Connecticut's Sales Tax Free Week got a lot bigger in 2026: the limit on clothing and shoes tripled from $100 to $300 an item, and school supplies went tax-free for good in July.
August 16–22, 2026
Sunday, August 16 through Saturday, August 22
2027 dates aren't posted yet, but the week is fixed in state law — it always begins the third Sunday in August and runs through the following Saturday, which points to August 15–21, 2027.
Do online orders count?
Yes — buying from an online retailer during the week works exactly like buying in a Connecticut store. What matters is paying in full during the week; delivery can come afterward. Buying beforehand and taking delivery during the week does not qualify.
| Item | Price cap | Tax status |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing under $300 per item, up from $100 in earlier years | $300 | Exempt |
| Footwear sneakers, boots, sandals and dress shoes; running and bicycle shoes with cleats are on the exempt list too | $300 | Exempt |
| Backpacks newly on Connecticut's exempt list for 2026 | $300 | Exempt |
| Uniforms (work, school, scout, sports-team street wear) & graduation caps and gowns | $300 | Exempt |
| Diapers, hosiery, sleepwear & rented formal wear | $300 | Exempt |
| Jewelry, handbags, wallets, luggage, watches & umbrellas carried on the body rather than worn, so they're left out | — | Not exempt |
| Sports-specific shoes (ballet, bowling, football, golf, track, tap, turf) & ice or roller skates | — | Not exempt |
| Sports helmets, shin guards, goggles, wet suits & athletic gloves | — | Not exempt |
| Safety glasses, work gloves & other protective apparel taxed even under $300 | — | Not exempt |
Source: Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, 2026 Connecticut Sales Tax Free Week — the place to check any edge case.
Year-round
No dates to watch — Connecticut made these supplies permanently tax-free starting July 1, 2026.
Do online orders count?
Yes — the exemption is permanent, so it applies online and in stores every day of the year, not just during Sales Tax Free Week.
| Item | Price cap | Tax status |
|---|---|---|
| Pencils, pens, markers, crayons & highlighters | No cap | Exempt |
| Notebooks, composition books, legal pads & paper including copy, graph, construction and poster paper | No cap | Exempt |
| Binders, folders & index cards | No cap | Exempt |
| Glue, tape, scissors, rulers, protractors & compasses | No cap | Exempt |
| Lunch boxes, pencil boxes & pencil sharpeners | No cap | Exempt |
| Erasers & blackboard chalk | No cap | Exempt |
| Electronic versions of any of the above a tablet or a stylus app doesn't stand in for a notebook and pencil | — | Not exempt |
| Supplies bought by or for a business | — | Not exempt |
Source: Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, Policy Statement PS 2026(1) — the place to check any edge case.
Yes. For 2026 the limit on clothing and footwear went to under $300 per item, up from the under-$100 line the state had used for years. Backpacks joined the exempt list at the same time.
Sunday, August 16 through Saturday, August 22, 2026 — Connecticut's 27th. State law sets it as the week starting the third Sunday in August, so it lands in mid-to-late August every year.
Yes, online retailers count the same as Connecticut stores. Pay in full during the week and the item is tax-free even if it's delivered afterward. The reverse doesn't work: paying before the week and receiving it during the week is still taxed.
They don't need to be anymore. Since July 1, 2026, nonelectronic school supplies — pens, pencils, notebooks, folders, glue, lunch boxes and the rest of the state's list — are tax-free all year for personal use, no price limit.
It depends on the shoe. Everyday sneakers, running shoes and bicycle shoes are on Connecticut's exempt list, but ballet, bowling, football, golf, track, tap and turf shoes are taxed even under $300, along with skates and sports helmets.
No. Buy as many qualifying pieces as you like — the $300 line applies to each item on its own, not to your total.
Checked against Connecticut Department of Revenue Services, 2026 Connecticut Sales Tax Free Week on 2026-08-14. See the national calendar for every state's holidays.