Avid shoppers searching for back-to-school items, art supplies, clothing and even certain electronic devices might find financial relief this weekend.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, customers can purchase select retail items free of state, city and county sales or use taxes on Arkansas’ annual sales tax holiday.
The state Legislature established a sales tax holiday across the state during the first weekend of August each year, with its inaugural weekend in 2012.
Arkansas is one of 20 states that offer tax-free holidays throughout the year, with some like Florida and Texas exempting disaster preparedness items on certain days while others like Alaska offer an exemption for all retail goods over the tax-free period. Iowa and South Carolina were the first two states to enact the holiday in 2000.
Qualifying clothing items include cooking, wedding and uniform attire, shoes and clothing needed for certain weather events and any apparel suitable for “general use,” given that each item is less than $100, according to a list of tax-free items provided by the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. All accessories and equipment such as jewelry, briefcases and umbrellas must be less than $50 to be exempt from sales and use tax.
Binders, notebooks, pencils and pens, book bags, textbooks and workbooks are included, as well as clay, glazes, paintbrushes and other items used by students in a course of study, according to the state department’s list. Sewing supplies, protective equipment and sport or recreational aren’t exempt during the holiday.
In 2021, the General Assembly passed Act 944, which expanded the list of tax-free items to include electronics such as calculators, cellphones, laptops, printers and more.
There are no price limits placed on qualifying school supplies or electronics in order for the item to be tax-free, said Scott Hardin, director of communications for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
“Whether it’s a $200 laptop or a $5,000 laptop, it’s going to be tax free,” Hardin said.
All retailers are required to participate if they have merchandise eligible for the exemption, meaning stores may not charge tax on items that are exempt during the holiday period.
Online transactions also qualify during the holiday, as long as the transaction takes place over the two-day period and the shipping address is in Arkansas, Hardin said.
Josh Cook said he values the weekend as both a parent and educator. He teaches English and creative writing courses at ALLPS School of Innovation in Fayetteville.
“It ends up being an amazing opportunity to buy any kind of supplies I need for my classroom, and then also to make sure my children have the whole supply list they need,” he said. “I’ll use this weekend to make sure I’ve got plenty of composition notebooks, pens and things like that.”
He said many educators shop at big-box stores such as Walmart or Target, but local retailers provide products some larger stores may not carry.
Susan DeMoss, manager of Learning Oasis Toy Zone in Fayetteville, said tax-free weekend is one of their most popular shopping days. The store is closed Sundays, she said, but customers are often lined up before opening on Saturday.
DeMoss said the store sells classroom tools such as posters, organization tools and decorations. It also sells a variety of toys and games that are popular with educators and parents, she said.
“These resources are really valuable for educators in our area,” DeMoss said. “It’s a really good time for them to come in and get these things at a bit of a cheaper price.”
She said she often sees educators spend $300 to $500 just getting their classrooms ready and having school supplies stay tax-free regardless of total cost over the weekend is incredibly helpful.
While the discounts are given online, she said she encourages people to come in as they can color match and find items they maybe didn’t know about.
Arkansans are saving $3 million to $4 million over the course of the weekend, which underscores the state Legislature’s goal of saving Arkansas families money as they prepare for the school year, Hardin said.
“I would encourage Arkansans to take a look at the list because they may be surprised by the scope of it,” Hardin said, noting that diapers are also tax free this weekend — not just traditional school supplies.