Texas PTA Tax-Free Sale Days: Timing Your 2027 PTA Shirt Sale

If you are the PTA president, treasurer or spirit wear chair at a Texas school, you have probably heard someone say "let's do it on our tax-free day." Texas lets qualifying school groups hold two one-day tax-free sales a year, and for spirit wear and PTA t-shirts the timing of the delivery matters as much as the date of the sale. This guide explains the rule in plain English, shows how to plan a 2027 spirit wear sale around it, and covers what our shirts can and cannot do for your PTA.

One note before we start: we sell shirts, we are not tax advisers. Everything below comes from the Texas Comptroller's publication on school fundraisers, and your treasurer should confirm the details with the Comptroller's office before you rely on them.

What the Texas rule says

The Texas Comptroller's publication 94-183, "School Fundraisers," lays out the tax-free sale rules for school organizations. The parts that matter for a PTA shirt sale:

• Two sales per calendar year. A qualifying organization can hold two one-day, tax-free sales or auctions each calendar year, January through December.
• One day means 24 consecutive hours. Two sales can run back to back for up to 48 consecutive hours.
• T-shirts count as taxable items. The publication says printed items that are not reading materials are taxable unless they are sold during a qualifying, designated tax-free sale. Sales of taxable items at other times of the year are taxable unless another exemption applies.
• Delivery day can be the tax-free day. The tax-free day can be either the day the vendor delivers the items to the organization or the day the organization delivers the items to its customers. The Comptroller's own example is a group taking yearbook pre-orders tax-free because it delivers the yearbooks on a designated tax-free day.
• Online sales during the day qualify. An online sale made during the one-day, tax-free sale qualifies. Online sales on other days are taxable.
• PTAs and PTOs have to qualify first. The publication says PTAs, PTOs, PTSAs and PTSOs file Form AP-207 to qualify as educational organizations. Booster clubs with certain IRS exemptions file Form AP-204.
• Catalog fundraisers are different. When a fundraising company sells directly to families, the company is the seller, so the school group cannot use its tax-free day for those sales.

Do not confuse this with the statewide sales tax holiday weekend each August. That is a separate rule for retail shoppers. The two school-group days are your PTA's own, and you choose them.

Picking your two days for 2027

Because the count resets every January, think about your 2027 fundraising calendar as one spring day and one fall day. Common choices:

• Spring 2027: field day, the spring carnival, or the last week of school, when families buy a shirt as a keepsake.
• Fall 2027: Meet the Teacher or back-to-school night in August, when the new school year's spirit wear is in highest demand, or the fall festival in October.

The best day is the one where the most families are on campus to pick up their orders, because the hand-out day is the day that does the work.

PTA shirt ideas that fit a tax-free day sale

A tax-free day works best when the PTA or PTO sells something families already want. These PTA shirt ideas are good starting points:

• A school spirit t-shirt for the whole family. School name and mascot, big enough to read from across the gym. Make it your main item. It needs school permission and a custom quote.
• PTA board members shirts. A simple shirt that says PTA or PTO on the front makes board members easy to spot at events, and it makes a nice thank-you gift at the end of the year.
• Parent volunteer shirts. Field day, the book fair and the fall festival all run smoother when volunteers are wearing the same color. Room parents like having one too.
• A grade-level team t-shirt for teachers. Offer staff a design they can wear on spirit days. A PTO that buys these for the staff turns the sale into teacher appreciation.
• A keepsake shirt. For a spring sale, an end-of-year or class shirt gives families a reason to buy in May.

Whatever the t-shirt design, keep the picture simple and the text short, and show the actual design and garment color on the order form so nobody is surprised at pickup.

The pre-order plan: deliver on the designated day

Following the yearbook example, the simplest spirit wear setup is a pre-order sale that delivers on your designated tax-free day. Here is a timeline, counted back from that day. Confirm each step with your treasurer.

