Wisconsin’s Upcoming Sales Tax Holiday

To help ease the financial burden of the “Back to School” season on Wisconsin families, the Wisconsin Legislature has decided to institute a one-time “sales tax holiday” on certain items.  While the intention of this holiday is to help with school supply expenses, the exemption for these items is available to anyone making purchases in Wisconsin during this time.
Beginning August 1^st, 2018 and continuing through August 5^th, the following items will not be subject to Wisconsin’s 5% sales tax. 

Clothing items with a sales price of $75 or less

Personal computers with a sales price of $750 or less

Certain school-related computer supplies with a sales price of $250 or less

School supplies, if the sales price of any single item is $75 or less

The exemption applies to each individual item under the amounts listed above, so if a customer bought 2 pairs of jeans for a total of $100, they would not be subject to tax because the per-unit cost was under $75. 

The sales price amount is the actual purchase price of an item (sales, coupons and credits included).  The exemption does not apply to layaway purchases unless they are paid for and delivered during the sales tax holiday.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has released a list of items specifically exempt from tax during this time linked here.  It is important to note that some items, such as sports equipment and cell phones, are specifically omitted from this list, and thus subject to tax.