Expand / Collapse search
☰

Texas Tax-Free Weekend 2025: What to know

By
Published  July 30, 2025 7:47am CDT
Texas
FOX 26 Houston
school-supplies-shopping-getty.jpg article

A cashier scans school supplies for a customer at a Wal-Mart store location. (Credit: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Texas's annual Tax-Free Weekend is scheduled for August 8-10, 2025.
    • Shoppers can save on most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced under $100.
    • The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items you buy during the sales tax holiday.

TEXAS - Texas shoppers can save some money and support local businesses during the annual Tax-Free Weekend, scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8, through midnight Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. The Comptroller's office is encouraging taxpayers to take advantage of the savings on qualifying purchases.

What items are tax-free?

The sales tax exemption applies to most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced under $100. This limit includes any delivery, shipping, handling, or transportation charges from the seller. For instance, a $95 pair of jeans with a $10 delivery fee totals $105, making the entire purchase taxable. However, if a delivery charge is billed per item, only the delivery charge for qualifying exempt items is exempt. For flat-rate delivery per package, the charge can be attributed to any one item in the package.

How to Purchase:

Qualifying items can be purchased tax-free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.

Can online orders be tax-free?

The sales tax holiday applies only to qualifying items bought during the specified period. For online or remote purchases, the key is when the payment is made. If you enter your credit card information for qualifying school supplies at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, the purchase is tax-exempt, even if the items ship and arrive after the holiday. However, if a payment is declined on Sunday night and resubmitted on Monday, Aug. 11, the purchase becomes taxable.

If sales tax is mistakenly paid on a qualifying item during the holiday, shoppers can request a refund directly from the seller. Alternatively, the seller can provide Form 00-985, Assignment to Right to Refund, allowing the purchaser to file a refund claim with the Comptroller's office.

The Source: Information in this article is from the office of the Texas Comptroller.

TexasMoneyEducation