Life moves quickly. It’s easy to get distracted. But that can be costly.
Miss an important financial date or deadline, and you could be on the hook for a penalty or lose out on a limited-time opportunity to save money.
Enter our “Money Calendar” series.
In this edition, we’ve rounded up the noteworthy money dates in August 2025 — which all happen to be sales tax holidays. Take a look and mark your calendar with any dates that apply to you. And if you enjoy this series, sign up for the Money Talks Newsletter so you don’t miss the next edition. Look for it on the last weekday of every month.
12 back-to-school sales tax holidays — various dates
Many states have back-to-school sales tax holidays this August, including:
- Arkansas: Aug. 2-3
- Connecticut: Aug. 17-23
- Florida: Aug. 1-31
- Iowa: Aug. 1-2
- Maryland: Aug. 10-16
- Missouri: Aug. 1-3
- New Mexico: Aug. 25-27
- Oklahoma: Aug. 1-3
- South Carolina: Aug. 1-3
- Texas: Aug. 8-10
- Virginia: Aug. 1-3
- West Virginia: Aug. 1-4
These time windows give residents an opportunity to buy items like clothes, school and office supplies and sometimes personal computers without being charged state sales tax.
Ohio’s big sales tax holiday — Aug. 1-14
In the past, Ohio offered a back-to-school sales tax holiday in August. Now, legislation has expanded it to apply to just about any type of item, so long as it costs less than $500.
According to Ohio’s Department of Taxation, the only things that are ineligible for this sales tax break are:
- Watercraft or outboard motors that require a title
- Motor vehicles
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco
- Vapor products
- Items that contain marijuana
Massachusetts’ massive sales tax holiday — Aug. 9-10
Massachusetts hosts the best sales tax holiday of the month, if not the entire year. During this time window, just about any type of tangible property costing less than $2,500 is exempt from sales tax if purchased for personal use.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s FAQs about it, the only things that don’t qualify for the exemption are:
- Meals
- Motor vehicles
- Motorboats
- Telecommunications services
- Gas
- Steam
- Electricity
- Tobacco products
- Marijuana or marijuana products
- Alcoholic beverages
- Any single item whose price is more than $2,500
Even if you buy more than $2,500 worth of stuff, it could all be sales tax-free. The FAQs explain:
“If the price of each individual item is $2,500 or less, you can combine as many items as you want, tax-free, even if the combined items cost more than $2,500.”
Mississippi’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday — Aug. 29-31
During this weekend, firearms, ammunition and certain hunting supplies purchased in Mississippi are exempt from sales tax.
For more information, including a list of eligible and eligible items, check out the Mississippi Department of Revenue’s guide to this sales tax holiday.
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