Back-to-school shopping season is here and that means states across the country are preparing to launch their annual state sales tax holidays. That means you can save some serious cash on our selection of new and used Macs and iPads, as well as docks, drives, and more here on MacSales.com.
A few things to keep in mind before you shop:
- Tax savings may not show up during checkout, but will be reflected on your final receipt.
- Eligible orders generally must ship to an in-state address to qualify.
- Every state sets its own rules on eligible product categories and price caps. And the price caps can vary by a wide margin, so check the state-by-state specifics we’ve laid out below before you buy.
Here’s a state-by-state breakdown of this year’s tax-free windows. We’ve ordered them by start date for each sales tax holiday window.
Alabama: July 17 – 19, 2026
Personal-use orders for computers, computer software, and school computer supplies qualify, with a cap of $1,173 per item.
More information is available at alabama.gov.
Florida: July 20 – August 20, 2026
Florida’s holiday runs a full month, the longest on this list. Personal computers and computer-related accessories qualify for personal-use orders, capped at $1,500 per item.
More information is available at floridarevenue.com.
New Mexico: July 31 – August 2, 2026
Desktops, notebooks, and tablets qualify for personal-use orders up to $1,000 per item. Monitors, printers, speakers, microphones, and mice qualify separately for personal-use orders under $500.
More information is available at newmexico.gov.
Tennessee: July 31 – August 2, 2026
Personal-use orders for computers, desktops, notebooks, and tablets qualify, with a cap of $1,500 per item.
More information is available at tn.gov.
West Virginia: July 31 – August 3, 2026
Desktops, notebooks, and tablets qualify for personal-use orders, capped at $500 per item.
More information is available at wv.gov.
Arkansas: August 1 – 2, 2026
Personal-use orders for all electronic devices “commonly used by a students in the course of study” qualify for this holiday.
More information is available at arkansas.gov.
Missouri: August 7 – 9, 2026
Personal computers and computer peripheral devices qualify for personal-use orders under $1,500.
More information is available at mo.gov.
South Carolina: August 7 – 9, 2026
Computers, parts, and accessories qualify for personal-use orders, with no listed price cap.
More information is available at sc.gov.
Massachusetts: August 8 – 9, 2026
Massachusetts offers the broadest exemption on this list: personal-use orders under $2,500 qualify across all items, not just computers and electronics.
More information is available at mass.gov.
Making the Most of Your Tax-Free Window
If you’re in one of these states, a sales tax holiday is a great time to knock out upgrades you’ve been putting off. Do note that peripherals and accessories like external drives, docks, memory cards, and memory card readers often fall under the “computer accessories” or “computer peripherals” categories that many of these states exempt, so it’s worth checking your state’s specific rules to see what qualifies alongside a new computer or tablet purchase.
Whether you’re outfitting a student with new storage for schoolwork and creative projects, adding a dock to turn a laptop into a full desktop setup, or buying your student their first Mac or iPad, timing the purchase to your state’s tax-free window is an easy way to stretch your budget a little further this school year. And with our selection of used Macs, you stretch those savings even further.
