Mississippi Tax-Free Weekend 2026
Mississippi celebrated a tax holiday in July. Find out what back-to-school essentials were included.
Updated: The Mississippi 2026 back-to-school sales tax-free weekend has ended.
It was time once again for Mississippi residents to save some cash: The state’s annual back-to-school tax holiday was July 10 through July 12, 2026. Savvy shoppers could buy clothing, school supplies, and other qualifying items while forgoing the state’s 7% sales tax rate during the holiday.
Read on for what was included in the Mississippi tax holiday for 2026.
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When was the Mississippi tax-free weekend?
Mississippi celebrated its 18th annual back-to-school tax holiday from Friday, July 10th, through Sunday, July 12th.
During this time, many school supplies and articles of clothing were exempt from Mississippi’s 7% sales tax rate. This meant that, for every $100 you spent, you saved roughly $7 in state taxes on eligible items.
What did the Mississippi tax-free weekend include?
The sales tax holiday included many back-to-school items, like clothing and supplies, under a specific dollar amount. Qualifying purchases of $100 (per item) were exempt from Mississippi state taxes during the holiday.
Here is a sample list of eligible items included in the Mississippi back-to-school tax-free weekend:
- Backpacks, book bags, and lunch boxes.
- Writing tablets and calculators.
- Textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and pens.
- Shirts, shorts, jeans, and pants.
- Most shoes, dresses, jackets, and sweaters.
- Work clothes, workout clothes, and gym uniforms.
- Scout uniforms and children’s novelty costumes (for a school play, Halloween dress up, etc.).
What wasn't included in the Mississippi tax-free weekend 2026?
While many eligible items were included in the upcoming state tax holiday in Mississippi, several were excluded.
Here are a few items you could not buy state tax-free during the 2026 Mississippi tax-free weekend:
- Most electronics, including computers, printers, and phones.
- Makeup and hair accessories, like headbands, bows, and clips.
- Belt buckles, jewelry, and watches.
- Briefcases, luggage, wallets, and purses.
- Diapers and baby bibs.
- Sports equipment like helmets, sports pads, shin guards, and cleats.
- Items used for creating clothes, including cloth, lace, knitting yarns, fabrics, thread, buttons, etc.
For a full list of eligible and ineligible items, see the state’s Department of Revenue website.
2026 Back-to-school sales and deals
Store sales and discounts may have been eligible for the tax-free weekend in Mississippi, but there were strict rules governing which items were eligible.
For instance, the following circumstances would not allow you to purchase items state sales tax free during the Mississippi tax holiday:
- “Buy one, get one” sales — you could not average two items together to qualify for the $100 total. For instance, if you bought one item for $110 and another item for half off, at $55, sales tax was still due on the first item.
- Manufacturers’ coupons that reduced an item’s price below the $100 limit didn't qualify for the sales tax holiday.
- Items put on layaway couldn't be purchased exempt from state taxes during the Mississippi tax holiday weekend.
However, other sales and store discounts may have been eligible for tax-exempt status. For instance, if you purchased an item at 50% off for $60, that purchase would have been exempt from state taxes.
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