered to be school supplies that students normally use in a standard classroom. More information is available in and its . North Carolina
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 North Carolina’s state tax will not be collected on clothing, footwear and students’ school supplies costing $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreation equipment priced at $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less. The Tar Heel State will hold a second sales-tax holiday for Energy Star qualified products. Some people view sewing or knitting as recreational. The hobby usually produces clothing. But the state specifically says that fabric, thread, yarn and “other such items purchased to make clothing” remain taxable this weekend. More information is available on . Oklahoma
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 The Sooner State’s tax will not be collected on clothing and footwear costing $100 or less per item. Retailers are required to participate. In addition to the state sales tax, eligible items also are free of local taxes this weekend. The total price of items in a buy one, get one free promotion cannot be averaged to qualify both items as tax free. The exemption depends on the actual price paid for each item. South Carolina
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 South Carolina’s 8 percent sales tax and any local sales and use tax will not be collected this weekend on clothing, clothing accessories, footwear, school supplies, computers, printers, printer supplies and computer software. Many bath and bed linen products also are tax-free during this period. The Palmetto State also will hold its Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, during which time no tax will be collected on purchases of handguns, rifles and shotguns. While the August tax holiday law exempts computers, computer peripherals are taxable; the sale of a computer monitor, keyboard or scanner by itself would not be exempt during the sales tax holiday. Any such computer product must be part of a package included with the computer processing unit in order to be tax-exempt. More information is available on . Tennessee
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 During the first weekend of each August, shoppers won’t have to volunteer any taxes on clothing with a price of $100 or less per item; school supplies selling for $100 or less per item; and computers for personal use, not business, with a price of $1,500 or less. Art supplies for school work (clay, glazes, paint, paintbrushes, sketch pads, etc.) also are tax-exempt as long as they meet the $100 limit. While a purchase of a computer, laptop or PC that meets the price limit is tax-exempt, the various components must be bundled to be tax-free. Software beyond what is preloaded as part of the computer package is taxable, as are printers and printer supplies. More information is available on . Texas
Aug. 21 to Aug. 23 Most clothing and footwear priced less than $100 will be tax-exempt this weekend. The break applies to items individually, not a shopper’s total purchase amount. That means a customer escapes the state’s combined local and state sales tax, which could be as high as 8.25 percent, on each of a dozen shirts each priced at $99.99. But the full tax is due on a shirt that sells for $100. And new this year, Lone Star State shoppers will get a sales tax break on most school supplies purchased for use by elementary or secondary school students as long as the items cost less than $100. Despite the sports fanaticism of Lone Star State residents, only football and baseball jerseys are tax-exempt. Other associated items (pads, helmets, mitts, cleats, etc.) remain taxable, as do most other clothing and footwear used primarily for athletic activities or protection. Accessories such as jewelry, watches and handbags also are excluded from the sales-tax holiday. Virginia
Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 Shoppers in the Old Dominion State will get a break on school supplies that cost $20 or less per item and on clothing and shoes priced at $100 or less per item. Internet purchases also will be tax-exempt if the item is delivered and paid for during the exemption period or the customer orders and pays for the item and the seller accepts the order during the holiday period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the tax holiday. The state will hold a second sales-tax holiday Oct. 9 to Oct. 12 for energy-efficient products priced at $2,500 or less. Sport and recreational equipment is not tax-exempt. Neither are apparel accessories such as handbags, briefcases and jewelry. Businesses may choose to pay the tax on nonexempt items for their customers and advertise those items as tax-free. More information is available on . West Virginia
Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 This year the sales tax holiday for Mountain State shoppers is bigger than ever. The event isn’t tied to back-to-school supplies. Rather, the state is waiving its 6 percent sales tax on certain Energy Star qualified products and shoppers now have three months to buy the tax-free upgrades. The energy-efficient appliances must cost $5,000 or less and be for home, not commercial, use. Shipping and handling charges separately stated on the appliance bill or purchase invoice are taxable. However, those added charges do not count toward the $5,000 maximum item cost. More information is available on . Are sales-tax holidays a good idea? See “” for a look at the pros and cons of these temporary tax exemptions. Related Links: Related Articles: SHARE: Kay Bell Related Articles