CT Sales Tax Holiday 2022: Dates, Savings, Eligible Items

CONNECTICUT — The annual summer sales tax-free week will run from Sunday Aug. 21 through Saturday Aug. 27 this year.

Many clothing and footwear items sold for under $100 won’t incur the typical 6.35 percent sales tax. Timing for tax-free week is enshrined in state law and coincides with back-to-school shopping.

The state Department of Revenue Services keeps a list of qualified items. Lingerie under $100 qualifies for a tax break, but lobster bibs don’t. Oddly, leotards qualify for the tax break, but ballet shoes don't. DRS explicitly states that potholders don't qualify for the tax-break, but it's unclear if anyone actually tried to use them as a clothing item.

“This is the second weeklong sales tax holiday the state is holding this year, and it is scheduled right at back-to-school season to help families stretch their dollar a little bit more during this busy time, while also giving businesses an extra boost to their bottom line,” Governor Lamont said in a statement

Connecticut held an extra tax-free week in April this year in an effort to help families with inflation. It was part of a law that also suspended the state’s 25-cent gas tax and provided free bus service.

Connecticut families typically save about $4 million during tax-free week, DRS Commissioner Mark Boughton said earlier this year.

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Total back-to-school spending in the United States is expected to match 2021’s record high of $37 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items, approximately $15 more than last year.

Back-to-school spending has increased dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, as families adjusted to changes from virtual and hybrid learning. Compared to 2019, back-to-school shoppers are expected to spend $168 more on average, according to the National Retail Federation.