NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee's annual tax-free holiday has officially gotten underway, however this year, the state approved two other sales holidays.
The holidays are aimed to help Tennesseans ahead of the upcoming school year and bolster the state's hospitality industry.
Last year, lawmakers approved two similar sales tax holiday weekends as a way to support the economy amid the pandemic. It included the traditional tax-free weekend on clothing and school supplies, but added a second weekend focusing on food and drink sales.
Clothing, School Supplies and Computers
From Friday, July 30 through Sunday, August 1, clothing and school supplies priced under $100 and computers priced under $1,500 will be exempt from sales tax. This also includes online purchases.
What's included:
- General apparel that costs $100 or less such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes or dresses
- School and art supplies costing $100 or less per item such as binders, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, rulers, glazes, clay paints, drawing pads and artist paintbrushes
- Computers for personal use costing $1,500 or less
- Laptop computers and tablet computers costing $1,500 or less
What's not included:
- Jewelry
- Handbags
- Sports and recreational equipment
- Storage media like flash drives and compact discs
- Individually purchases software
- Printer supplies
- Household appliances
Food, Food Ingredients and Prepared Food
From Friday, July 30 through Thursday, August 5, food, food ingredients and prepared food will be exempt from sales tax. This will include sales at grocery stores, restaurants and food trucks.
What's included:
- Food items sold in a heated state or heated by the seller
- Food items containing two or more ingredients mixed together by the seller as a single item or are sold with eating utensils
- Food and food ingredients sold to be ingested or chewed by humans that are consumed for taste or nutritional value
What's not included:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco
- Candy
- Dietary supplements
Gun Safes and Safety Equipment
Tennessee will offer a year-long tax exemption for gun safes and specified gun safety devices sold at retail stores. This exemption will last from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
For more information on the sale tax holidays, click here.
