Back to School Sales and Tax-Free Weekends: When to Buy

Back-to-school sales run from early July through August, and the best timing depends on what you're buying. Laptops often see strong deals in July and around the big retailer sales, supplies are cheapest in the loss-leader weeks of late July and early August, and clothing gets better the closer you get to fall. If your state runs a sales tax holiday, usually in late July or early August, stacking it with a retailer sale is where the real savings come from.

When back-to-school deals happen

The back-to-school season has stretched over the years. Retailers start promoting in early July, and the push runs until classes start, which ranges from late July in parts of the South to after Labor Day in much of the Northeast.

The pattern by category:

• School supplies: Retailers like Target, Walmart, Staples, and Office Depot use pens, notebooks, folders, and glue sticks as traffic drivers. Expect very low prices on basics in late July and early August. These deals are usually real, but often limited per customer.
• Laptops and tablets: Discounts show up throughout July and August. Big retailer sales in early summer, including Amazon's Prime Day and the competing events at other stores, can bring some of the better prices of the season. Apple has typically run a summer education promotion for students and educators, so check its terms if you qualify.
• Clothing and shoes: Back-to-school clothing sales run all summer, but summer clearance and early fall markdowns tend to deepen into August and September. Kids grow, so buying the basics now and the rest later is often the smarter split.
• Backpacks and lunch gear: Usually discounted alongside supplies and often covered by tax holidays.

Sales tax holidays by state

A sales tax holiday lets you skip state sales tax, and in many places local sales tax too, on qualifying items for a few days. The list below reflects 2026, the most recent full year. States can add, drop, or change their holidays, and per-item price limits vary widely, so check your state's department of revenue before you shop.

States with back-to-school sales tax holidays in 2026 included:

• Mississippi: a weekend in mid-July, clothing and footwear.
• Alabama: a weekend in mid-July, clothing, school supplies, computers, and books.
• Florida: a month-long holiday from July 20 to August 20 in 2026, covering clothing, school supplies, learning aids, and computers. Florida made its back-to-school holiday a recurring annual event in 2025.
• Tennessee, New Mexico, and West Virginia: the last weekend of July into early August. Coverage includes clothing, school supplies, and computers, with West Virginia also covering some sports equipment.
• Arkansas: the first weekend of August, clothing, accessories, school and art supplies, and some electronics.
• Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas: the first full weekend of August. Categories vary. Texas and Oklahoma focus on clothing, footwear, backpacks, and supplies. Missouri and South Carolina include computers. South Carolina also covers bed and bath items.
• Virginia: August 7 to 9 in 2026, covering school supplies, clothing and footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star and WaterSense products.
• Massachusetts: a weekend in mid-August covering most personal retail purchases up to a set limit, not just school items.
• Maryland: a week in mid-August, clothing, footwear, and backpacks.
• Connecticut: a week in mid to late August, clothing and footwear.
• Illinois: a reduced sales tax rate, rather than full exemption, on qualifying clothing and school supplies for about ten days in August.

Five states have no statewide sales tax at all: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Alaska does allow local sales taxes, so some purchases there may still be taxed.

How sales tax holidays work in practice

A few details trip people up:

• Price caps are usually per item. If a state caps clothing at a certain price per item, an item above that limit is typically fully taxable, not taxed only on the amount over. Check whether your state's limits use "under" or "at or below."
• Categories are specific. "Clothing" often excludes accessories like jewelry or watches, and "school supplies" may exclude things like calculators above a certain price, depending on the state.
• Online orders can count. In many states, an online purchase qualifies if you order and pay during the holiday period for delivery to that state. Rules differ, so look it up.
• Local taxes can differ. In most states the exemption applies to state and local tax alike, but in some places cities or counties can opt out, so the savings vary by where you shop.

Combined state and local sales tax often runs somewhere between about 5% and 10%, so the holiday saves roughly that share of the price on qualifying items. That is meaningful on a laptop and minor on a pack of pencils.

How to stack a tax holiday with a sale

The best result comes from combining a retailer discount with the tax exemption. Retailers know when holidays fall and often schedule promotions for the same weekend, which helps, but it also means some "tax-free weekend deals" are just regular prices with the tax removed.

A practical approach:

1. Make a list a week or two ahead and note what each item costs now.
2. Check your state's caps and categories so you know what qualifies.
3. Watch prices in the run-up. If a laptop's price creeps up just before the holiday, the tax savings may be eaten by the increase.
4. Buy the big items during the holiday if the price is at or below what you saw before. That is where the exemption matters most.
5. Grab loss-leader supplies when they're cheapest, even if it's not during the tax holiday. A 50-cent notebook saves more than its sales tax.

For laptops, check the price history before the holiday. A good price in mid-July plus regular tax can beat an inflated price with no tax in August. Our price history tracking guide explains how to read the chart.

When you're in a store, scanning a laptop or backpack with Priced shows the street price across sellers and where today's price falls against its own recent range, so you can tell whether the "tax-free deal" is a low price or just the normal one. If you find a lower price elsewhere, some retailers will match it. See which stores price match for current policies.

Common questions

When is tax-free weekend in 2027?

It depends on your state. Most back-to-school sales tax holidays fall between mid-July and late August, often on the first full weekend of August. Many states set the timing by law, so 2027 dates often follow the same pattern as 2026, but check your state's department of revenue to confirm.

Do laptops qualify for tax-free weekend?

In some states. Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Alabama covered computers in 2026, with limits in most of them. Others only cover clothing and supplies. Check your state's rules for price limits and whether tablets and accessories count.

When is the best time to buy a laptop for school?

July and early August are usually good, especially around major retailer sales and the tax holiday if your state covers computers. Black Friday often brings lower prices on some models, but that's too late for most school starts.

Can I use a tax-free weekend for online purchases?

Often yes, if you order and pay during the holiday window and the item ships to an address in that state. Each state sets its own rules, so check your department of revenue's guidance before ordering.