Texas and Maryland Both Have Tax Free Shopping This Weekend

It's back-to-school season! Looking for serious savings on essentials with tax free shopping? Texas and Maryland will be launching their sales tax holidays this weekend, giving shoppers an opportunity to save on essentials before the new school year starts.

When Are Texas' and Maryland's Sales Tax Holidays for 2018?

Texas' holiday runs from August 10 through August 12. And Maryland? Tax free day is actually tax free week in the Old Line State. The Maryland sales tax holiday begins August 12 and ends August 18. Additionally, Maryland has a tax free weekend for Energy Star-branded products in February — so if you're in the market for major appliance purchases, be aware of that.

SEE ALSO: When Is Your State's Tax Free Weekend in 2018?

Who Can Shop?

All retailers in Texas and Maryland are participating in the tax free holidays. This includes online retailers; Texas and Maryland shoppers should owe no sales tax on online purchases (with a few exceptions). Anyone in either state can take advantage of the holiday deals — not just back-to-school shoppers.

What's Covered?

Maryland is exempting clothing and shoes that retail for $100 or less per item from sales tax, as well as the first $40 of any backpack purchase. Texas is running a similar program, exempting clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks, all of which must cost less than $100 per item.

Like many other states with tax free days, both Maryland and Texas are excluding athletic and protective gear (think football pads or golf cleats), as well as clothing accessories (jewelry, wallets, and handbags, to name a few).

Maryland shoppers may use in-store sales or coupons to bring items below the price cutoffs, but may not use manufacturer coupons or mail-in rebates.

Where Can You Learn More?

For more information about tax free shopping in Texas, see the Texas Comptroller's website. For more details about Maryland's tax free days, check out that state comptroller's website.

DealNews is keeping track of all the state sales tax holidays, and you can look at our complete list here. One state to pay special attention to is Massachusetts, as lawmakers there recently passed a bill that includes a sales tax holiday for August 11 and 12. If the governor signs the tax holiday amendment (which he's expected to do), Massachusetts residents will get tax free days this weekend, too.

Readers, do you have sales tax holiday plans? What do you think about your state's tax holiday (or lack thereof)? Share your opinions in the comments below.