Back-to-school shopping season is here again, and consumers expect to spend an average of nearly $674 this year. That’s according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, and up $44 from last year.

It’s part of a zig-zag trend the NRF has noticed: Parents try to squeeze an extra year out of more durable (and expensive) stuff like backpacks and computers, but end up forking out more the following year. One thing’s for sure, though — that zig-zag never trends down.

That makes it extra important to take advantage of the savings available on a sales tax holiday. Many states don’t charge any sales tax for a weekend or longer on certain school supplies. Dates and rules vary, so we’ve summed it all up in an interactive map sourced from state revenue departments. You can check that out below.

Five lucky states have no sales tax year-round: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Louisiana is an interesting case, too — they drop sales tax on nearly any “tangible personal property,” not just school supplies. But they only lower it from 5 percent to 3 percent, instead of zero like most states.

Was this post helpful?
Let us know if you liked the post. That’s the only way we can improve.
Yes0
No0

About the Author

Brandon Ballenger

Brandon Ballenger

Having more than $10,000 in student loan debt has a way of piquing your interest in personal finance. And because my degree was in English and public communication, I get to share that interest with you. My wide-ranging stories on money and business have run on Business Insider, the Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, the front pages of MSN.com and Yahoo! Finance, Money Talks News, and the South Florida Business Journal. In my free time, I like to jump off skyscrapers and play video games.

Published by Debt.com, LLC