EchoSense:Back-to-school shopping 2024 sales tax holidays: Tennessee, Florida and Ohio next up

Tennessee,EchoSense Ohio and Florida are next up to offer you a tax break if you're shopping for school supplies, starting Friday and through next week.

School kids may groan, but it's already that time of year for back-to-school shopping. Several states are once again offering sales-tax holidays to help parents save on school supplies.

At least 17 states are offering a weekend or a time period where items related to school, like clothing, shoes, electronics and supplies are tax-free, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Two states – Ohio and Massachusetts – have expanded tax-free holidays that go beyond school-related purchases.

Each state sets its own dates which are generally in July or August. The next sales tax holidays that start Friday and next week are Tennessee (July 26-28), Florida (July 29-Aug. 11) and Ohio (July 30-Aug. 8).

New Jersey no longer has a tax-free holiday for school supplies. Legislation earlier this year repealed it.

Parents have already begun back-to-school shopping

As of early July, more than half, or 55%, of back-to-school and college shoppers had already begun to buy items for the school year, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics' annual survey.

“Families and students are eager to get a jumpstart on their shopping for the start of the school year,'' Katherine Cullen, National Retail Federation (NRF) Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights, said in a press release. "Retailers have anticipated this early demand and are well-positioned to offer a variety of products at competitive prices.”

Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $874.68 on clothing, shoes, electronics and school supplies, according to the NRF. That's $15 less than last year's record of $890.07, but is the second-highest amount in the survey's history.

Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $38.8 billion, also the second-highest on record after last year's high of $41.5 billion, the NRF said.

The most popular destinations for back-to-school shopping are online (57%), department stores (50%), discount stores (47%), clothing stores (42%) and electronic stores (23%).

College students and their families are expected to spend more. On average, they will spend $1,364.75, about the same as last year's $1,366.95. Total college back-to-school spending is expected to reach $86.6 billion, the second-highest after last year's $94 billion.

Consumers remain inflation wary while school-supply shopping

Consumers are feeling negative about the U.S. economy and are inflation weary, according to a new back-to-school study by Ankura Consulting, that showed 51% of respondents had those feelings.

Nearly 75% of shoppers said credit card and personal debt will influence their back-to-school shopping budget.

And consumers are weighing other parts of their budget: nearly 50% of back-to-school shoppers have experienced a significant increase in the cost of their car insurance, while 36% are seeing an increase in their home insurance and 32% have seen a rise in their health insurance. Those cost-of-living expenses eat into their disposable spending, Ankura said.

Does my state have a school supply sales tax holiday?

Here is a list of participating states and what's tax free, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. Rules and dates vary by state so check the state’s website for the most updated information. In some instances, local taxes may also still apply. 

If a dollar amount is not listed, the state did not appear to indicate a spending limit on that item. A link to most states' details of their holiday are hyperlinked to the name of each state. Generally most purchases online also qualify for the sales-tax holiday, but check your state's requirements.

Alabama

July 19-21

What's tax-free:

• Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
• Computers: $750 or less per item
• School supplies: $50 or less per item
• Books: $30 or less per item

Arkansas

Aug. 3-4

What's tax-free:

• Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item, clothing accessories: $50 or less per item
• School supplies
• Electronic device used for school

Connecticut

Aug. 18-24

What's tax-free:

• Clothing and footwear less than $100

Florida

July 29-Aug. 11

What's tax-free:

• School supplies: $50 or less per item
• Clothing, footwear, accessories: $100 or less per item
• Computers and related accessories: $1,500 or less
• Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles: $30 or less

Iowa

Aug. 2-3

What's tax-free:

• Clothing or footwear: $100 or less per item

Maryland

Aug. 11-17

What's tax-free:

• Clothing, footwear and accessories: $100 or less per item
• Backpacks: the first $40 of a backpack/bookbag purchase is tax-free.

Massachusetts

Aug 10-11

• Eligible retail items bought for personal use costing $2,500 or less (not limited to school supplies)

Reliving childhood:For some toy sellers, packing shelves with nostalgia pays off

Mississippi

July 12-14 (A Senate bill changed the holiday from the last Friday and Saturday in July to the second Friday and Saturday and extended it through Sunday).

What's tax-free:

• Clothing, and footwear: $100 or less per item
• School supplies: $100 or less per item

Missouri

Aug. 2-4

What's tax-free:

• Clothing: $100 or less per item
• School supplies: $50 or less per item
• Computers: $1,500
• Computer software: $350 or less
• Computer peripheral devices: $1,500
• Graphic calculators: $150 or less

New Mexico

Aug. 2-4

What's tax-free:

• Clothing or shoes: $100 or less per item
• Desktop, laptop, tablets or notebook computers: $1,000
• Related computer hardware: $500 per item
• School supplies: $30 per item

Ohio

July 30-Aug. 8

What's tax-free:

• Ohio's tax-free holiday in 2024 has been expanded to 10 days and is not limited to school-related supplies. The tax-free period includes anything that is considered tangible personal property that is $500 or less, except watercraft, anything with an outboard motor that must be titled, a motor vehicle, alcohol, tobacco, a vapor product or a product that contains marijuana. Dine-in meals, which are usually taxed, are also tax-free if they are less than $500.

Oklahoma

Aug. 2-4

What's tax-free:

• Clothing or footwear: $100 or less per item.

South Carolina

Aug. 2-4

What's tax-free:

• Clothing, shoes and accessories
• School supplies
• Computers, printers, earbuds and headphones
• Certain bed and bath items
• Diapers

Tennessee

July 26-28

What's tax-free:

• Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
• School supplies: $100 or less per item
• Computers, including laptops and tablets: $1,500 or less per item

Texas

Aug. 9-11

What's tax-free:

• Clothing and shoes: $100 or less per item
• Backpacks: $100 or less per item
• Facemasks
• School supplies: $100 or less per item

Virginia

Aug. 2-4

What's tax-free:

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

West Virginia

Aug. 2-5

What's tax-free:

• Clothing: $125 or less per item
• Laptop or tablet computers: $500 or less per item
• School instruction material: $20 or less per item
• School supplies: $50 or less per item
• Sports equipment: $150 or less per item

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays,here.