Back-to-school shoppers in IL, MD & MA get sales tax holidays savings this weekend

August 12, 2022

CT and NJ shoppers get sales tax relief on classroom clothing and, in the Garden State, more at the end of this month.

And then there were five. That’s how many states remain in the August back-to-school tax holiday list.

Three of them — in Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts — are this weekend.

The other two, in Connecticut and New Jersey, will close out this month.

Since most of the 19 states offering tax holidays this year have by now held their no-tax shopping events, all y’all know the drill.

The table below has specific dates and links with tax-free product details if you or your youngsters are in need clothing, shoes, school supplies, computer equipment, and more.

August 2022 State Sales Taxes Holidays
State & Sales Tax Rate Local taxes also may be waived	Holiday Days & Dates	Tax-Free Products & Per-Item Price Limits
Connecticut 6.35%	Sunday, Aug. 21 through Saturday, Aug. 27	Clothing and footwear $100 or less Accessories and protective or athletic clothing is still taxed
Illinois 6.25%	Friday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Aug. 14	The state’s portion of sales tax during the holiday is reduced by 5%, dropping to 1.25% on clothing and footwear selling for less than $125 per item. Certain student school supplies also face the reduced tax; there’s no price cap on eligible items.
Maryland 6%	Sunday, Aug. 14 through Saturday, Aug. 20	Clothing and footwear $100 or less First $40 of a backpack or bookbag sale
Massachusetts 6.25%	Saturday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 14	Almost every personal item priced at $2,500 or less
New Jersey 6.625%	Aug. 27 through Sept. 5	Computers less than $3,000 School computer supplies less than $1,000 No price limit on school supplies, school art supplies, school instructional materials, and sport or recreational equipment

Taxes also waived on firearms, gun safety items, and food products: Not interested in shopping for in run-of-the-mill items? Don’t despair. A couple of southern states wrap up August with some more unusual sales tax holidays.

Mississippi’s 7 percent sales tax won’t be collected on firearms, ammunition, and certain hunting supplies during its Second Amendment Weekend. The Magnolia State no-tax event runs Friday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Aug. 28.

Tennessee also is offering gun-related tax savings this month and beyond. The Volunteer State began waiving its 7 percent sales tax on gun safes and gun safety devices on July 1. The tax savings on the weapon safety items continue through June 30, 2023.

Tennessee also is suspending its usual 4% food tax on grocery sales. That tax break started showing up on market receipts on Aug. 1 and will continue through Aug. 31.

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