Luckily families can save some money on back to school shopping thanks to Missouri’s sales tax holiday.
The holiday, which runs Aug. 4, 12:01 a.m. to Aug. 6,11:59 p.m., exempts many back-to-school supplies and clothing from sales tax. The tax holiday has proven to be a popular way to save money, with millions of dollars in school-supply sales each year.
The Kansas Legislature also considered a sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping, but the bill ultimately died. Luckily for Kansans, you do not need to be a Missouri resident to benefit from the tax holiday.
City and county taxes are also exempt during the back to school sales tax holiday. Families can expect to see an average of a 6.5% discount on their total back-to-school expenses as a result.
What Qualifies for Tax Holiday
- Clothing — Any clothing item priced less than $100, including footwear and diapers
- Personal Computers — Laptops, desktops and other computing devices priced less than $1,500
- School Supplies — textbooks, backpacks, notebooks, paper, pens, rules, art supplies, etc. that do not exceed $50 an item
- Other — Graphing calculators priced less than $150, computer software priced less than $350
The back-to-school sales tax holiday is generally for personal-use items, so businesses may not take advantage of the tax break, but teachers buying school supplies with their personal money do get a break on sales taxes. The sales tax holiday applies to both online and in-person purchases.