School is almost back in session, and tax-free weekend is Friday-Sunday to help families stock up.
Through the sales tax holiday, families and students get a little extra relief for the back-to-school season on qualifying items at stores in Texas, while supporting Texas businesses.
Some of the school supplies that qualify include the following items, provided they are priced under $100:
•Writing materials: notebooks, composition books, legal pads, index cards and paper;
•Writing utensils: highlighters, crayons, pencils, pens, writing tablets and markers (including dry-erase markers);
•Miscellaneous supplies: rulers, scissors, glue, binders, book bags, calculators, lunch boxes, pencil sharpeners, folders, erasers and certain footwear and clothing items.
“If you buy qualifying school supplies under a business account, you must give a properly completed Form 01339, Texas Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certificate (PDF), to the seller,” the comptroller.texas.gov website states.
Items that don’t qualify include but aren’t limited to:
•Accessories: jewelry, handbags, purses or watches;
•Other items: textbooks, computers, software, luggage, briefcases, computer and gym bags, rented clothing or footwear.
During the tax-free holiday, people can purchase qualifying items instore, online by phone and by mail.
“For example, if a purchaser enters their credit card information in an online shopping website on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. to purchase qualifying school supplies, but the school supplies will not be shipped until Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, and will not arrive until Tuesday, Aug. 18, the purchase will still qualify for the exemption,” the comptroller. texas.gov website states. “However, if the charge to your credit card is declined by the payment processor at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, and the purchaser does not resubmit payment until Monday, Aug. 10, the purchase is taxable.”
For more information about the tax-free weekend, including more qualifying items and even seller information, go to https://comptroller. texas.gov/taxes/publications/ 98-490/.
Graphic Courtesy of Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
