Another Texas sales tax holiday is sneaking up on us this weekend.
Texas Comptroller Don Huffines encourages Texans to save money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual Tax-Free weekend. Qualifying items can be purchased tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, you do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate to buy qualifying items tax free.
The 2026 sales tax holiday begins Friday, Aug. 7, and goes through midnight Sunday, Aug. 9.
The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items you buy during the sales tax holiday. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.
Qualifying Items
Clothing and Footwear
During the sales tax holiday, you can buy most footwear and clothing (sold for less than $100) tax free. You do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate.
The exemption applies to each eligible item sold for less than $100, and there is no limit to the number of qualifying items you can buy.
For example, if you buy two shirts for $80 each, each shirt qualifies for the exemption because each is less than $100, even though the total purchase price is $160.
If I were keenly attuned to earning Amazon money, I’m sure I would have lots of qualifying clothing with the designer names Amazon keeps pushing here. But since I buy Basic Guy Clothing, what I have to recommend is:
I buy socks and underwear at Sam’s.
Items That Do Not Qualify
The following items do not qualify for exemption during the sales tax holiday:
items sold for $100 or more clothing subscription boxes specially-designed athletic activity or protective-use clothing or footwear
For example, golf cleats and football pads are usually worn only when people play golf or football, so they do not qualify for the exemption.
Tennis shoes, jogging suits and swimsuits, however, can be worn for other than athletic activity and qualify for the exemption.clothing or footwear rentals, alterations (including embroidery) and cleaning services items used to make or repair clothing, such as fabric, thread, yarn, buttons, snaps, hooks and zippers jewelry, handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage, umbrellas, wallets, watches and other accessories computers software textbooks certain baggage items (see below) unspecified school supplies (see below) Backpacks
During the sales tax holiday, student backpacks sold for less than $100 are exempt from tax.
For what it’s worth, I found one 5.11 tactical backpack on Amazon that’s under $100. Not sure if it qualifies as a “student backpack” or not, but if you need a backpack…
The exemption includes backpacks with wheels and messenger bags. You can buy up to 10 backpacks tax free at one time without giving an exemption certificate to the seller.
Baggage Items That Do Not Qualify
The following items do not qualify for this exemption:
framed backpacks luggage briefcases athletic, duffle or gym bags computer bags purses School Supplies
Only specific school supplies sold for less than $100 qualify for the exemption, and an exemption certificate is not required.
Hopefully you can save yourself a little bit of money this weekend.
Tags: Amazon, Don Huffines, education, Sales Tax Holiday, Texas