1. Eight weeks before: pick the designated day at a board meeting and write it down, so your records show which day you chose. Choose your designs. If you want the school name or mascot, get written permission from the school first.
2. Six weeks before: request a quote. For 12 or more shirts, use our school orders page or the general bulk order request, and include the quantity, sizes you expect, the design and the date you need the shirts in hand. The timeline is confirmed with the quote.
3. Five weeks before: open pre-orders to families with a size chart and a clear pickup date. Two weeks is plenty for a pre-order window.
4. Three weeks before: close pre-orders, total the sizes and place the order.
5. The week before: shirts arrive. Sort them into labeled bags by family or by class, but do not hand any out yet.
6. The designated day: hand out every pre-order. If you sell extra shirts at a table, sell them during those same 24 hours.

That three-week cushion between ordering and the hand-out day is on purpose. Printing, shipping and sorting all take time, and a size mix-up needs room to fix. Rushing that step is an easy way for a sale to go wrong.

What our shirts can and cannot do for a PTA sale

We want to be clear about this so nobody plans around the wrong thing. Our ready-made graphic tees come in adult unisex sizes S to 3XL only, at $29.99 for S to XL, $32.99 for 2XL and $34.99 for 3XL. There are no youth sizes in that line. If your sale needs student sizes or your school's own logo, ask through the school quote form, where available garments and sizes are confirmed with the quote. Only send school names, mascots or logos you have permission to use.

Where the ready-made line fits well is the adult side of the sale: teachers, staff, room parents, PTO and PTA board members, and parent volunteers. A few designs that work for that table:

• Teacher Squad: black block letters under a pencil with "Squad" in script. A clean staff shirt for any campus.
• Today Tomorrow Always Teacher Squad: rainbow "Teacher" with "squad" in script and "Making A Difference" underneath. The small lines are white, so choose a mid or dark color.
• Hello Kindergarten: "Hello" in black script over three tiles with an apple, pencils and a backpack, and "Kindergarten" in patterned letters. A natural fit for a kindergarten team's first week.
• Let's Do This 2nd Grade: bold yellow and red lettering with a stack of crayons and a pencil, framed by bright rays.
• Third Grade Rainbow: pastel "Third Grade" letters under a rainbow, with butterflies and a smiling apple. Shown on Bay.
• Middle School Crew Heart: "Middle School Crew" inside a heart made of words like support, care and inspire.
• Roaring Into Middle School: a dinosaur in a cap with a pencil, under "Roaring Into" in bold color.
• Middle School Vibes Only: orange sunglasses with "Middle School Vibes Only" in white, green and orange.

These grade-level designs are listed on Comfort Colors 1717, a garment-dyed, 100% ring-spun cotton tee with a relaxed fit. Garment-dyed shirts can vary slightly in shade from one dye lot to the next, so a PTA that wants every staff shirt to match should put the whole order in one cart or one quote. More options are in our grade level school shirts collection.

Running the sale day

• Post the sizing method. Ask families to lay a shirt that fits flat and measure across the chest, then use our size and measurement guide. It cuts down on exchange requests.
• Staff the pickup table well. Pickup lines move fast when bags are labeled and alphabetized.
• Keep the paperwork together. Your treasurer will want the designated day noted, the vendor invoice, and the order list in one folder.
• Thank your volunteers in a shirt. A board or volunteer shirt in the same color as the staff shirts makes your team easy to find in a crowded cafeteria.

For smaller orders under 12 shirts, the regular store works: every shirt is printed after it is ordered, orders ship in 1 to 3 business days, and most orders arrive 3 to 5 business days after shipping. Shipping is $9 on orders under $49, and Economy shipping is free on orders of $49 or more. See our shipping information page for details.

Quick answers

How many tax-free sale days does a Texas PTA get?

The Comptroller's School Fundraisers publication allows two one-day, tax-free sales or auctions per calendar year for qualifying organizations. A PTA qualifies by filing Form AP-207.

Can we take spirit wear pre-orders and still use our tax-free day?

The publication's yearbook example says pre-orders can be tax-free when the group delivers the items on a designated tax-free day. Confirm your plan with the Comptroller.

Is this the same as the August sales tax holiday?

No. The August weekend is a separate statewide holiday for retail shoppers. Your two days are chosen by your organization.

Do you make youth sizes?

Our ready-made graphic tees are adult S to 3XL only. For student sizes or school logos, request a quote; garment and size options are confirmed with the quote.

When should we order for a fall 2027 sale?

Request your quote about six weeks before the designated day and place the order at least three weeks before it.

Shop grade level school shirts