Get Ready for Tax-Free Shopping in South Carolina
Many schools are already back in session for the new school year, but South Carolina is set to hold its annual sales tax holiday weekend to help with back-to-school costs starting this Friday.
Shoppers will be able to purchase school supplies, clothing, shoes, computers and many other back-to-school related items without paying the state’s 6% sales tax. The sales tax holiday begins at midnight August 4 and continues through 11:59 pm August 6.
Last year, shoppers in the Palmetto State bought more than $26.2 million in tax-free items during the sales tax holiday, up from just over $24 million spent during the holiday weekend the year before.
Some eligible tax-free items include:
- Art supplies for school
- Athletic uniforms
- Backpacks
- Bedding
- Coats and jackets
- Clothing
- Computers
- Diapers
- Flash drives
- Printers and printer supplies
- Purses and handbags
- Sleepwear
- Socks and underwear
- Musical instruments
- Pens, pencils, notebooks, paper and scissors
- All shoes including cleats, dance shoes, rain boots, orthopedic shoes, skates and slippers
- Graduation caps and gowns
Some items excluded from the tax-free holiday:
- Briefcases
- Cameras
- Cosmetics
- Furniture
- Hardware and tools
- Sleeping bags
- Shower curtains
- Cookware
- Video game consoles
- Glasses, sunglasses and contacts
- Cleaning supplies
- Wastebaskets
- Paper products that are not school supplies
- Cell phones and smart phones
- Music and video players
Keep in mind that eligible items are still tax-free if you shop online.
For a complete list of items that will be tax-free this weekend in South Carolina, visit www.dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend.
Georgia stopped having a tax-free weekend before school started in 2016. The state legislature put an end to the sales tax holiday when a Georgia State University study found the holiday cost the state somewhere between $36 and $50 million in lost tax revenue.
