School year starts off with annual tax-free weekend

Alabama will host its 11th annual tax-free weekend from Aug. 5 through midnight on Aug. 7. Alabama’s sales tax will be waived throughout the weekend on items such as school supplies, books, computers or similar technology and clothing.

The tax-free holiday weekend aligns with the start of the school year, and the products that are exempt from taxes all fall under the title of back-to-school items. This will include items such as backpacks, pens and binders, as long as the supplies are $50 or less per item. School supplies may also include art supplies or teaching materials such as textbooks or globes, as long as they are within the $50 limit. 

Books, for both pleasure and required reading, are also exempt from sales taxes during this weekend. The books must stay under $30 and must be a hard copies, not digital. 

Computers and computer software are also eligible to be exempt from taxes as long as each item is under the sales price of $750. Other products that might fall under this category are printers and handheld electronic schedulers, as long as they are not cellphones. 

Finally, clothing is also a part of Alabama’s annual tax-free weekend. Clothing may include products such a shoes, hats and belts. However, most accessories such as jewelry and handbags are not eligible to be exempt. 

Clothes must be for humans, not animals, and must stay under the price of $100 per article of clothing. 

For a more details, visit alabamaretail.org to find a full list of what products will be eligible to be exempt from sales taxes.