You can save yourself from paying Mississippi’s state sales tax rate of 7% if you purchase certain items during the Mississippi sales tax holiday. Those tax savings can mean a lot for many families, especially considering Mississippi is one of only 13 states that still tax groceries. Unfortunately, groceries aren’t included in the sales tax holiday, but plenty of other items are. Knowing which items you can buy tax-free can help you keep more of your money.
When is the Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday?
The Mississippi sales tax holiday in 2023 only runs for two days. Shoppers can purchase eligible items tax-free from 12:01 AM on July 28 through midnight on July 29.
According to the Mississippi Department of Revenue, the sales tax holiday includes both in-store and online purchases. Purchases made online must be shipped to a Mississippi address.
Tax-Free Weekend in Mississippi: What Purchases Qualify?
Back-to-school items, including school supplies and clothing, qualify for Mississippi’s tax-free weekend. Only individual items under $100 qualify as tax-exempt. However, shoppers can purchase as many eligible items as they wish, even if the total exceeds $100.
Eligible clothing items are not limited to school-age children. For example, baby and adult clothing qualify for the sales tax holiday. While not an exhaustive list, Alabama residents can purchase the following items tax-free during the 2023 sales tax holiday.
- Hats, socks, and undergarments
- Workout clothing and swimsuits
- Shoes and slippers
- Backpacks and lunch boxes
- Jeans and pants
- Shirts and bowties
- Crayons, pencils, pens, and highlighters
- Notebooks, binders, drawing pads, and index cards
- Writing tablets and textbooks
Sales Tax on Electronics in Mississippi
While some states have included electronics such as computers and tablets in their sales tax holidays this year, Mississippi has not. So, Mississippi shoppers will still need to pay sales tax on these purchases, even if the items are purchased during the sales tax holiday.
Back to School Sales and Coupons
The rules for back-to-school sales and coupons are a little tricky for Mississippi’s sales tax holiday. Some deals and coupons can reduce the total price of an item to under $100, which could qualify the purchase for the sales tax holiday. But Mississippi has strict rules for whether the price reduction counts.
- Manufacturer’s coupons that reduce an item’s price to under $100 do not qualify the item for the sales tax holiday.
- Retail coupons that reduce an item’s price to under $100 qualify the item for the sales tax holiday.
- Items put on layaway during the sales tax holiday are not tax-exempt, regardless of price.
Buy-one-get-one (BOGO) sales might qualify an item for the Mississippi sales tax holiday. For example, a buy-one-get-one-free sale on a pair of $120 sneakers would not qualify for the sales tax holiday since one pair is free and the other is not less than $100.
But a buy-one-get-one 50% off sale on the same pair of shoes would qualify one of the pairs. That’s because one pair would be $120, and the other pair would be $60.
