As holidays go, the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday may not be on par with the likes of Christmas, Halloween, or even Presidents Day (when else can you save 50% on a mattress?). But for shoppers with students in the family, the third weekend in July can be a popular one thanks to the Alabama Department of Revenue. Parents and students save on sales tax on items like clothing, computers, supplies, and more. For 2019, Alabama's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is July 19-21.

Did you know that Alabama has the 8th highest sales tax in the US? Thus, the chance to skip the sales tax in preparation for the new school year should not be overlooked. Parents can save an average of $50 per kid! On top of that, many stores have additional sales and deals for even more savings.

To find out which items are exempt from city, county (list of participating localities) and state sales taxes, you can view the reference sheet on Alabama's website, but here are some popular items:

• Clothing ($100 or less per item) – such as school uniforms, jeans, gloves, and shoes - note that this year, Alabama has updated the wording to specify that the clothing must be 'human wearing apparel' - no dogs or robots allowed!
• Computers, software & accessories ($750 or less per item) – such as compact disks, printer paper, and PDAs (maybe this list needs updated terminology, too)
• Supplies ($50 or less per item) – such as highlighters, protractors, lunch boxes, folders, and more
• Books ($30 or less per item) – any bound book - get your entire summer reading list with one week to spare

For Alabama's sales tax holiday, parents could be in line for a tax-smart year. As Alabama income taxes increased for many taxpayers, lining up for sales tax savings is a savvy way to reduce taxes.