Shopping Sales Tax Holiday

The first Friday in August kicks off the annual sales tax holiday weekend in the state of South Carolina.  By shopping during those 72 hours, you can save a chunk of change on items you generally purchase this time of year, plus many others as well.  

2024 marks the 25th year that South Carolina has offered this special tax break time.  Sources say it’s the second best shopping weekend, topped only by Black Friday.  This year, it takes place starting Friday, August 4th through midnight on Sunday, August 6th.

You’ll save the state sales tax (which, in South Carolina, is 6%), as well as local taxes.  Here in Charleston County, that’s an additional 3%.  So by shopping during that weekend, you can save a whopping 9%.

That really adds up, when you consider what the average family with school-age children spends annually on back-to-school supplies.

For those with kids ages K-12, the average has been around $685.  For college-aged kids, it’s $942.  During a recent tally, the National Retail Federation estimated the total spent would be a cool $82.8 billion nationwide.  That’s a whole lotta pencils and glue sticks!

The entire list of what qualifies and what doesn’t is HUGE.  Basically, in a nutshell, you won’t have to pay any sales tax on the following items:

• School supplies;
• Computers;
• Printers;
• Computer software;
• Calculators;
• Book bags;
• Clothes and accessories (including custom made clothing, wedding dresses, wetsuits, doggie sweaters, swimsuits, hunting apparel and ski clothes);
• Footwear (including shoes, boots, flip flops, slippers, cleats, dance shoes, ice skates, ski boots, hunting boots and more);
• Bedspreads and linens (sheets, towels, etc.);
• Bath mats and shower curtains;
• Diapers (for babies and adults).

NOTE: the following items are not included in the sale tax holiday  ---  cosmetics, eyewear, furniture, jewelry, watches, wallets, bicycles, appliances, scanners, monitors not purchased in a package with a computer, and smartphones.

By the way, you do NOT have to prove you are a student (or have one in your household) to get the discount.  Just shop away, and the tax should not be charged automatically, based on what you're purchasing.  Check the SC Department of Revenue’s online document for the whole list of what’s included.  This also applies to online shopping as well.  

Sales tax holiday weekend is a perfect time to go shopping for clothes, shoes and computers, whatever your educational status or age.  In 2022, shoppers in South Carolina purchased $26.2 million of tax-free items during the 72-hour period.

There's plenty of top notch shopping near the Isle of Palms.  Just head over the IOP Connector and hit Towne Centre in Mount Pleasant for some convenient options.