What to know about the Arkansas sales tax holiday weekend – When it starts, what you can buy

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas families hoping to save money on back-to-school expenses can take advantage of the annual sales tax holiday weekend.

State or local taxes will not be charged on certain items purchased on Aug. 3 and 4 for students getting ready for the new school year. The saving applies to purchases made online or in person, provided they are shipped to an Arkansas address.

Many categories of items fall under the tax-free holiday, but two categories have per-item price limits. Clothing for back-to-school is tax-free as long as the individual item is $100 or less, and accessories like watches, handbags, or jewelry are tax-free if they are $50 or less.

State law mandates that anything priced over the limits for these two categories will be taxed on the item’s full value, not just the amount over the limit.

Other categories without item price limits include school instruction materials, school classroom or art supplies and certain electronics. The school supplies category is fairly broad, extending to backpacks, paper, binders, notepaper, pencils, rulers and similar items.

Electronics were added to tax-free weekend a couple of years ago. This includes desktop & laptop computers, computer accessories like printers or monitors, tablets, e-readers, calculators and even cell phones, though video games and gaming systems would still be taxed.

Department of Finance and Administration spokesperson Scott Hardin noted that shoppers may be surprised to find some of the items on the no-tax list, including costumes, watches, wigs and hair pieces, cosmetics, diapers, and sunglasses. He believes picking up some of these items during the tax-free holiday could offer families big savings.

“We know Arkansans will save millions of dollars this weekend,” Hardin said.

Even though there are many things to save on during the weekend, some items will remain taxable. Some of those include sewing supplies, protective equipment, and sports equipment. A full list is available on the DFA website .

Arkansas Legislature Act 757 put the sales tax holiday in place beginning in 2011

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