Back to School Deals 2026:
Tax-Free Weekend Dates by State

This page is the reference companion to our guide to building a budget that holds. Everything here is about paying less for the same cart: state sales tax holidays, standing occupational discounts, and programs that supply a classroom or a backpack at no cost.

The average family plans to spend $864 per K–12 child in 2026, according to the National Retail Federation. Stack a tax-free weekend with a discount you already qualify for and you can take a meaningful bite out of that without changing a single item in the cart.

Which States Have a Tax-Free Weekend in 2026?

Most families know tax-free weekends exist but do not plan around them specifically. They are worth planning. Eighteen states are running a back-to-school sales tax holiday in 2026, exempting clothing, shoes, and school supplies from state sales tax — effectively a 4–7% coupon on everything you were going to buy anyway.

The eighteen states with a 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday are Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Puerto Rico also held a back-to-school holiday on July 17–18 for school uniforms and supplies. Three other 2026 sales tax holidays are not back-to-school events and are not listed below: Louisiana’s Second Amendment weekend (September 4–6), Mississippi’s second holiday for firearms and hunting supplies (August 28–30), and Nevada’s National Guard holiday (October 30 – November 1). One Alaska municipality, Skagway, ran a local rate reduction that ended March 31.

Looking ahead to 2027, the list is unlikely to grow. The only serious attempt to add a state this year was Colorado’s HB26-1048, which would have created a last-weekend-in-July holiday starting in 2027 for clothing under $100, school supplies under $50 and learning aids under $30, bought for a child under 21. It was laid over in House Appropriations on May 14, 2026 and died there. Illinois is the movement in the other direction — its holiday was reinstated in the budget signed June 16, 2026 after a three-year gap, and it is funded one year at a time, so treat 2027 as unconfirmed until the next budget passes.

Find your state below. The Status column is accurate as of August 14, 2026. The season is nearly over: fourteen holidays have finished, including the six-state rush on August 7–9. Three are open right now — Maryland through August 15, Illinois through August 16, and Florida through August 20 — and Connecticut is the last one left, running August 16–22 under a newly raised $300 per-item cap. If your state has already finished, the standing discounts and free-supply programs further down this page run year-round.

If you are in one of these states, shift your shopping day to align with the window. It does not change what you buy — it just means you pay less for it. On an $864 spend, a 7% sales tax exemption is roughly $60 back in your pocket. Two caveats worth knowing: Illinois only reduces its rate rather than removing it, and in many states local sales taxes continue to apply, so plan on saving somewhat less than the full headline rate.

A tax-free weekend is not a reason to buy more. It is a reason to buy the same things on a different day.

Discounts You May Already Qualify For

Before you shop, check whether your household qualifies for a standing discount. Teachers, first responders, and military families all have programs that run year-round — and in most cases they are worth more than a sales tax holiday, because they work every week rather than one weekend. Several stack on top of sale prices, which is where the real savings live.

Teacher and educator discounts

Teachers spend a striking amount of their own money on classrooms, and the educator programs are frequently better than the consumer ones. Three of the biggest — Target, Office Depot and Staples — are running right now, and Target’s window closes September 12.

Worth knowing. “Teacher” is usually defined generously: Adidas counts classroom teachers, principals, school employees and college professors, and several programs extend to homeschool teachers, librarians and paraprofessionals. If you work in a school in any capacity, verify and find out. Joann, long a staple of classroom craft shopping, closed all of its stores permanently in 2025 — Michaels and Hobby Lobby are the practical replacements, and Michaels has the stronger educator program of the two.

First responder discounts

First responder programs are usually run through the same verification platform as the military ones, and several retailers use a single combined program. That means the military table below is worth scanning too — a number of those retailers cover police, fire and EMS under the same offer.

Worth knowing. Eligibility is typically broad — police, firefighters, EMTs and 911 dispatchers, and often retired responders as well. Several programs also fold in nurses, doctors and hospital employees, so a household with one responder and one healthcare worker may qualify twice over. One to skip: Kohl’s has ended its first responder discount, though its 15% military Monday discount still runs.

Military discounts

If anyone in your household is serving, has served, or is a military dependent, a standing discount is worth more than a sales tax holiday in most states — and unlike a tax-free weekend, it works every week of the year. Several of these stack with sale prices, which is where the real savings live.

A few worth knowing about ahead of time. Not every brand your kid wants runs a program. Victoria’s Secret and PINK have no standing military discount, though they occasionally run military-only promotions around Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day. Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle leave it to individual stores, so the answer genuinely depends on which mall you walk into — ask at the counter rather than assuming. And Target ran 20% from June 21 to July 4 this year, which has closed; its military offers have historically returned around Veterans Day.

