CHICAGO, IL – JULY 29: Consumers hold shopping bags as they walk along Michigan Avenue on July 29, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The US economy grew by 1.2% in the second quarter weaker than economists expected. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images) Can you shop online tax-free during tax-free weekend?
If you’re shopping online, can you take advantage of tax-free weekend? Nine states are participating this weekend (while one of the biggest state participants, Texas, is waiting one extra week), and many shoppers want to know if the tax free special applies to online shopping as well.
Here’s what you need to know.
Yes, in most cases, if a state is participating in 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 tax free weekend and you must shop before tax-free weekend ends. (Read more about which items qualify here.)
Many states and online retailers will be turning off taxes for customers from tax-free states this weekend, or at the very least turning off taxes for certain coded items or for customers from certain states. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all fees will disappear when you’re purchasing online. You’ll still have to pay for shipping, for example, and depending on the retailer, you may be taxed for items that don’t qualify for tax exemptions. But as long as you order the qualified item during the tax-free weekend, you won’t be charged taxes even if it’s shipped after this weekend is over.
Walmart has specifically said that it’s turning off tax collection for any items online that are coded as school supplies.
Amazon’s Help page states that it participates in sales tax holidays for states “in which Amazon.com LLC and Amazon Digital Services LLC are required to collect tax.” During the sales tax holiday, qualifying products will be exempt from sales tax. However, sales tax will be charged on items ordered from sellers that list products on the Amazon.com website.
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.
[“Source-heavy”]