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Texas Sales Tax Holiday is coming August 8 - 10
By:
Woodlands Online
| Published 07/28/2025
The state Sales Tax Holiday – more popularly known as ‘Tax-Free Weekend’ – is coming up swiftly for 2025. With schools opening for the new session in just over a couple of weeks, it’s time to find some deals courtesy of the State Comptroller’s Office. This year’s event starts Friday, August 8, and goes through midnight, Sunday, August 10.
Acting State Comptroller Kelly Hancock – who took over the office from longtime public servant Glenn Hegar earlier this month – stated on his official website, “The Comptroller encourages all taxpayers to support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual Tax-Free weekend. Qualifying items can be purchased tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, you do not need to give the seller an exemption certificate to buy qualifying items tax free.”
The sales tax exemption applies only to qualifying items you buy during the sales tax holiday. Items you buy before or after the sales tax holiday do not qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available. There are no significant changes to the tax-free weekend in Texas for 2025 in terms of the types of items that qualify or the price limits.
Here's a summary of what you need to know:
- What Qualifies: Most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks priced under $100 are exempt from sales tax.
- Where to Buy: You can make qualifying purchases in Texas stores, online, or through catalogs.
- Price Limit: The exemption applies to items individually priced under $100. There is no limit on the number of eligible items you can purchase.
- Specific Items:
- Eligible: Tennis shoes, jogging suits, swimsuits, general-use clothing, school supplies (binders, notebooks, pens, pencils, glue, highlighters, etc.), and backpacks (including those with wheels and messenger bags, but not framed, athletic, duffel, or computer bags).
- Not Eligible: Items priced at $100 or more, specially designed athletic or protective clothing and footwear (e.g., golf cleats, football pads), accessories (jewelry, handbags, purses, wallets, watches, luggage, umbrellas), computers, software, textbooks, and items used to make or repair clothing (e.g., fabric, thread, buttons).
- Online Purchases: For online purchases, the transaction date within the holiday period determines eligibility, not the shipping or delivery date. However, delivery, shipping, and handling charges are considered part of the item's sales price when determining if it meets the $100 threshold.
Some people may wonder if the savings is worth the possible hassle of shopping on a weekend that could rival Black Friday mayhem. It’s worth bearing in mind that the sales tax rate in The Woodlands is a total of 8.25 percent, broken down into a state tax of 6.25%, The Woodlands Township tax of one percent, and the tax rate of The Woodlands Township Economic Development Zone of one percent, meaning a grand total of just over eight cents savings on every dollar spent, or eight bucks every dollar.
Waiting until after the tax-free weekend for a ten-percent-off sale will net you some bigger savings, but quite possibly less inventory to choose from. And you certainly don’t want to be caught out when the first school bell rings.
