Tax Free Week 2016 in Connecticut Starts Sunday with Bundles of Back-to-School Savings

Kids and families, start your engines, clip those coupons and get ready to fight the crowds at the mall because it's that time of year again— Connecticut Tax Free Week. Back to school season in Connecticut unofficially begins on Sunday, August 21, 2016 with the state's 16th Annual Tax Free Week which gives parents and caregivers a break at the cash register for certain school-related purchases.

Consumers can make qualifying purchases without paying the state's sales tax, according to the Connecticut Department of Revenue. Qualifying items include clothing and footwear that costs $100 or less. This is a change from previous years in which clothing and footwear that cost $300 or less was subject to the exemption. Tax free week begins at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21 and runs until midnight on Saturday, Aug. 27.

Where can you find the best deals? Most retailers will have sales during tax free week but shoppers can save even more money by downloading apps like Cartwheel from Target or finding coupons online on websites such as RetailMeNot. Download the app to your favorite store(s) before you head out and save big. Check Facebook and Twitter to find special sales that are not publicized elsewhere to save even more.

Moneytips.com suggests collecting coupons from the newspaper and any collection board or online sites. Online coupon links are available from some retailers as well.

Department of Revenue Services (DRS) Commissioner Kevin B. Sullivan said, “The ‘tax holiday’ has become a staple of Connecticut’s back-to-school shopping season. Many retailers schedule sales to coincide with sales tax-free week, which helps shoppers save even more money because sales tax is applied after the use of any coupons or discounts. So while the price of an item may start above the $100 taxable threshold, after discounts are applied, it becomes less than $100 and is not subject to sales tax that week.”

“Connecticut consumers plan their back-to-school shopping and retailers plan some of their best bargains around the annual tax-free week. We hope everyone will take the opportunity to make their shopping dollars go farther and give a boost to our state’s economy,” said Commissioner Sullivan.

The state expects about $4.5 million in Sales and Use Tax exemptions during the August tax holiday week, according to the DRS. On the DRS website at www.ct.gov/drs, visitors can find Information Publication 2015(22), Annual One-Week Sales and Use Tax Exclusion on Clothing and Footwear Costing Less than $100.

Connecticut is one of 16 states offering a tax-free holiday for back-to-school purchases, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators, which said Connecticut began offering the holiday in 2001. According to the National Retail Association, the average family with children in grades K-12 plans to spend $630 on back-to-school shopping while the average college student or college family will spend $899 on back-to-college shopping.

— Graphic created by Wendy Mitchell via PosterMyWall.com