A tax-free spree is giving Alabamians the opportunity to save for this year’s back-to-school shopping. Alabama's 19th annual sales tax holiday for school-related items is Friday, July 19 through Sunday, July 21. This marks the eighth time the annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will take place on the third full weekend of July.
From 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 19, until midnight, Sunday, July 21, the state waives its 4% sales tax on school-related supplies and clothing. More than 300 cities and counties throughout Alabama also waive their local taxes. In some areas, the savings reach 10%.
“With the upcoming school year just around the corner, I encourage everyone to take full advantage of our Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday,” said Governor Ivey in a press release. “This is an opportunity to save on essential school supplies, and ensure our students are well-prepared and excited to learn.”
Items available for purchase and exempt from sales tax during the weekend include:
- clothing priced at $100 or less per article
- school supplies valued at $50 or less per item
- books that cost $30 or less per book
- tablets, laptops, computers and printers with a selling price of $750 or less
Other items include diapers, printer ink, thumb or flash drives, printer paper and art supplies. For the full list of back-to-school items that may be purchased free of state sales tax during the holiday, click here.
The sales tax holiday provides shoppers a way to save money and support their local economies, especially those local businesses that sell the covered items exclusively, like shoe, children’s apparel, school supply, book and computer stores, according to the Alabama Retail Association.
“The sales tax holiday offers parents a way to save on back-to-school needs,” said the organization's president, Rick Brown. “Saving money for consumers while stimulating sales for stores is what this weekend is all about.”
According to the National Retail Federation’s latest survey, families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $874.68 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics. This is approximately $15 less than last year’s record of $890.07 but is the second-highest amount in the survey’s history.
“This is tax relief at the perfect time for parents as they prepare for a new school year,” said Alabama Department of Revenue Commissioner Vernon Barnett. in a press release “Many counties, cities and towns are participating as well, so we encourage everyone in Alabama to take advantage of this tax-free opportunity.”
Counties and municipalities may choose to join the state by removing their own local sales and use taxes from the same items during the same weekend.
Check the 2024 Participating Cities and Counties list to check which local communities are participating.
The Alabama Retail Association reports retailers in the state are required to participate in the sales tax holidays and cannot charge any waived sales taxes on the items that are legally tax-exempt during the two tax holidays.
