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2023 sales tax holidays

by Sarah Craig May 9, 2023

Updated July 2023

Each year, a number of states participate in sales tax holidays. These holidays are designed to spur sales by providing the incentive of tax free purchasing for a specific amount of time. They are also designed to provide the customer an economic reprieve on necessities like emergency preparedness supplies during hurricane season or back to school shopping in the fall.

However, sales tax holidays vary in popularity. Some states have a set annual sales tax holiday. Other states are required by law to renew their sales tax holidays every year. Important note: there are a number of states that have announced sales tax holidays but have not yet released a date for 2023. Throughout the year we’ll update this post as states add additional holidays, we recommend bookmarking this blog to check in for new holidays periodically. 

Sales tax holidays and your e-commerce store

Run your own shopping cart or marketplace? The TaxJar API honors most sales tax holidays. Just set your product codes and we’ll make sure you’re not charging sales tax on non-taxable products during sales tax holidays in 2023. Ready to automate sales tax? Get started with your free, 30-day TaxJar trial here. 

U.S. sales tax holidays in 2023

Find your state and see which items are sales tax exempt during the designated holiday: 

Alabama sales tax holidays 2023

February 24-26, 2023 – Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday

• Covered items, $60 or less per item:
• Batteries
• Cellular phone battery and charger
• Portable self-powered or battery-powered radio, two way radio, weatherband radio, or NOAA weather radio
• Portable self-powered light source, including battery powered flashlights, lanterns, or emergency glow sticks
• Tarpaulin, Plastic sheeting, Plastic drop cloths, Other flexible, waterproof sheeting
• Ground anchor system, such as bungee cords or rope, or tiedown kit
• Duct tape
• Plywood, window film or other materials specifically designed to protect window coverings
• Non-electric food storage cooler or water storage container
• Non-electric can opener
• Artificial ice, blue ice, Ice packs, reusable ice
• Self-contained first aid kit
• Fire extinguisher
• Smoke detector
• Carbon monoxide detector
• Gas or Diesel fuel tank or container
• A single purchase with a sales price of $1000 or less of any portable generator and power cords used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage.

July 21-23, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Clothing with a sales price of $100.00 or less per article of clothing
• Computers, software, and computer school supplies – The computer package will qualify for the exemption if the dollar amount of the sale is at or below $750
• Noncommercial purchases of school supplies, school art supplies, and school instructional material, up to a sales price of $50 per item
• Required textbooks on an official school book list with a sales price of more than $30 and less than $50
• Noncommercial purchases of books with a sales price of not more than $30 per book
• Covered items are exempt only if the individual item is priced at or below the established threshold for the exemption

Arkansas sales tax holiday 2023

August 5-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Clothing less Than $100 per item 
• Clothing accessory or equipment less than $50 per item

Connecticut sales tax holiday 2023

August 20-26, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday

• Clothing & footwear less than $100

Florida sales tax holidays 2023 

• May 27, 2023-June 9, 2023 and August 26, 2023 — September 8, 2023 — Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday
  • A complete list of items that are tax-exempt during the holiday can be found here.
• May 29, 2023-September 4, 2023 – Freedom Summer
  • Admissions to certain live music and sporting events
  • Admission to museums and state parks
  • An entire list of tax-exempt purchases can be found here.
• Please note: TaxJar does not support these holiday at this time.

Iowa sales tax holiday 2023 

August 4-5, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• No sales tax, including local option sales tax, will be collected on sales of an article of clothing or footwear having a selling price less than $100
• The exemption does not apply in any way to the price of an item selling for $100 or more
• The exemption applies to each article priced under $100 regardless of how many items are sold on the same invoice to a customer

Maryland sales tax holidays 2023

February 18-20, 2023 – Shop Maryland Energy 

• The following Energy Star products are tax free during the holiday:
  • Air conditioners
  • Washers and dryers
  • Furnaces
  • Heat pumps
  • Boilers
  • Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
  • Standard size refrigerators
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Programmable thermostats
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs

August 13-19, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday

• Apparel and footwear $100 or less, per item
• The first $40 of a backpack or bookbag purchase is tax-free 
• Accessory items, except for backpacks, are not included

Massachusetts sales tax holidays 2023

• August 12-13, 2023 – Sales Tax Holiday
  • Most retail items of up to $2,500, purchased in Massachusetts for personal use on these two days, will be exempt from sales tax.

