By: Jessica O’Connor
South Carolina’s sales tax holiday will take place August 5-August 7, 2022 this year.
Inflation has caused many families’ budgets to be a little tighter than usual heading into the 2022 school year. Back to school shopping can be a sizable expense, especially for families with multiple children. Thankfully, Tax Free Weekend can help create much needed savings. In fact, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue shoppers have enjoyed savings of between $2-3 million in past years.
The 6% sales tax and other applicable local taxes will be waived on qualifying purchases both online and in stores for South Carolina shoppers this Friday through Sunday. The South Carolina Department of Revenue says on their website that “generally, exempt items include school supplies used for school assignments, apparel, electronics, and bed and bath items.”
These exempt items include the standard back to school essentials like pencils and notebooks, clothing, musical instruments used for school, and uniforms among others. For those not heading back to the classroom, Tax Free Weekend is the time to take advantage of sales tax being waived on everyday items like diapers, bedding, and towels.
Although savings seem minimal on smaller purchases, the sales tax break could make bigger ticket purchases a little easier on the wallet. Tax Free Weekend is a prime time to invest in a new computer or quality clothing/footwear with a little steeper price tag.
There are a couple things shoppers can do to make Tax Free Weekend shopping more efficient and stress-free. First, gather all necessary school supply lists and make a master list of items that still need to be purchased. Then, make a plan surrounding where and when you will shop for the items on your list, whether that will be online or at a physical location. Tip-veteran sales tax holiday shoppers suggest hitting stores like Walmart shortly after midnight on Thursday night. Waiting until Sunday may seem like a way to beat the crowds, but late weekend shoppers will most likely find shelves have been picked over by that time.
One last tip-think outside the box! Think about what you and/or your children will need in the coming seasons or next year, and take advantage of seasonal sales on top of the sales tax exemptions.
For more information on exactly which items make the list for tax exempt status this weekend, visit the South Carolina Department of Revenue’s dedicated Tax Free Weekend website here: https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend
