South Carolina shoppers can buy school supplies, computers, clothes, shoes and more without paying a sales tax this coming weekend, Aug. 1-3, 2025. (File photo by Getty Images)
South Carolina shoppers can buy school supplies, computers, clothes, shoes and more without paying any sales taxes this coming weekend.
The state’s annual Tax Free Weekend starts Friday and ends Sunday. The tax holiday waives the state’s 6% sales tax as well as local sales taxes, according to the state Department of Revenue.
All but three of South Carolina’s 46 counties have their own sales taxes for local projects. At 9% total, sales taxes are highest in Charleston County and the city of Myrtle Beach.
Non-taxable items include musical instruments, calculators, headphones, printers, computers, computer software and all types of clothing, as well as certain bed and bath items, including bed spreads, sheets, pillows, towels and shower curtains, the department lists as examples on its website. Items that are still taxed as normal include cellphones, digital cameras and video game consoles.
Last year, shoppers bought more than $22.3 million in tax-free items and saved more than $1.3 million in taxes, according to the state tax agency.
Per the law passed in 2000, the 72 hours of savings start at 12:01 a.m. the first Friday in August and continue until midnight Sunday. Online sales of eligible items are included.
The tax break applies to all shoppers, but the law was intended to help parents buy back-to-school items ahead of each new school year. This year, one-quarter of the state’s 72 public school districts will have already resumed classed before the tax holiday.