Texas's sales tax holiday
Tax year 2026
Normally you pay
8.25%
state plus local
The holiday removes
8.25%
the whole rate, local included
Saved on five hundred
$41
Days a year
9
What it means in Texas
- In Texas the whole sales tax comes off, not just the state's part. On five hundred dollars of qualifying goods you would normally pay $41. During the holiday you pay nothing at all, so the saving is the same $41. Counties here waive their share too.
- The ceilings matter more than the categories in Texas. It lists 8 groups of goods, each capped at a maximum price. An item above that maximum is normally taxed in full. So the holiday reaches the ordinary version of a thing and not the expensive one, which is usually the point of a cap.
- There is more than one tax holiday in Texas, starting with Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday on April 25th. They cover different things at different times of year — one might be about school clothes and another about appliances — so it is worth checking which window you are actually in before assuming something is exempt.
- Texas's holiday suspends the local levy alongside the state's, so the exemption is the full combined rate of about 8.25% rather than the state component of about 6.25%. On a five-hundred-dollar qualifying purchase that is $41 against the $41 ordinarily due. ⚠️ Qualification still governs: goods outside the enumerated categories, or above a category's cap, pay the full combined rate as normal.
- Texas bounds each exempt category with a per-item ceiling. ⚠️ Because the cap almost always applies as a cliff, an item above it is taxable on its full price. The design effect is deliberate: caps target the exemption at standard goods and exclude premium substitutes, which is also why the revenue cost of these holidays is far lower than the headline category list suggests.
- Several separate holidays operate in Texas, each defined by its own statute with distinct dates and category lists. Because qualification is window-specific, an item exempt in one period is taxable in another; the correct question is not whether Texas holds a holiday but which one is currently running.
Tax-free days in Texas
A $75,000 salary
| Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday | 2026-04-25 to 2026-04-27 |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday | 2026-05-23 to 2026-05-25 |
| Back to School Sales Tax Holiday | 2026-08-08 to 2026-08-10 |
Dates come from statute, so they move with the legislature rather than with a data refresh.
At the register
A $75,000 salary
| Tax added | — |
|---|---|
| You hand over | — |
| Rate here | — |
No rate is on file for this location. Choose a county or enter your combined rate in the purchase calculator.
Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday
Runs April 25th to April 27th.
Set by rule: Last full weekend of April, annually
Local sales tax is suspended too, so the whole rate comes off.
Check this holiday at Texas's own source
| What qualifies | Up to | Saved at that price |
|---|---|---|
| Portable generators | $3,000 | $248 |
| Hurricane shutters and emergency ladders | $300 | $25 |
| Emergency preparedness supplies | $75 | $6.19 |
ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday
Runs May 23rd to May 25th.
Set by rule: Memorial Day weekend, annually
Local sales tax is suspended too, so the whole rate comes off.
Check this holiday at Texas's own source
| What qualifies | Up to | Saved at that price |
|---|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR air conditioners | $6,000 | $495 |
| ENERGY STAR refrigerators | $2,000 | $165 |
| Other ENERGY STAR and WaterSense products | no price limit | scales with price |
Back to School Sales Tax Holiday
Runs August 8th to August 10th.
Set by rule: Second full weekend of August, annually
Local sales tax is suspended too, so the whole rate comes off.
Check this holiday at Texas's own source
| What qualifies | Up to | Saved at that price |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing and footwear | $100 | $8.25 |
| School supplies and backpacks | $100 | $8.25 |
What it saves on a real purchase
Reference amounts, not a claim about what anyone spends. What comes off depends on whether the locality suspends its own tax as well, which is recorded per holiday and applied here — not assumed.
| You spend | Tax normally | The holiday removes |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $8.25 | $8.25 |
| $250 | $21 | $21 |
| $500 | $41 | $41 |
| $1,000 | $83 | $83 |
What this page cannot tell you
- ⚠️ These dates are worked out from Texas's law, not copied from an announcement. Confirm them with the state before making a special trip.
- Which layers of tax come off is recorded per holiday here, not guessed. Individual towns can still differ from the state's general rule.
- And the category names here are summaries. Texas publishes a much longer list of exactly what counts, with exclusions that surprise people.
- ⚠️ The dates shown are DERIVED from the statutory recurrence rule reproduced beside them, not from a published calendar. Where a legislature moves or suspends a holiday by special act, that change reaches this page only when the rule itself is re-read — so the state revenue department's own announcement is authoritative over this page for Texas.
- Whether the local levy is suspended alongside the state's is recorded per holiday in the underlying delivery and applied to every figure on this page; it is not assumed. ⚠️ Residual variation remains possible at the municipal level in Texas, since a small number of jurisdictions elect independently of the general state position, so a specific town's treatment is authoritative over this page.
- Category descriptions are condensed. Each state's implementing guidance enumerates qualifying and excluded items in far greater detail — commonly excluding rentals, items for business use, and specific product classes within an otherwise exempt category — so Texas's own guidance governs any individual purchase.
Questions people ask
Does the whole tax come off during the holiday?
Not necessarily all of it. The state's own share of about 6.25% comes off, but Texas also has local layers taking the combined rate to about 8.25% — and in several states local participation is optional, so a county can keep charging its part while the state's is suspended.
What actually qualifies?
A relatively wide list: 8 categories. Each carries its own statutory definition and usually its own price ceiling.
How long do I have?
Longer than the usual weekend — 9 days in total across this state's holidays. That is unusual enough to plan around rather than stumble into, and it is set by statute rather than by the retailer.
Is there more than one of these each year?
3 of them, with different dates and different qualifying lists. Being covered by one says nothing about the others.
Is local participation in the holiday mandatory here?
The state component of about 6.25% is suspended; the representative combined rate is about 8.25%. Local participation is mandatory in some states and optional in others, so residual local liability during a holiday is jurisdiction-specific and cannot be inferred from the state rule.
How is the exempt class defined during the holiday?
8 categories are enumerated. Exemption is defined by statutory category rather than by general rule, and per-item price ceilings commonly apply within each, so items above the ceiling remain fully taxable even inside a covered category.
What is the duration of the exemption window?
Total exemption duration is 9 days, exceeding the typical two- or three-day window. Dates are fixed in statute and may be amended by legislature between years, so they are not stable across tax years.
How many separate holidays does this state run?
This state operates 3 distinct exemption periods, each with independently defined qualifying categories, price ceilings and dates. Eligibility under one confers nothing under another.