Overview
- Comptroller Brooke Lierman announced at Beltway Plaza Mall that Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week will run Aug. 9–15, 2026.
- Clothing and footwear priced $100 or less per item are exempt from Maryland’s 6% state sales tax during the week, and the first $40 of a backpack purchase is also tax-free while other accessories are excluded.
- Retailers may issue store coupons to lower an item's price so it qualifies for the exemption, but manufacturer's coupons cannot be used to reach the tax-free price.
- The comptroller added a video contest this year that requires entrants aged 18 or older to post a short in-store clip with #ShopMDTaxFreeContest and upload it to the comptroller’s website by Aug. 1 for cash prizes up to $1,000, with winners announced Aug. 8.
- State officials and the Maryland Retailers Alliance said the program is meant to reduce back-to-school costs for families and boost foot traffic and short-term revenue for small, local retailers.