As Louisiana students prepare to return to classrooms this year, families are doing it without a reinstated back-to-school sales tax holiday that once allowed shoppers to avoid the state portion of sales tax during a designated August weekend.
Policy shift leaves shoppers paying
Lawmakers suspended the state’s suite of sales tax holidays in 2018 amid a budget shortfall and a broader revenue deal. That suspension lasted seven years; while one exemption — the Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday — was later restored under Act 288 of the 2023 Regular Session, the annual August exemption associated with back-to-school shopping has not been returned.
At the same time, the Legislature approved a temporary sales tax structure that resulted in a 5% state sales tax rate enacted in 2024. For Louisiana households budgeting for school supplies and clothing, that change comes while the traditional tax-free weekend remains off the calendar.
How Louisiana compares regionally
Neighboring states have kept the targeted sales tax break alive, offering families temporary exemptions on items such as clothing and school supplies. Examples include:
- Texas — continues to hold annual back-to-school holidays
- Arkansas — maintains sales tax exemption events for certain purchases
- Mississippi — offers a yearly tax-free period for qualifying school items
The contrast is notable for shoppers crossing state lines or comparing the cost of back-to-school shopping regionally.
What Louisiana’s August holiday used to cover
Before the 2018 suspension, Louisiana’s annual sales tax holiday applied to the state portion of sales taxes on the first $2,500 of most individual consumer purchases during a designated August weekend. While frequently associated with school shopping, the exemption applied to a broader range of eligible consumer purchases.
| Holiday | Status |
|---|---|
| Annual August sales tax holiday (back-to-school) | Suspended (not yet restored) |
| Hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday | Suspended (since 2018) |
| Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday | Restored (Act 288, 2023) |
When holidays were suspended in 2018, the state faced lower general sales tax collections early in the fiscal year. The August 2018 Net Receipts Report showed general sales taxes through the first two months of the fiscal year totaled $643 million, a decline of about 3% from the prior year.
What to watch
Lawmakers have previously discussed bringing back a version of the August holiday after the suspension ended, but no reinstatement has been enacted for 2026. For families planning purchases, that means the state sales tax rate remains in effect for routine back-to-school spending unless and until lawmakers act.
Practical considerations for shoppers this season include comparing in-state retail prices, seeking local sales and discounts, and tracking any late legislative action before August that might change the tax treatment of qualifying purchases.
As the session calendar and budget debates continue to shape tax policy, the fate of a reinstated back-to-school holiday will be an item to monitor for families and retailers across Louisiana.
