Texas Tax-Free weekend starts Friday

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston-area school districts are preparing to return to the classroom, which means it's time for the annual back-to-school Tax-Free weekend.

When is this year's Tax-Free weekend?

The 2026 back-to-school Tax-Free weekend runs Friday, Aug. 7 through midnight on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Where can I shop during Tax-Free weekend?

You can shop for items in-store, online, by telephone, mail, or custom order. But you have to make the purchase during the specific time period of the back-to-school Tax-Free weekend.

What items qualify?

Shoppers can save money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks that are less than $100.

For a full list of clothing items, click here.

Eligible school supplies include:

• Backpacks (including backpacks with wheels and messenger bags)
• Binders
• Blackboard chalk
• Book bags
• Calculators
• Cellophane tape
• Compasses
• Composition books
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Folders (expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila)
• Glue, paste and paste sticks
• Highlighters
• Index cards
• Index card boxes
• Legal pads
• Lunch boxes
• Markers (including dry erase markers)
• Notebooks
• Paper (loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper)
• Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
• Pencil sharpeners
• Pencils
• Pens
• Protractors
• Rulers
• Scissors
• Writing tablets

What items don't qualify?

• Items sold for $100 or more
• Computers
• Software
• Textbooks
• Clothing subscription boxes
• Framed backpacks
• Luggage
• Briefcases
• Athletic, duffle or gym bags
• Handbags and purses
• Computer bags
• Most accessories including barrettes, bobby pins, hair bows, jewelry, watches
• Clothing repair and fabric items including thread, buttons, lace, patterns, tapes, iron-on patches
• Sports accessories including baseball cleats, football pads and pants, gloves, helmets