Texas Sales Tax-Free Weekend Returns For 2026
Back-to-school shopping in Texas kicks off with the annual sales tax holiday. Here's what's included.
Back-to-school shopping is no joke, and your 2026 shopping trip might be a little expensive.
A recent Deloitte report has shown that parents will spend up to $557 per child this summer on school essentials.
But there is some welcome relief for Texas residents: The state’s 28th annual sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping.
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This tax-free weekend exempts certain articles of clothing and school supplies from state sales tax.
Find out how Texas’s 2026 tax holiday might help you save on back-to-school items.
Does Texas have a tax-free weekend?
The back-to-school holiday is one of the four sales tax holidays Texas offers. It begins Friday, August 7, and ends at midnight on Sunday, August 9.
During this time, many school supplies and clothing are exempt from the state’s 6.25% sales tax rate.
What's included in the Texas tax-free weekend
Like its fellow no-income-tax state, Tennessee, Texas has a similar guideline for tax-exempt clothing. Clothes must be $100 or less to qualify for the tax holiday. School supplies also need to be $100 or less.
Many tax-free items fall under these two categories, but here are just a few of our favorites:
- Writing tablets and calculators
- Lunch boxes and book bags (though there’s a special rule regarding book bags, more on that below)
- Shirts, skirts, coats and dresses
- Shorts, pants and jeans
- Hats, sneakers and socks
- Crayons, scissors, notebooks and paper
- Diapers and underwear
However, many items are not included in the Texas back-to-school tax-free weekend.
Items that are not tax-exempt during the Texas back-to-school holiday 2026
Unlike the back-to-school sales tax holiday in Florida, Texas has much stricter guidelines on electronics. Items such as computers and printers are not included in the sale.
Below, you’ll find a list of many other items that remain taxable during the 2026 Texas tax-free weekend:
- Textbooks and software
- Jewelry, wallets and watches
- Handbags, purses, briefcases, luggage and umbrellas
- Items used to make or repair clothing, such as fabric, thread, yarn, patterns, etc.
- Athletic gear (including cleated shoes, gloves, helmets and protective pads)
Note: For a complete list of included and excluded items, visit the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website.
Texas backpack rules and limits
Book bags sold for less than $100 are tax-exempt if they are not framed backpacks, athletic, duffle, or gym bags.
Backpacks with wheels and messenger bags are eligible for the tax exemption, but even then, you cannot purchase more than 10 qualifying book bags tax-free during the holiday.
How school supply kits are taxed
Another key item of consideration is school kits. Teachers and homeschool parents can purchase school supply kits during the back-to-school sale. Whether these kits are taxable depends on the value of the items inside:
- If the value of the tax-exempt items is more than the value of the taxable items, the kit is exempt.
- Otherwise, the kit is taxable.
Can you buy online for the Texas tax-free weekend?
Online purchases may qualify for the sales tax holiday, but delivery to a Texas address is required.
Online retailers such as Amazon honor state sales tax holidays. However, the retailer explains on its website that "tax may still be calculated on items if they do not qualify, including threshold limits, bundles, orders placed before the holiday starts, or specific items that are not included in the holiday."
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