If a retailer is not on this list, ask anyway. Plenty of regional chains honor a discount they never advertise, and the worst outcome is a no.

Free School-Supply Programs

Before you stretch the budget, check whether you qualify for help. A meaningful number of families do and never look — NerdWallet found that 21% of families are turning to free school-supply drives this year. Programs fall into four broad buckets: military, income-based, refugee and newcomer, and Tribal Nation.

Military family assistance

Operation Homefront’s Back-to-School Brigade runs nationwide and provides eligible military children with free backpacks and school supplies. Registration requires a MyOperationHomefront account and an event profile, and availability at individual events changes quickly — check early and check often.

Income-based assistance

Income-based back-to-school help usually arrives as free school-supply events, clothing or uniform vouchers, shoe programs, backpack giveaways, and retailer gift cards. Eligibility is commonly based on household income or on participation in programs such as SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, TANF, or free and reduced-price school meals. Families may also qualify through a referral from a school counselor, shelter, church, community-action agency, or social-service organization. Because these programs are administered locally, start with your school district, then check nearby charities and community organizations for requirements and availability.

Refugee, immigrant, and newcomer programs

Some nonprofit and community organizations offer free school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, and educational support to refugee, immigrant, and newcomer families. Eligibility is normally based on participation in a resettlement, newcomer, or community-support program rather than on nationality alone.

• Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants: distributes backpacks filled with school supplies to refugee and immigrant children through its annual back-to-school program. Learn about the LORI back-to-school program.
• Refugee School Supplies: works with refugee-resettlement agencies in multiple states to provide school supplies to recently resettled students. Visit Refugee School Supplies.
• SHConnections: helps refugee and newcomer children begin school with uniforms and essential classroom supplies. View the SHConnections back-to-school program.

Tribal Nation programs

Some federally recognized Tribal Nations provide back-to-school allowances, reimbursements, or supply programs for eligible enrolled Tribal citizens and their children. Benefits and eligibility requirements are set independently by each Tribal Nation, so the three below are illustrative rather than exhaustive — check with your own Nation’s education or social services office.

• Otoe-Missouria Tribe: provides up to $500 per eligible enrolled student for approved school expenses, which may include clothing, shoes, books, supplies, school fees, uniforms, lunches, and certain extracurricular costs. Review the Otoe-Missouria school-expense program.
• Navajo Nation: operates a School Clothing and School Supplies Program that helps eligible families obtain clothing and essential supplies for their students. Review the Navajo Nation program.
• Gun Lake Tribe: offers qualifying enrolled Tribal citizens reimbursements for school-appropriate clothing, shoes, and school supplies. View Gun Lake Tribe education programs.

ELI Deals for Back-to-School

The tables above cover discounts you qualify for by who you are. These are the seasonal sales we are tracking — open to everyone, and worth stacking on top of a tax-free weekend or an occupational discount where the retailer allows it.

• Amazon Back to School Deals — supplies, backpacks, lunch gear and classroom basics for K–12.
• Amazon Off to College Deals — dorm and apartment furnishings, small appliances and storage. Worth a look given that dorm furnishings run $194 per college student on average.
• Educational Resources at Books-A-Million — workbooks, readers and classroom materials.
• New Releases — Up to 35% Off at Books-A-Million — worth checking against the required reading list before you pay cover price.
• Money Books for Kids on Amazon — the category behind the lesson in our budgeting guide.
• All ELI Deals — everything we are tracking across the site, updated year-round.

Sales, Rebates, and Cash Back: What Is Actually Worth Chasing

Tax-free weekends and occupational discounts come off the price at the register. Back-to-school sales, rebates, and cash back work differently — and they are worth very different amounts of your time. Here is the honest ranking.

Store sales are worth planning around; doorbusters usually are not

The best back-to-school deals on staple supplies — folders, notebooks, pencils, glue — land in the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, and they are loss leaders priced at pennies. Those are worth buying in bulk once a year. What is rarely worth it is the doorbuster on a single laptop or a limited-stock backpack: quantities are small, the trip costs you time and gas, and the same item is usually within a few dollars of that price during the tax-free weekend anyway. Buy the cheap staples on sale, and buy the expensive items during your state’s holiday.

Mail-in rebates are mostly not worth it; instant rebates are

A mail-in rebate is a bet that you will do paperwork correctly and then wait six to eight weeks. Breakage — the share of rebates never redeemed — is the entire business model, and rebate offers are priced assuming a large fraction of buyers never claim. If a mail-in rebate is the only thing making an item a good deal, treat the item as costing full price and decide again. An instant rebate, applied at checkout, is just a discount by another name, and you can take it at face value.

