Mark Your Calendar for Your State’s Tax-Free Days

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Man excited about savings on his cell phone smartphone plan
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Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on The Penny Hoarder.

Back-to-school shopping may be exciting for the kids who get new gear, but less so for the parents who have to pay for it all.

A survey from the National Retail Federation found that parents with kids in elementary through high school planned to spend an average of $789.49 on clothing, electronics and school supplies last year.

Some shoppers will get a little relief as more than a dozen states have tax-free retail holidays coming up in July and August, saving consumers from paying sales tax on certain school-related items.

Now, you may not save a ton of money by shopping during tax-free holidays. For example, if you bought $500 worth of clothes, shoes and school supplies during Florida’s tax-free weekend in a county where the sales tax is 6%, you would save about $30. But what parent wouldn’t want to save 30 bucks?

And if you use the tax-free holidays in conjunction with smart budgeting strategies and comparison shopping, you’ll save even more on your back-to-school supplies.

Some states’ tax-free holidays are held over a weekend, while others are a week long. Each state has different criteria for what merchandise won’t be taxed, and many states require the purchases to be under a certain price threshold.

And if you live in Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire or Oregon, every day is a holiday — those states don’t have a sales tax.

Arkansas

Capitol building in Little Rock, Arkansas
W. Scott McGill / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 7-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item
  • Clothing accessories — less than $50 per item
  • School supplies — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items
  • Computers and electronic devices — no price threshold, but must be on the state’s list of approved items

Connecticut

The skyline of Hartford Connecticut, where median rents are relatively low
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 15-21

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item

Florida

Kissimmee, Florida
Italo Paulino / Shutterstock.com

When: July 31-Aug. 9

What is tax-free:

  • Computers and accessories — the first $1,000 of the sales price
  • Clothing, accessories and shoes — $60 or less per item
  • School supplies — $15 or less per item

Iowa

Burlington Iowa
Eddie J. Rodriquez / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-7

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item

Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland
Hethers / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 8-14

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item
  • Bookbags/backpacks — the first $40 of the sales price

Massachusetts

Lighthouse in Salem Massachusetts
Yuri Kriventsoff / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 14-15

What is tax-free:

  • Most consumer products — $2,500 or less per item
  • Clothing — no state sales tax generally on clothes costing $175 or less year round

Mississippi

Gulf Coast at Biloxi, Mississippi.
Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

When: July 30-31

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing, footwear and school supplies — less than $100 per item

Missouri

Kansas City Missouri traffic highways
Real Window Creative / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item
  • School supplies — $50 or less per purchase (exception: graphing calculators costing $150 or less)
  • Computers and related equipment — $1,500 or less per item
  • Computer software — $350 or less

New Mexico

Las Cruces, New Mexico
VentureD / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing, accessories and shoes — less than $100 per item
  • School supplies — less than $30 per item (exceptions: backpacks, maps and globes costing less than $100 and calculators costing less than $200)
  • Computers — $1,000 or less per item
  • Computer hardware — $500 or less per item

Ohio

Columbus Ohio
f11photo / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing — $75 or less per item
  • School supplies — $20 or less per item
  • School instructional materials — $20 or less per item

Oklahoma

Lawton Oklahoma
WillHuebie / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item

South Carolina

Hilton Head Island South Carolina homes
RudenkoStudio / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing, accessories and shoes — no price threshold
  • School supplies — no price threshold
  • Computers, computer software, printers and printer supplies — no price threshold
  • Bedding, pillows, bath towels, washcloths and shower curtains — no price threshold
  • Books and musical instruments — no price threshold (if they are for school assignments)

Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee
Kevin Ruck / Shutterstock.com

When: July 30-Aug. 1

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item
  • School supplies — $100 or less per item
  • Computers — $1,500 or less per item

Texas

Arlington, Texas
CK Foto / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — less than $100 per item
  • School supplies and backpacks — less than $100 per item

Virginia

Arlington, Virginia
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

When: Aug. 6-8

What is tax-free:

  • Clothing and shoes — $100 or less per item
  • School supplies — $20 or less per item

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