Texas shoppers can skip the sales tax on a wide range of back-to-school items this weekend. The 2026 Texas Tax-Free Weekend runs Friday, Aug. 7, through midnight Sunday, Aug. 9 — and knowing what qualifies before you hit the stores (or your browser) can mean real savings.
What items qualify?
Recommended Videos
Most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced under $100 are exempt from sales tax during the holiday. The Texas Comptroller publishes a full list of qualifying items at comptroller.texas.gov
The key rule: the item must be sold for less than $100 to qualify. That price threshold applies to the item’s total sales price — including any delivery, shipping, handling or transportation charges.
For example, a pair of jeans priced at $95 with a $10 shipping fee totals $105 — and since that exceeds the $100 limit, the full $105 is taxable.
Where can you shop?
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, no exemption certificate is required.
Shopping options during the holiday include:
In-store
Online
By telephone
Mail or catalog order
Custom order
Does online shopping count?
Yes — but timing matters. For a purchase to qualify, the transaction must take place during the holiday window.
For online orders, the purchase date is based on when payment is submitted — not when the item ships or arrives.
For example, if a shopper enters their credit card information at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, the purchase qualifies — even if the item doesn’t ship until Aug. 14 or arrive until Aug. 18.
However, if a card is declined at 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, and the shopper doesn’t resubmit payment until Monday, Aug. 10, the purchase is taxable.
What about mixed orders with exempt and taxable items?
Shipping charges can get a little tricky when an order includes both qualifying and non-qualifying items.
If shipping is billed per item, only the shipping charge tied to the qualifying item is exempt.
If shipping is a flat rate per package, the charge can be applied to any single item in the package.
A few things to keep in mind
The sales tax exemption only applies to purchases made during the holiday. Items bought before or after the Aug. 7–9 window do not qualify, and no tax refund is available for purchases made outside the holiday.
The Texas Comptroller encourages shoppers to use the holiday as an opportunity to support Texas businesses while saving money on everyday back-to-school essentials.