Retailers Guide to Sales Tax Holidays in 2013
- Feb 28, 2013 | Gail Cole
Update 6.18.13: There are new dates for the Texas August sales tax holiday.
Update 3.1.13: Wisconsin Senator Rick Gudex and Representative Chad Weininger recently proposed legislation for two new sales tax holidays: one in early August for back to school supplies and one in early November for Energy Star products.
Update 2.28.13: Read about a proposed sales tax holiday for firearms and hunting supplies in Texas.
Numerous states offer sales tax holidays during the course of a year. Back to school sales tax holidays are historically popular, and holidays for emergency preparedness are becoming more common. Retailers that do business in states offering sales tax holidays need to be prepared to adjust their prices in order to stay compliant with state law and competitive with other retailers.
For those doing business in multiple states it can be difficult to keep track of the changing dates and rates involved with multiple sales tax holidays. Roughly 20 states have had sales tax holidays in the past. We've gathered all available sales tax holiday information for 2013 below so you don't have to chase details across the web. We will continue to update as more information becomes available.
Known 2013 Sales Tax Holidays
- Alabama: Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, February 22-24. Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, August 2-4.
- Iowa: Annual sales tax holiday on certain clothing and footwear, August 2-3.
- Maryland: Annual sales tax holiday on qualifying Energy Star products, February 15-18.
- Mississippi: Sales tax holiday on certain clothing and footwear in July.
- Missouri: "Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday" for Energy Star Products, April 19-25.
- North Carolina: Back to school sales tax holiday, the first weekend in August.
- Virginia: Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness Equipment, May 25-31. Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, August 2-4; and Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products, October 11-14.
- Tennessee: Annual sales tax holiday on some clothing, school supplies and computers, August 2-4.
- Texas: Annual Sales Tax Holiday, August 16-18.
Keep An Eye On These States in 2013
These states have offered the following sales tax holidays in the past.
- Arkansas: A sales tax holiday on clothing the first weekend of August.
- Connecticut: A one-week sales and use tax exemption on clothing and footwear (costing less than $300) in August.
- Florida: A sales tax holiday for clothing and certain school supplies in August.
- Georgia: Sales tax holiday on clothing and school supplies in August; and a sales tax holiday for Energy Star products in October.
- Louisiana: Sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness items in May. Sales tax holiday on "most individual items of tangible personal property" in August; and a sales tax holiday on firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies in September.
- Maryland: A sales tax holiday on clothing in August.
- New Mexico: Gross receipts tax holiday on back to school supplies.
- North Carolina: Sales tax holiday for qualifying Energy Star products in November.
- Oklahoma: Sales tax holiday on clothing in August.
- South Carolina: Sales tax holiday on some clothing, the first weekend of August.
Good Resources
The Sales Tax Institute updates their list of sales tax holidays regularly, and the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board publishes a list of member state sales tax holidays.
Of course, you could let someone else stay on top of sales tax holidays for you.