Cash back is real money, but only from sources you already use

Cash-back offers come in three forms, and only two are worth setting up:

• Credit card category bonuses. If a card you already carry is running a rotating 5% category on department stores or office supply stores this quarter, activate it. This is the highest-value, lowest-effort version — it requires nothing at the register.
• Store loyalty programs. Office supply chains run teacher rewards and recycling credits that return a percentage in store credit. Useful if you shop there anyway; not a reason to shop there.
• Shopping portals and browser extensions. These pay a share of the retailer’s affiliate commission back to you. The rates are real but small, the payouts are slow, and the extensions watch your browsing. Worth it for a large purchase like a laptop; not worth installing for a $40 supply run.

The stacking order that actually works: occupational discount first, inside a tax-free weekend, paid with the card running the best category bonus, on an item that was already on sale. Each layer is independent, so all four can apply to the same purchase. Coupons for back-to-school supplies stack on top of that at most retailers, since a coupon reduces the sales price before tax is calculated — which in a state with a per-item price cap can also pull an item under the cap and make it tax-exempt when it otherwise would not have been.

Common Questions

When is the tax-free weekend in 2026?

There is no single national date — each state sets its own. The busiest weekend of 2026 was August 7–9, when Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia all held their holidays at once; that weekend has passed. As of August 14, fourteen states have finished, Maryland, Illinois, and Florida are still open (through August 15, 16, and 20 respectively), and Connecticut is the last of the year, August 16–22. Check your state in the table above.

Which states do not have a back-to-school tax-free weekend?

Thirty-two states have no back-to-school sales tax holiday in 2026. Five of those — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon — have no statewide sales tax at all, so there is nothing to exempt. The rest either never adopted one or repealed it — and Colorado’s 2026 bill to add one starting in 2027 died in committee, so no new state is currently on track to join. If your state is not on the list, the occupational discounts and free-supply programs further down this page are where your savings are.

Do teachers get a discount on school supplies?

Yes, and far more widely than most teachers realize — we count 18 standing educator programs, typically 10–20% and available year-round rather than only in August. Most verify through a service like ID.me or SheerID with a school email or an employment credential. Paraprofessionals, substitutes, homeschool educators, and retired teachers qualify for many of them. See the teacher and educator discount table.

How do I get free school supplies?

Free-supply programs fall into four buckets: military family assistance, income-based assistance, refugee and newcomer programs, and Tribal Nation programs. Most run on application windows that close in July or early August, so the binding constraint is usually the deadline rather than eligibility. Start with the free school-supply programs section, and ask your school’s front office directly — many districts hold supplies and quietly waive fees for families who ask.

Can I combine a tax-free weekend with a store sale or coupon?

Yes. A sales tax holiday is a state tax exemption, not a retailer promotion, so it applies on top of whatever the store is already doing — and it applies to online orders shipped to an address in that state. Because tax is calculated on the final price after discounts, a coupon can also drop an item below a state’s per-item cap and make it qualify when it otherwise would not have.

References & Disclosures

Sales-tax holiday dates and price caps — compiled from Tax Foundation, Sales Tax Holidays by State, 2026, and individual state revenue department publications. Every date and cap re-verified against primary sources on August 14, 2026, including the Alabama Department of Revenue 2026 fact sheet, Virginia Tax, and the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services.

Two figures worth flagging, because much of the web has them wrong. Alabama’s caps were raised and indexed to inflation by Act 2025-309 — the 2026 figures are $156 clothing, $1,173 computers, $78 school supplies and $47 books, not the older $100/$750/$50/$30 still widely republished. Connecticut’s clothing threshold rose from $100 to $300 for 2026. Both are confirmed against the states’ own 2026 publications.

Legislative status — Illinois’ reinstated holiday per Illinois Department of Revenue Bulletin FY 2026-30; Colorado’s failed HB26-1048 per the Colorado General Assembly bill history; Connecticut’s expansion and its permanent year-round school-supply exemption (effective July 1, 2026) per the Governor’s August 2026 announcement.

Discount programs — verified July 25, 2026 against retailer program pages, Military.com’s discount directory, ID.me storefronts, and ConsumerAffairs’ July 2026 educator-discount roundup.

Spending figures — National Retail Federation 2026 Back-to-School Survey and the NerdWallet 2026 Back-to-School Shopping Report.

Dates, eligible products, price caps and discount terms change often. Confirm current rules with the state revenue department or retailer before a major purchase. This page is for general educational purposes only. The author is not a Certified Financial Planner. Read the full disclaimer.

The Guide Behind This Page

• How to Budget — the five-step budget these discounts plug into, and how to hand your kids real spending decisions while the money is visible.
• Budgeting Basics — the underlying framework, for families starting from scratch.
• Money Lessons for Kids by Age (3 to 18) — what a child can actually absorb at each stage, so the shopping trip lands at the right level.
• ELI Deals — current offers we are tracking across the site.