Caregivers who haven’t yet purchased school supplies yet, rejoice. Your tardiness will be rewarded this weekend as those supplies, plus most clothing and footwear, can be purchased tax free starting Friday.
The Texas Comptroller announced that through the annual sales tax holiday – which ends at midnight on Sunday, Aug. 13 – qualifying items under $100 can be purchased tax free from a Texas store or from an online or catalog seller that does business in Texas. (If you’re a Texan ordering online from a retailer, congrats! That means the seller does business in Texas.)
The comptroller’s office has a handy list of what qualifies in each category. The list of qualified school supplies is long, but doesn’t include computers or text books.
The website also offers a detailed explanation to figure out whether an online item qualifies, and when it must be purchased. It uses the example of a pair of $95 jeans with a $10 delivery fee. Because that fee pushes the jeans over the $100 mark, they wouldn’t qualify.
Items bought before or after the sales tax holiday, regardless of shipping or delivery dates for online items, don’t qualify for exemption, and there is no tax refund available.
Buyers who are charged sales tax on qualifying items during the sales tax holiday can ask the seller for a refund of the tax paid. If the seller doesn’t grant the refund it must give the customer Form 00-985, which allows the customer to file a refund claim with the Comptroller’s office.
