Alabama’s tax-free weekends in 2026 fall on February 20–22 for severe weather preparedness and July 17–19 for back-to-school shopping. During each three-day window, the state waives its four-percent sales tax on qualifying items within set price caps.1Alabama Department of Revenue. 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Fact Sheet2Alabama Department of Revenue. 2026 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday Fact Sheet Both holidays start at 12:01 a.m. Friday and end at midnight Sunday.
Whether your total bill drops to zero depends on where you shop. The state portion is always waived, but local city and county taxes are only waived if the local government has opted in.
Back-to-School Weekend: What Qualifies
Every price cap went up for 2026 to reflect cost-of-living adjustments.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 810-6-3-.65 – Sales Tax Holiday For Back-To-School Four categories qualify:
- Clothing at $156 or less per item. Shirts, pants, shoes, coats, and similar everyday apparel. The cap applies per piece, so you can buy as many as you want if each one stays at or below $156.
- School supplies at $78 or less per item. Notebooks, binders, pens, calculators, art supplies, and instructional materials.
- Books at $47 or less per book. Most required reading and reference books qualify; magazines and newspapers don’t.
- Computers and software at $1,173 or less per single purchase. Laptops, desktops, tablets, printers, and educational software can be bundled into one transaction under this cap, for personal or educational use only.
The caps are strict thresholds, not deductions. A clothing item priced at $157 is taxed on the full $157, not just the extra dollar. Items normally sold as a pair, like shoes, can’t be split apart to get each shoe under the cap.4Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 40 Chapter 23 Section 40-23-211 Same logic for the computer bundle: exceed $1,173 by a dollar and the entire purchase becomes taxable.
What the Back-to-School Holiday Doesn’t Cover
Clothing accessories are excluded even under $156: handbags, jewelry, watches, and non-prescription sunglasses. Protective gear like hard hats and tool belts is also out. Anything purchased for use in a trade or business is taxable regardless of price.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 810-6-3-.65 – Sales Tax Holiday For Back-To-School
Severe Weather Preparedness Weekend: What Qualifies
The February holiday covers two tiers of emergency supplies.5Alabama Department of Revenue. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 810-6-3-.66 – Sales Tax Holiday For Severe Weather Preparedness
General emergency supplies qualify at $94 or less per item:
- Batteries from AAA through 9-volt (but not car or boat batteries)
- Flashlights, lanterns, and emergency glow sticks
- Weather radios and two-way radios
- Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers
- Tarps, plastic sheeting, and duct tape
- Plywood and window-protection materials
- Non-electric coolers and water storage containers
- First aid kits, reusable ice packs, and non-electric can openers
- Ground anchor systems, tie-down kits, bungee cords, and rope
- Gas or diesel fuel containers
- Cell phone batteries and chargers
Portable generators and the power cords needed to run them qualify at a much higher cap: $1,564 or less per item. At the state rate alone, that saves over $60 near the cap. The same all-or-nothing rule applies. A generator priced at $1,565 gets no exemption.
Local Sales Taxes: The Catch
Alabama cities and counties charge their own sales taxes on top of the state’s four percent, and those local rates are not automatically waived during either holiday. Each local government has to formally adopt a resolution or ordinance opting in, well before the weekend.6Alabama Department of Revenue. Sales Tax Holidays
If your city or county participates, qualifying purchases are fully tax-free. If not, you still pay the local portion. Local rates in Alabama can add several percentage points, so the difference matters. The Alabama Department of Revenue publishes a list of participating jurisdictions before each holiday. Check yours before assuming zero tax at the register.
Online Orders, Layaway, and Timing
Online and mail-order purchases can qualify, but both payment and delivery must happen during the holiday weekend. Order Friday and receive the package the following week and you owe tax on it. Pre-orders placed before the holiday still qualify if the delivery lands inside the three-day window.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 810-6-3-.65 – Sales Tax Holiday For Back-To-School
Layaway works the same way. Final payment and physical possession both have to happen during the holiday. Putting something on layaway months earlier doesn’t lock in the exemption, and finishing your payments after Sunday at midnight means paying full tax.
In-store shopping is simpler: if the item rings up during the holiday period, it’s covered.
Coupons, Bundles, and Getting the Math Right
Manufacturer coupons and store discounts work in your favor. If a coupon brings a $160 jacket down to $150 at the register, the $150 post-coupon price is what counts against the $156 clothing cap, so the jacket qualifies. Buy-one-get-one deals are less generous: each item’s individual price determines eligibility, not the blended average across the two.
The $1,173 computer cap applies to the whole bundled purchase, so a laptop, printer, and software rung up together are exempt if the total stays at or below the cap. Cross the line by any amount and the full transaction becomes taxable, which makes it worth checking your cart total carefully before checkout.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Rule 810-6-3-.65 – Sales Tax Holiday For Back-To-School