With back-to-school sales already in full swing, the state’s annual Sales Tax-Free Week arrives next week.
The weeklong sales-tax holiday, which began in 2000 and marks its 25th year this year, begins on Sunday, Aug. 17 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 23.
During that week, consumers can buy most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 from retail outlets and not have to pay the state’s 6.35% sales tax. The exemption applies to each eligible item priced under $100, even if the items are all purchased in the same transaction.
The sales tax exemption applies to the price of an item after all discounts have been applied — including coupons, rebates and sales pricing. If a store is offering a “buy-one-get-one-free” deal, the cost of two items cannot be averaged to qualify both for the exemption.
While the state encourages buying clothing and footwear from locally owned retailers, the sales tax holiday also applies to qualifying items purchased online.
There are, however, certain exemptions from the sales tax holiday. A full list of exempt items can be found here.
“Our annual sales tax holiday gives Connecticut consumers some extra savings during the busy back-to-school retail season,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of these savings and, as always, support our many locally owned small businesses.”
According to Lamont’s office, the state estimates it does not collect between $2 million and $3 million from sales tax-free week.
According to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), 18 states have sales tax holidays in 2025, down from 19 in 2024. According to ITEP, states and local governments that offer sales tax holidays will forfeit an estimated $1.3 billion combined.
