It’s time once again for Mississippi residents to save some cash: The state’s annual back-to-school tax holiday is this weekend. Savvy shoppers can buy clothing, school supplies, and other qualifying items while forgoing the state’s 7% sales tax rate during the holiday.
And this year, there’s an added incentive to start shopping — Amazon Prime Day overlaps with Mississippi’s sales tax-free weekend.
Read on for what’s included in the Mississippi tax holiday for 2025.
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When is the Mississippi tax-free weekend?
Mississippi is celebrating its 17th annual back-to-school tax holiday from Friday, July 11th, through Sunday, July 13th.
During this time, many school supplies and articles of clothing are exempt from Mississippi’s 7% sales tax rate. This means that, for every $100 you spend, you’ll save roughly $7 in state taxes on eligible items.
What does the Mississippi tax-free weekend include?
The sales tax holiday includes many back-to-school items, like clothing and supplies, under a specific dollar amount. Qualifying purchases of $100 (per item) will be exempt from Mississippi state taxes during the holiday.
Here is a sample list of eligible items included in the Mississippi back-to-school tax-free weekend:
- Backpacks, book bags, and lunch boxes.
- Writing tablets and calculators.
- Textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and pens.
- Shirts, shorts, jeans, and pants.
- Most shoes, dresses, jackets, and sweaters.
- Work clothes, workout clothes, and gym uniforms.
- Scout uniforms and children’s novelty costumes (for a school play, Halloween dress up, etc.).
What’s not included in the Mississippi tax-free weekend 2025?
While many eligible items are included in the upcoming state tax holiday in Mississippi, several are excluded.
Here are a few items you cannot buy state tax-free during the 2025 Mississippi tax-free weekend:
- Most electronics, including computers, printers, and phones.
- Makeup and hair accessories, like headbands, bows, and clips.
- Belt buckles, jewelry, and watches.
- Briefcases, luggage, wallets, and purses.
- Diapers and baby bibs.
- Sports equipment like helmets, sports pads, shin guards, and cleats.
- Items used for creating clothes, including cloth, lace, knitting yarns, fabrics, thread, buttons, etc.
For a full list of eligible and ineligible items, see the state’s Department of Revenue website.
When does Amazon Prime Day end in Mississippi?
Online purchases may qualify for Mississippi’s sales tax holiday weekend, but generally must be shipped to a Mississippi address to qualify. Additionally, the purchases must be made during the tax-free period (July 11th through July 13th).
Online retailers like Amazon honor state sales tax holidays. However, the retailer explains on its website that “tax may still be calculated on items if they do not qualify, which can include items over a certain threshold, bundles, or specific items that are not included in the holiday.”
Amazon Prime Day 2025 ends on July 11th. This leaves one day of overlap for Mississippi customers who shop the state sales tax holiday to buy Amazon Prime Day deals.
*Note: Shipping and handling charges are not included in the $100 threshold.
2025 Back-to-school sales and deals
Store sales and discounts may be eligible for the tax-free weekend in Mississippi, but there are strict rules governing which items are eligible.
For instance, the following circumstances would not allow you to purchase items state sales tax free during the Mississippi tax holiday:
- “Buy one, get one” sales — you cannot average two items together to qualify for the $100 total. For instance, if you buy one item for $110 and another item for half off, at $55, sales tax is still due on the first item.
- Manufacturers’ coupons that reduce an item’s price below the $100 limit don’t qualify for the sales tax holiday.
- Items put on layaway can’t be purchased exempt from state taxes during the Mississippi tax holiday weekend.
However, other sales and store discounts may be eligible for tax-exempt status. For instance, if you purchase an item at 50% off for $60, that purchase would be exempt from state taxes.