Wisconsin: Does the state have a sales-tax-free weekend?
Wisconsin has no sales tax holiday now; its only one was a five-day back-to-school holiday in August 2018.
Wisconsin's state sales tax is 5%, and many counties add a local tax. The state's first and only sales tax holiday ran August 1 to 5, 2018, and covered school supplies, clothing, and computers, with both state and local tax waived. No holiday has been held since, and a national tax administrators' survey lists none for 2026.
What the law says
Families with children and all Wisconsinites had an opportunity to save more money on taxes during the first ever sales tax holiday in Wisconsin, which began August 1 and ran through August 5. During this time, state and local sales tax was not charged on school supplies where each item was $75 or less, clothing where each item was $75 or less, computers where each item was $750 or less and computer supplies where each item was $250 or less.
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Sales Tax Holiday and Child Sales Tax Rebate (August 6, 2018) Official · revenue.wi.gov
- Wis. Stat. § 77.52 Official · docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
- Federation of Tax Administrators: 2026 Sales Tax Holidays Secondary · taxadmin.org
- Wisconsin DOR: County and stadium tax rates FAQ Official · revenue.wi.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue
- Website
- revenue.wi.gov
How bordering states compare
- Illinois Has a tax-free periodIllinois held a one-time back-to-school sales tax holiday from August 7 to 16, 2026, cutting the state rate to 1.25%.
- Iowa Has a tax-free periodIowa holds a yearly sales tax holiday on the first Friday and Saturday of August for clothing and footwear under $100.
- Michigan No tax-free periodNo. Michigan charges a 6% sales tax and state law sets no sales tax holiday.
- Minnesota No tax-free periodNo. Minnesota charges a 6.5% state sales tax and has no sales tax holiday in law.