Mississippi sales tax holidays 2023

July 28-29, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday

• Clothing & footwear less than $100

August 25-27, 2023 – Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday 

• Sale of firearms, ammunition and certain hunting supplies
  • Hunting Supplies are defined as: archery equipment, firearm and archery cases, firearm and archery accessories, hearing protection, holsters, belts and slings 

Missouri sales tax holidays 2023

April 19-25, 2023 – Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday 

The following energy star certified appliances qualify for the holiday, up to $1,500 per appliance:

• Clothes washers
• Clothes dryers
• Water heaters
• Trash compactors
• Dishwashers
• Conventional ovens
• Ranges
• Stoves
• Air conditioners
• Furnaces
• Refrigerators
• Freezers
• Heat Pumps

August 4-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Any article of clothing having a taxable value of $100 or less
• School supplies that do not exceed $50 per purchase 
• Computer software that has a taxable value of $350 or less
• Personal computers that do not exceed $1,500 
• Computer peripheral devices that do not to exceed $1,500
• Graphing calculators that do not to exceed $150

New Mexico sales tax holiday 2023

August 4-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Free Holiday 

• Clothing or shoes priced at less than $100 per unit ($99.99 or less). However, accessories and special clothing or footwear primarily designed for athletic activity or protective use and not normally worn beyond the scope of the athletic activity or protective use remain taxable 
• The price limit for desktop, laptop, tablets or notebook computers is $1,000, and for related computer hardware it is $500
• School supplies students normally use in a standard classroom for educational purposes

Ohio sales tax holiday 2023

August 4-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Clothing priced at $75 per item or less
• School supplies priced at $20 per item or less
• School instructional material priced at $20 per item or less

Oklahoma sales tax holiday 2023

August 4-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Clothing & footwear costing less than $100 ($99.99) per article of clothing or pair of footwear

South Carolina sales tax holiday 2023 

August 4-6, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• Clothing and accessories 
• Footwear
• School supplies used for school assignments
• Computers, software, and printers 
• Certain bed and bath supplies

Tennessee sales tax holidays 2023

July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2023 – Gun Safety and Gun Safety Devices

• Retail sales of gun safes and gun safety devices are exempt from sales and use tax

July 28-30, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday 

• General apparel that costs $100 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes, dresses, etc.
• School and art supplies with a purchase price of $100 or less per item, such as binders, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, and rulers, and art supplies such as glazes, clay, paints, drawing pads, and artist paint brushes
• Computers for personal use with a purchase price of $1,500 or less
• Laptop computers, if priced at $1,500 or less, also qualify as well as tablet computers

August 1-October 31, 2023 – Grocery Sales Tax Holiday 

• Food and food ingredients are exempt from sales tax. Sales of prepared food, dietary supplements, candy, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco are not included in items exempt during this holiday. 

Texas sales tax holidays 2023

April 22-24, 2023 – Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday 

• These emergency preparation supplies qualify for tax exemption if purchased for a sales price:
  • Less than $3000
    • Portable generators
  • Less than $300
    • Emergency ladders
    • Hurricane shutters
  • Less than $75
    • Axes
    • Batteries, single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt)
    • Can openers – nonelectric
    • Carbon monoxide detectors
    • Coolers and ice chests for food storage – nonelectric
    • Fire extinguishers
    • First aid kits
    • Fuel containers
    • Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits
    • Hatchets
    • Ice products – reusable and artificial
    • Light sources – portable self-powered (including battery operated)
      • Examples of items include: candles, flashlights and lanterns
    • Mobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers
    • Radios – portable self-powered (including battery operated) – includes two-way and weather band radios
    • Smoke detectors
    • Tarps and other plastic sheeting

May 27-29, 2023 – Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday 

• You can buy, rent or lease only the following ENERGY STAR®-labeled items tax free:
  • Air conditioners (with a sales price of $6,000 or less)
  • Refrigerators (with a sales price of $2,000 or less)
  • Ceiling fans
  • Incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs
  • Clothes washers
  • Dishwashers
  • Dehumidifiers

May 27-29, 2023 – Water-Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday

• During the holiday period, you can buy any product tax free that displays a WaterSense® label or logo. These items can be bought for either personal or business purposes.
• Examples of items that qualify for the exemption include
• A soaker or drip-irrigation hose
• A moisture control for a sprinkler or irrigation system
• Mulch
• A rain barrel or an alternative rain and moisture collection system
• A permeable ground cover surface that allows water to reach underground basins, aquifers or water collection points
• Plants, trees and grasses
• Water-saving surfactants
• Soil and compost

August 11-13, 2023 – Back to School Sales Tax Holiday

• Clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100)

West Virginia sales tax holiday 2023 

August 4-7, 2023 – Sales Tax Holiday 

• Certain clothing with a purchase price of $125 or less
• Certain school supplies with a purchase price of $50 or less
• Certain school instruction material with a purchase price of $20 or less
• Certain laptop and tablet computers with a purchase price of $500 or less; and
• Certain sports equipment with a purchase price of $150 or less.
• Items purchased for use in a trade or business are not exempt under the sales tax holiday.

Ready to automate sales tax? Get started with your free, 30-day TaxJar trial here. 

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