With the school year approaching, many parents are preparing to shell out cash for school-related expenses.

Alabama’s annual back-to-school tax holiday on July 21-23 can help ease some of the financial sting. But the brief tax break goes way beyond benefiting school-age families.

Here’s the ABCs on the tax holiday: From 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 21, until midnight, Sunday, July 23, the state waives its 4% sales tax on school-related supplies and clothing. More than 325 cities and counties throughout Alabama also waive their local taxes. That means in some places, the savings are as much as 10%. Check out the participating cities and counties here.

The sales tax holiday helps everyone shopping in Alabama this weekend. And many of the tax-exempted items go beyond a narrow definition of school supplies. Among the items included:

• Clothing priced at $100 or less per article (including school uniforms but also: pajamas, diapers, raincoats, dresses, slacks, neckties and belts).
• School supplies valued at $50 or less per item, including book bags, crayons, markers, lunchboxes and binders; but also office supplies such as printer ink and flash drives, calculators, paper, pens and pencils; and some art supplies,  such as paints and paint brushes, clay and glazes, sketch and drawing pads, and poster board.
• Books under $30, including novels and non-fiction.
• Tablets, laptops, computers and printers with a selling price of $750 or less.

For the full list of eligible items, click here.

A promotional image for the upcoming back-to-school sales tax holiday. (Alabama Retail Association)

While helping school-age families is the focus, “Saving money for consumers while stimulating sales for stores is what this weekend is all about,” said Rick Brown, president of the Alabama Retail Association, which is encouraging shoppers to seek out local retailers in their communities.

“Shopping with businesses that have a physical presence in your local area keeps businesses open and your neighbors employed,” Brown said.

According to the National Retail Federation, parents of kindergarten through high school students plan to spend almost $900, while families with children in college anticipate spending almost $1,400 for back-to-school needs this year.

“With summer nearing its end, I know Alabama families are beginning to prepare for the quickly approaching school year,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a news release. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of this relief, so students, teachers and parents alike can be equipped for the school year.”

Learn more about the back-to-school tax holiday from the Alabama Retail Association here.