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EAST TEXAS – Consumers can save money on emergency supplies while preparing for expected severe weather by shopping at local hardware stores during the 2026 emergency preparation holiday. Prepare yourself during the 2026 Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday for emergencies that can cause physical damage like hurricanes, flash floods and wildfires.<\/p>\n
You can purchase certain emergency preparation supplies tax free during the sales tax holiday. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase, and you do not need to give an exemption certificate to claim the exemption.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, and ends at midnight on Monday, April 27.<\/p>\n
These emergency preparation supplies qualify for tax exemption if purchased for a sales price:<\/p>\n
Less than $3000
\nPortable generators.
\nLess than $300
\nEmergency ladders.
\nHurricane shutters.
\nLess than $75
\nAxes.
\nBatteries, single or multipack (AAA cell, AA cell, C cell, D cell, 6 volt or 9 volt).
\nCan openers – nonelectric.
\nCarbon monoxide detectors.
\nCoolers and ice chests for food storage \u2013 nonelectric.
\nFire extinguishers.
\nFirst aid kits.
\nFuel containers.
\nGround anchor systems and tie-down kits.
\nHatchets.
\nIce products – reusable and artificial.
\nLight sources – portable self-powered (including battery operated).
\nExamples of items include: candles, flashlights and lanterns.
\nMobile telephone batteries and mobile telephone chargers.
\nRadios – portable self-powered (including battery operated) – includes two-way and weather band radios.
\nSmoke detectors.
\nTarps and other plastic sheeting.<\/p>\n
Note: Several over-the-counter self-care items, such as antibacterial hand sanitizer, soap, spray and wipes, are always exempt from sales tax if they are labeled with a “Drug Facts” panel in accordance with federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.<\/p>\n
These supplies do not qualify for tax exemption:<\/p>\n
Medical masks and face masks.
\nCleaning supplies, such as disinfectants and bleach wipes.
\nGloves, including leather, fabric, latex and types used in healthcare.
\nToilet paper.
\nBatteries for automobiles, boats and other motorized vehicles.
\nCamping stoves.
\nCamping supplies.
\nChainsaws.
\nPlywood.
\nExtension ladders.
\nStepladders.
\nTents.
\nRepair or replacement parts for emergency preparation supplies.
\nServices performed on, or related to, emergency preparation supplies.<\/p>\n
Online Purchases and Telephone Orders<\/p>\n
During the holiday you can buy qualifying emergency preparation supplies in-store, online, by telephone, mail, custom order, or any other means. The sale of the item must take place during the specific period. The purchase date is easy to determine when the purchase is made in-store but becomes more complicated with remote purchases. The purchaser must have given the consideration for the item during the period even if the item may not be delivered until after the period is over.<\/p>\n
For example, if a purchaser enters their credit card information in an online shopping website on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.to purchase a qualifying generator, but the generator will not be shipped until Friday, May 1, 2026, and will not arrive until Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the purchase will still qualify for the exemption. However, if the charge to credit card is declined by the payment processor at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026, and the purchaser does not resubmit payment until Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the purchase is taxable.
\nAdditional Charges Affect the Sales Price<\/p>\n
Delivery, shipping, handling and transportation charges are part of the sales price. Consider these charges when determining whether an emergency preparation supply can be purchased tax free during the holiday.<\/p>\n
For example, you purchase a rescue ladder for $299 with a $10 delivery charge, for a total sales price of $309. Because the total sales price of the ladder is more than $300, tax is due on the $309 sales price.
\nSales Tax Holiday Refund Requests<\/p>\n
Purchasers can buy certain emergency preparation supplies tax free during the annual Texas Emergency Supplies Sales Tax Holiday. If you pay sales tax on these items during the sales tax holiday, you can ask the seller for a refund of the tax paid. The seller can either grant the refund or provide their customer with Form 00-985, Assignment of Right to Refund (PDF) that allows the purchaser to file the refund claim directly with the Comptroller’s office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EAST TEXAS – Consumers can save money on emergency supplies while preparing for expected severe weather by shopping at local hardware stores during the 2026 emergency preparation holiday. Prepare yourself during the 2026 Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday for emergencies that can cause physical damage like hurricanes, flash floods and wildfires. You can purchase … Continue reading Tax free emergency supplies weekend<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":1500886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2026\/04\/taxfreeholiday-205x200.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1500885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news-archive-archives"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-06 04:07:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/wp-content\/media\/2026\/04\/taxfreeholiday-205x200.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1500885"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1501098,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500885\/revisions\/1501098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1500886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1500885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1500885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1500885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}