Gear up for Iowa’s annual tax-free weekend starting Friday

Still need to finish your back-to-school shopping? Save it for Friday and Saturday.

Iowans will have an opportunity to save on clothing during Iowa’s Sales Tax Holiday. The Iowa Department of Revenue requires businesses selling shoes and clothing to exempt certain items from sales tax.

The yearly event happens the first Friday and Saturday of August and allows shoppers to save on wearable items while back-to-school shopping. The savings will be available from 12:01 a.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

There are some exemptions to the sales-tax reprieve: Sales tax will still be applied in full if an item is priced $100 or higher, and not all wearables will be exempt from sales tax. According to the Department of Revenue, “clothing” does not include watches, jewelry, sporting equipment, skis, roller blades, any special clothing or footwear designed primarily for athletic activity or protective use, and more.

Visit the Iowa Department of Revenue website at tax.iowa.gov/iowas-annual-sales-tax-holiday for a full list of exceptions and rules.

School supplies like pencils, folders and notebooks will still be subject to sales tax.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.