Pennsylvania · PA · Money & taxes
Pennsylvania: Does the state have a sales-tax-free weekend?
No tax-free period
Pennsylvania has a 6% sales tax but no sales tax holiday. Most clothing is exempt all year.
Pennsylvania exempts most clothing, along with grocery food and textbooks, all year, which lowers the case for a back-to-school holiday. The Department of Revenue's sales tax page mentions no tax-free period, and no holiday was found in state law. Allegheny County and Philadelphia add local sales tax on top of the state rate.
What the law says
The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6 percent. ... Major items exempt from the tax include food (not ready-to-eat); candy and gum; most clothing; textbooks;
Sources
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax Official · pa.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
- Website
- pa.gov
How bordering states compare
- Delaware No state sales taxDelaware has no state or local sales tax, so there is no sales tax holiday.
- Maryland Has a tax-free periodMaryland has two yearly holidays: a tax-free week for clothing in August and an Energy Star weekend in February.
- New Jersey No tax-free periodNo. New Jersey repealed its annual back-to-school sales tax holiday in 2024, so none was held in 2026.
- New York No tax-free periodNew York has no sales tax holiday. Instead, clothing and footwear under $110 are exempt from state sales tax all year.
- Ohio Has a tax-free periodOhio holds a back-to-school sales tax holiday every year on the first weekend of August.
- West Virginia Has a tax-free periodWest Virginia holds a yearly four-day back-to-school sales tax holiday around the first weekend of August.
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