Shop & stock up during the Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday

The annual Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday begins Friday and here is your guide to what is tax-free… and what is not.

The 2019 tax-free weekend begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 26 and ends Sunday, July 28 at 11:59 p.m. This is an annual event intended to help families stretch their dollar when doing back to school shopping. However, anyone can enjoy shopping for items included on the tax-free list. Only businesses are prohibited from buying items for business or trade use.

There is no limit to the number of tax-free items that may be bought. Purchases made from Tennessee retailers qualify. Purchases made through email, phone, and internet retailers such as Amazon qualify if the purchase is made during the Sales Tax Holiday period and those items are to be delivered into Tennessee, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. The Tennessee Department of Revenue has a FAQ page.

The Sevier County Sheriffs Office is taking advantage of the Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday to partner with the Sevierville Police Department for a school supply drive benefitting Sevier County schools. They are calling the event “Cram a Cruiser” and hope to do just that! If you’d like to donate school supplies, officers will be at the Walmart Supercenter on the Parkway in Sevierville from 12 noon until 4 p.m. on Friday, July 26.

What is tax exempt during the Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday?

Apparel that costs $100 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, jackets, socks, shoes, dresses, hats, uniforms

Diapers

School supplies that cost $100 or less per item, including binders, textbooks, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, rulers

Art supplies that cost $100 or less per item, including art glazes, clay, paints, drawing pads, paintbrushes

Computers with a purchase price of $1,500 or less, including desktops, laptops and tablets

Alphabetical list of all tax-exempt items that cost $100 or less per item:

• Aerobic clothing
• Antique clothing (for wear)
• Aprons/Clothing shields
• Athletic socks
• Baby clothes
• Baby diapers
• Baby receiving blankets
• Backpacks
• Bandanas
• Bathing suits
• Belts
• Bibs
• Binders
• Blackboard Chalk
• Blouses
• Book Bags
• Boots, general purpose (winter, dress, cowboy, hiking)
• Bow Ties
• Bowling Shirts
• Bras
• Bridal Gowns and Bridal Veils
• Calculators
• Camp Clothing
• Caps
• Cellophane Tape
• Chalk
• Chef Uniforms
• Choir and Altar Clothing
• Clay
• Clerical Vestments
• Clothing
• Coats
• Compasses
• Composition Books
• Computers, Notebooks, Laptops, and Tablets
• Corsets and Corset Laces
• Costumes, including novelty children’s costumes
• Coveralls
• Cowboy Boots
• Crayons
• Diapers – (adult and baby, cloth or disposable)
• Dress Gloves and Shoes
• Dresses
• Ear Muffs
• Erasers
• Folders – expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila
• Formal Clothing, purchased
• Galoshes
• Garters/Garter Belts
• Girdles, Bras, and Corsets
• Glazes
• Gloves
• Glue, Paste, and Paste Sticks
• Golf Clothing (caps, dresses, shirts, skirts, pants)
• Graduation Caps and Gowns, purchased
• Gym Suits and Uniforms
• Hats, general purpose: cowboy, baseball, knit
• Highlighters
• Hiking boots
• Hooded Shirts and Sweatshirts
• Hosiery
• Index Card Boxes
• Index Cards
• Jackets
• Jeans
• Jerseys, sports
• Jogging Apparel
• Jogging Bras
• Knitted Caps and Hats
• Lab Coats
• Leather Clothing
• Leg Warmers
• Legal Pads
• Leotards
• Lingerie
• Lunch Boxes
• Markers
• Mittens
• Neckties
• Neckwear, including ties and scarves
• Nightgowns and Night Shirts
• Notebooks
• Overalls
• Overshoes and Rubber Shoes
• Pads, sketch and drawing
• Paintbrushes, for artwork
• Paints, acrylic, tempera, and oil
• Pajamas
• Pants
• Paper – loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper
• Pencil Boxes
• Pencil Sharpeners
• Pencils
• Pens
• Ponchos
• Poster Board
• Prom dresses
• Protractors
• Raincoats, Rain Hats, and Ponchos
• Religious Clothing
• Robes
• Rubber Thongs, Flip-Flops
• Rulers
• Running Shoes, Without Cleats
• Sandals
• Scarves
• School Art Supplies
• School supplies
• School Supply Boxes
• School Uniforms
• Scissors
• Scout uniforms
• Shawls and Wraps
• Shirts
• Shoe Inserts
• Shoe Laces
• Shoes
• Shorts
• Ski masks
• Ski suits
• Slacks
• Sleepwear, Nightgowns, Pajamas
• Slippers
• Slips
• Sneakers
• Socks (including athletic)
• Stockings
• Suits, Slacks, Jackets, and Sport Coats
• Support Hose
• Suspenders
• Sweat Suits
• Sweaters
• Sweatshirts
• Swimsuits
• Tablet Computer
• Tennis skirts, dresses, shoes
• Thongs
• Textbooks
• Ties/Neckwear
• Tights
• Trousers
• T-shirts
• Tuxedos, purchased
• Undergarments, including long johns
• Underwear
• Uniforms
• Veils
• Vests, except hunting and water
• Walking shoes
• Watercolors
• Wedding Gowns
• Windbreakers
• Workbooks
• Writing Tablets

What is NOT tax exempt during the Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday?

Apparel, school supplies and art supplies that cost more than $100 per item

Accessories such as jewelry and handbags

Sports and recreation equipment

Computers that cost more than $1,500

Computer parts such as keyboards, monitors and software, when sold separately from a CPU.

Storage media

Video game consoles and games

Electronic readers such as Kindles, Nooks, etc.

Cell phones

Alphabetical list of items NOT tax exempt:

• Belt Buckles
• Belts, tool
• Boots, ski
• Breathing Masks
• Bridal apparel, other than gowns or veils
• Briefcases
• Cell Phones, including smartphones
• Clothing Accessories or Equipment
• Compact Disks
• Computer Software
• Computer Storage Media
• Cosmetics
• Diskettes
• Electronic Readers
• Electronic Schedulers
• Emblems
• Fabric
• Face Shields
• Fins, swim
• Glasses, safety
• Globes
• Gloves, protective or welders’
• Gloves, sports
• Goggles, safety
• Goggles, sports
• Guards, sports hand, elbow, mouth, shin
• Hair Notions
• Handbags
• Hard Hats
• Hearing Protectors
• Helmets
• Jewelry
• Jump Drives
• Leased Items
• Maps
• Paintbrushes, other
• Paints, other
• Patches
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
• Printer Ink
• Printer Paper
• Printer Supplies
• Printers
• Protective Equipment
• Reference Books
• Reference Maps
• Rented Items
• Respirators, paint or dust
• School Computer Supplies
• School Instructional Material
• Sewing Equipment & Supplies
• Sewing Materials
• Shoes, ballet or tap
• Shoes, cleated or spiked
• Shoulder Pads for Dresses, Jackets, etc.
• Shoulder Pads, sports
• Skates, roller and ice
• Ski Boots
• Skin Diving Suits
• Smart Phones
• Sport or Recreational Equipment
• Sunglasses
• Telephones
• Thread
• Thumb Drives
• Tool Belts
• Trade or Business, items used in
• Umbrellas
• Video Game Consoles
• Wallets
• Watches
• Welders’ Gloves
• Wetsuits
• Yarn
• Zippers