BRENTWOOD, Mo. — Get your school supply lists out and get ready to save. A tax-free holiday weekend in Missouri is happening right now.
The back-to-school sales tax holiday began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2, and will end at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4. All qualifying purchases made in-store or online during this time will be exempt from all state and local sales taxes.
"We're having a 'yes' day," said Francis Howell Central High School teacher Shannon Carlson.
Tax-free shopping on clothing, technology and school supplies makes this weekend the perfect time to have a "yes" day.
The Brentwood Promenade parking lot stayed packed all day on Friday as parents were school shopping with their kids from pre-school to law school. Many tech lovers were taking advantage of the tax-free holiday as well.
"You don't feel it until you check out, and you're like, 'Oh, that's how much I would have paid in taxes.' And it makes you feel a little bit better. Because it's a lot of money for three kids to go to school," Carlson said.
We all know back-to-school shopping can get expensive, and up until Sunday evening, school supplies not exceeding $50 per purchase are tax-free.
Each item must be less than $100 for clothing, while graphing calculators cannot be more than $150.
Carlson says this weekend is also an excellent time to pick up some items on your teachers' lists.
"I teach business classes, so my classes are pretty much computer-oriented. So we don't need a ton of supplies. I know that my English teacher friends really rely on people supporting them and their wish lists because books and stuff are usually costly for them," the teacher said.
Kevin Stephens and his wife Anne drove from Florida and made a supply stop at Target for their son, who is a new Saint Louis University Law student. To their surprise, they got to save money in the process.
"We're buying a lot of things. So any break we can get at that cost is certainly helpful. We're happy we came to town on the tax-free weekend as we set up our college student for success in his first apartment. Anything that makes it a little cheaper and more affordable for us is welcome," Kevin said.
A Missouri law that went into effect last year prevents cities, counties, and special tax districts from charging local sales tax on qualifying items.
"I remember shopping during Missouri's tax-free weekend in 2020. I felt a little disappointed that they didn't take advantage of it. I mean, you don't realize until the end, and then you see, and you're like, 'Oh, I could have saved this much money.' And it was kind of a bummer that they didn't do it," Carlson said.
Before that, municipalities like Brentwood opted out and still charged their local taxes.
"If they opt out of it, then I think it hurts their business because I'm going to go somewhere they accept it. So it's good that they make it mandatory statewide," said shopper Ross Oppenborn.
When it comes to tech, personal computers and devices like keyboards, printers, monitors, and microphones are exempt if it does not exceed $1,500.
Oppenborn said he's loving this holiday because he saved $60 on taxes.
"I wanted to buy an iPad for probably a month and a half and then realized the tax-free weekend was coming up. So I came and got it," he said.
You don't have to be a Missouri resident to enjoy this tax-free holiday weekend. Even if you live out of state, anyone who comes to Missouri can take advantage of the savings.
For additional information on the sales tax holiday, click here.