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Alabama is enjoying Tax-Free Weekend this weekend, although things might feel a little different with the coronavirus pandemic also happening. Tax-Free Weekend began Friday, July 17 at 12:01 a.m. Here are more details about what does and does not qualify in Alabama this weekend.
Tax-Free Weekend Times
According to the Alabama Department of Revenue: “The Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on the third Friday in July, and ends at twelve midnight on the following Sunday.” In other words, it began at 12:01 a.m. on July 17 and ends Sunday, July 19 at midnight.
You can see a full list of which localities are participating on the Department of Revenue’s webpage here.
Items that Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Alabama
In Alabama, human apparel for “general use” is exempt from taxes this weekend, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue. Local sales tax may still apply. See the full list here.
Clothing only qualifies if it is $100 or less per article of clothing.
Here are examples of clothing and accessory items that qualify for tax-free status. This is not an all-inclusive list.
- Belts
- Boots
- Caps
- Coats
- Diapers
- Dresses
- Gloves
- Gym suits
- Hats
- Hosiery
- Jackets
- Jeans
- Neckties
- Pajamas
- Pants
- Raincoats
- Robes
- Sandals
- Scarves
- School Uniforms
- Shirts
- Shoes
- Shorts
- Socks
- Sneakers
- Underwear
Also tax-exempt is a single purchase of a computer, computer software, or school computer supplies, as long as the purchase has a sales price of $750 or less.
School supplies that cost $50 or less per item are also tax-exempt (as long as they are a non-commercial purchase.) Examples of tax-exempt school supplies include, but are not limited to:
- Binders, blackboard chalk, book bags, calculators, compasses, composition books, crayons, glue, erasers, folders, highlighters, index cards, legal pads, lunch boxes, markers, notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, protractor, rulers, scissors, writing tablets, and more.
- School art supplies (Inclusive list: clay and glazes, paints, paintbrushes for artwork, sketch and drawing pads, and watercolors)
- School instructional material commonly used in a course of study, like reference maps and globs, required textbooks on an official school list that cost more than $30 and less than $50
- Books with ISBN numbers
Items that Do NOT Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Alabama
Clothing accessories, protective equipment, and sports and recreational equipment do not qualify and are still taxable, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue. (In addition, an item of clothing that costs more than $100 is also still taxable.)
Here’s a list of examples of clothes that don’t qualify and will still be charged taxes. This isn’t an all-inclusive list. See the full list here.
- Accessories like belt buckles, briefcases, cosmetics, costume masks, hair accessories, handbags, handkerchiefs, jewelry, patches and emblems that are sold separately, sewing equipment and supplies, sewing materials, sunglasses, eyeglasses, contacts, umbrellas, wallets, watches, and wigs or hairpieces.
- Protective equipment like breathing masks, clean room apparel, ear and hearing protectors, face shields, hard hats, helmets, paint or dust respirators, protective gloves, safety glasses or goggles, tool belts, welder gloves and masks.
- Sports or recreational equipment like ballet or tap shoes, band instruments, cleated or spiked athletic shoes, goggles, gloves for sports, hand and elbow guards, life preserves and vests, mouth guards, roller and ice skates, shin guards, shoulder pads, ski boots, waders, and wetsuits and fins.
- Computers that cost more than $750
- Computer parts and devices not sold as part of a package with the CPU
- Furniture
- Any computer systems, devices, software or peripherals that are primarily for recreational use
- Non-educational video games
- Magazines, newspapers, periodicals, or any other document non in bound form
Can You Shop Online?
Can you shop online during the tax-free weekend? In most cases, the answer is yes. If a state is participating in a tax-free weekend, that means that you can also shop online tax-free too. Of course, the items you buy must meet the requirements for the tax-free weekend and you must shop before the tax-free weekend ends.
If you do shop online, don’t forget to check and see if the online store is offering any coupon codes. Many stores will offer codes that you can stack on top of the tax-free special, giving you even greater savings.
Localities Not Participating
You can see a full list of which localities are participating and which are not on the Department of Revenue’s webpage here.
The following localities said that they are not participating, as of July 15. Of course, details can change at the last minute, so if you are wanting to shop in one of these areas, you might call the local stores you are visiting to ask. There might also be localities not participating that are not on this list.
- Allgood (9709)
- Baker Hill (9752)
- Banks (9109)
- Beaverton (9756)
- Black (9748)
- Blountsville (9636)
- Blue Springs (9731)
- Brookside (9708)
- Chatom (9312)
- Chilton County (7011)
- Coosada (9698)
- Cordova (9164)
- County Line (9167)
- Cuba (9712)
- Cusseta (9713)
- Daviston (9494)
- Deatsville (9755)
- Dutton (9460)
- Escambia County
- Excel (9633)
- Faunsdale (9425)
- Gantt (9741)
- Glen Allen (9165)
- Glenwood (9733)
- Goshen (9476)
- Heath (9120)
- Jacksons’ Gap (9682)
- Jemison (9607)
- Kansas (9629)
- Kellyton (9774)
- Kinsey (9647)
- Langston (9123)
- Louisville (9361)
- Lowndes County (7043)
- Lowndesboro (9770)
- Lynn (9125)
- Maplesville (9609)
- McIntosh (9462)
- Mentone (9655)
- Millry (9367)
- Moody (9671)
- Mosses (9677)
- Mulga (9107)
- Oakman (9652)
- Pleasant Grove (9420)
- Powell (9391)
- Priceville (9716)
- Ragland (9310)
- Rutledge (9747)
- Sand Rock (9738)
- Sanford (9769)
- Slocomb (9322)
- Tallapoosa County (7062)
- Toxey (9372)
- Union Grove (9456)
- Valley Grande (9766)
- Vina (9484)
- Waverly (9761)
- Yellow Bluff (9732)
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