Texas’ back-to-school sales tax holiday runs this weekend

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TEXAS (KXAN) — Texans looking to buy back-to-school supplies this weekend can save a little extra cash, as the state celebrates its sales tax holiday Friday through Sunday.

Texas traditionally adds a 6.25% state sales and use tax on all retail sales, leases and rentals as well as taxable services, per the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts . This weekend, many clothing items, footwear, school supplies and backpacks retailed under $100 will be sales tax-exempt when purchased at a Texas store or “from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas,” according to the Texas Comptroller.

A list of qualifying clothing and footwear items are listed online . Face masks are also sales tax-free, as well as backpacks sold for under $100. The following school supplies will also be recognized as sales tax-free during the holiday weekend:

• Binders
• Blackboard chalk
• Book bags
• Calculators
• Cellophane tape
• Compasses
• Composition books
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic and manila)
• Glue, paste and paste sticks
• Highlighters
• Index cards
• Index card boxes
• Kits (taxability of kits depend “on the value of exempt or taxable items in it,” per the Comptroller, with more details online )
• Legal pads
• Lunch boxes
• Markers, including dry erase ones
• Notebooks
• Paper (loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper)
• Pencil boxes, other school supply boxes
• Pencil sharpeners
• Pencils
• Pens
• Protractors
• Rulers
• Scissors
• Writing tablets

Those purchasing items online need to factor in delivery, shipping, handling and transportation charges to accurately determine if they’ll receive the product sales tax-free. All of those charges are incorporated into the item’s sales price. Those who purchase a qualifying item during the sales tax holiday and pay sales tax on it can request a refund by completing a refund claim form with the Comptroller’s office.

The State of Texas hosts four sales tax holidays each year : emergency preparation supplies in April, Texas EnergyStar and water-efficient products on Memorial Day Weekend and the back-to-school sale in August.

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