SAN ANTONIO — This year's tax-free weekend is underway, and shoppers are already crowding into stores across Texas to snag a deal.
This year, the holiday runs until midnight Sunday, so you still have time to take home some goodies without paying the sales tax.
"They need paper and notebooks and folders and binders," said Katsy Joiner, referring to the school supplies she's looking to get for her two girls. "Probably $150 per child is what I spend."
Face masks, backpacks and school supplies are all tax-free through Sunday. Lots of school supplies like crayons, calculators, highlighters, glue sticks, notebooks, pencils, erasers and school kits are all tax-free.
While there is no limit on the quantity of school supplies in a kit, the only way the kit is tax free is if the value of the exempt items is more than the taxable ones.
Clothes are also on sale, which means students can snag like jogging clothes, socks, sneakers, chef uniforms, jackets, jeans and a robe for their dorm. Keep in mind that for an item to qualify, the price on the tag must be $100.
State officials are urging all taxpayers shopping this weekend to practice appropriate social distancing as described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the sales tax holiday. Stores are expected to be busy.
If a crowded store isn't your thing, you can take advantage of tax-free weekend online as long as the item is both delivered and paid for by the customer over the next three days. Or, the tax exemption also applies if you order the item and the seller accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment.
The same goes for phone orders, even if the delivery is made after tax-free weekend.
"This is kind of one of those expenses that you can't get away with," Joiner said. "They always need back-to-school clothes. They always need back to school supplies. And it always falls at the same time of the year."
For the complete list of tax-exempt school supplies, click here. For the complete list of tax-exempt clothing, click here.