Maryland Sales Tax-Free Shopping Week 2018: Dates, What Qualifies

ANNAPOLIS, MD — We know it's not even August, family vacations are in full swing, trips to the shore are under way, and nobody wants to think about school yet. But it's time to start making a list of all the clothes, shoes, backpacks and other supplies your kids will need, because the dates for Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week are coming up fast. Along with sales tax waived on everything from jeans and shorts to shoes and dresses, part of the sales price of a backpack is also tax-free during the special week.

This year's Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week runs from Sunday, Aug. 12, through Saturday, Aug. 18, says the Maryland comptroller's office. That means qualifying clothing and footwear sold for $100 or less, per item, is exempt from the 6 percent state sales tax. Accessory items are not included, with the exception of backpacks, a staple of student life; the first $40 toward the cost of a backpack or bookbag is also tax-free.

The state has a detailed list of what is taxable and what is exempt from Maryland's sales tax that week. (See full list at bottom of story.)

While school uniforms, shirts, shoes, flip-flops, athletic socks, caps and hats, bathing suits, gloves, mittens and underwear are tax exempt, you might be surprised that pajamas, cloth diapers and bathrobes are also exempt that week. Many medical items such as adult diapers and braces are exempt, along with golf clothes, bowling shoes and shirts, martial arts uniforms and sports uniforms.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Other items on many back-to-school shopping lists — sports cleats, baseball and lacrosse gloves, and football and lacrosse shoulder pads — all remain taxable that week.

According to the state comptroller, the Maryland legislature established the tax-free week as an annual observance from the second Sunday of the month to the subsequent Saturday.

For more information, call 800-MD-TAXES, (410) 260-7980 from central Maryland, e-mail shopmaryland@comp.state.md.us, or visit the comptroller's website to read the full list.

Image via Shutterstock