Virginia State Route 620 (Fairfax and Loudoun Counties) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Back-To-School Sales Tax Holidays

The advent of "Back-To-School," comes each year in the United States at the beginning of August, and in sixteen states across the country this also means a weekend of sales tax holidays. This tax-free weekend is meant to allow parents a bit of a break when purchasing back-to-school supplies, uniforms, and books. During weekend of August 2-4, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia host their sales tax holidays. The weekend of August 9-11, Georgia and Texas run their holidays, and Maryland runs its holiday all week, from the eleventh until the seventeenth, as does Connecticut, spanning August 18-24.

The sales can be hectic as many states include all items up to a certain price in the holiday, while others have a very specific set of items exempt from tax -- make sure to visit your state website or tune into the local news to clarify which items will be exempt and which will not be. For parents of college students tax-free weekend can also work as a tax write-off at the end of the year - make sure to record the amount spent to send your undergraduate off and report it when you fill out your annual taxes.

On top of the money gained from the tax holiday, many stores and shops host special sales specifically on these weekends, in hopes of bringing in even more customers. For parents trying out this shopping trip, enter into it with the mindset of black Friday shopping - get to stores early and with a plan. Do a bit of research ahead of time and target out where you'll be shopping this year. Having a plan will make the expedition much easier and save time. If your state does not offer tax holidays, don't be afraid to drive a little - the savings can be immense if you live within driving distance of an exemption state.

Back-to-school can be a very expensive time of year but for those residents in sales tax holiday weekend states, a little bit of stress can be relieved and a little money saved.

2013 Back to School Sales Tax Holiday