Arkansas‘ Tax-Free Weekend is here! Tax-Free Weekend begins Saturday, August 3 at 12:01 a.m. and will last through Sunday, August 4 at 11:59 p.m. Arkansas is one of the few states that has a two-day tax-free weekend rather than a three-day one. Here are more details about what does and does not qualify in Arkansas this week. Find a complete list, visit here. (The link shows 2018, but the information in the link is for the 2019 Sales Tax Holiday.)
Items that Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Arkansas
In Arkansas, clothing, and footwear up to $100 per item and clothing accessories and equipment of up to $50 qualify for tax-free status. There is NO limit on qualified school supplies, art supplies, or instructional materials.
Here are examples of clothing and accessory items that qualify for tax-free status. For a complete list, visit here.
- Aprons
- Athletic supporters
- Baby receiving blankets, diapers
- Bathing suits, caps
- Belts and suspenders
- Beach capes and coats
- Boots
- Coats, jackets
- Costumes
- Diapers, including disposables
- Earmuffs
- Footlets
- Formal wear
- Garters, garter belts, girdles
- Gloves, mittens for general use
- Hats, caps
- Hosiery
- Insoles
- Lab coats
- Neckties
- Overshoes
- Rainwear
- Rubber pants
- Scarves
- Shoes, shoe laces, sneakers, sandals, slippers, steel-toed shoes
- Socks and stockings
- Underwear
- Uniforms, athletic and non-athletic
- Wedding apparel
The following are examples of tax-free clothing accessories or equipment.
- Briefcases
- Cosmetics
- Hair accessories (barrettes, bow ties, hair nets)
- Handbags
- Handkerchiefs
- Jewelry
- Sunglasses (nonprescription)
- Wallets
- Watches
- Wigs and hair pieces
The following are examples of tax-free school supplies.
- Binders
- Book bags
- Calculators
- Cellophane tape
- Blackboard chalk
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila)
- Glue, paste, and paste sticks
- Highlighters
- Index card boxes
- Index cards
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes
- Markers
- Notebooks
- Paper (loose-leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, construction paper)
- Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
- Pencil sharpeners
- Pencils
- Pens
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Writing tablets
Tax-exempt school art supplies include:
- Clay and glazes
- Paints (acrylic, oil, tempora)
- Paintbrushes for artwork
- Sketch and drawing pads
- Watercolors
School instructional material used in a course of study or as a reference also qualifies. This might include reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks, or workbooks.
Items that Do NOT Qualify for Tax-Free Status in Arkansas
In Arkansas, clothing that costs more than $100 per item and clothing accessories and equipment that cost more than $50 per item do NOT qualify for tax-free status. Find a complete list, visit here.
Here are examples of clothing and accessories that do not qualify for tax-free status:
- Sewing equipment and supplies (needles, patterns, scissors, tape, fabric, etc.)
- Protective equipment
- Sports or recreational equipment
- Belt buckles sold separately
- Costume masks sold separately
- Patches and emblems sold separately
Discounts and coupons can be used to help an item fit in the tax-free status, if the discount lowers its price enough to qualify. But a gift certificate can’t be used to do the same thing.
Typically if you order something online, you can get the tax free discount as long as you pay and request immediate shipping, even if the item doesn’t arrive until after the tax-free weekend.