Family Bills, Explained

Missouri's diaper sales tax exemption, and the 2026 bill to add wipes, bottles and breast pump supplies

Since August 28, 2025, diapers sold in Missouri carry no state or local sales tax. The same law took the tax off menstrual products and incontinence products. The change came from House Bill 594, which the governor signed on July 10, 2025.

What the 2025 law covers

The Missouri Department of Revenue, which collects sales tax, explains the exemption this way. It covers three kinds of products:

The Department of Revenue says these products are exempt from both state and local sales tax, in all situations and for all buyers, and that adult and child diapers both qualify. There's no form to fill out. Every retailer is required to sell these products without tax, and an online order delivered to a Missouri address is exempt too.

HB 594 was a larger tax bill. The diaper exemption was one section of it, and the same bill also created a state income tax deduction for capital gains, which is the profit when you sell something like stock or a home for more than it cost you.

The 2026 bill to add wipes, bottles and breast pump supplies

Diapers were covered, and baby wipes, baby bottles and breast pump supplies weren't. Senate Bill 872, sponsored by Senator Barbara Washington, would have added those three to the list of products exempt from sales tax, starting August 28, 2026. The Missouri Senate's summary notes that two House bills, HB 3198 and HB 3248, were identical to it.

Here's the bill's full history from the Missouri Senate's record:

Where it stands (checked October 4, 2026)

SB 872 didn't move after the committee vote. The full Senate never voted on it, and the House never took it up.

The reason is a deadline in the Missouri Constitution. Any bill still on the calendar after 6:00 p.m. on the first Friday after the second Monday in May is tabled, which means it's set aside and can't pass that year. In 2026 that Friday was May 15, the day the General Assembly adjourned. So SB 872 didn't become law, and baby wipes, bottles and breast pump supplies are still taxed in Missouri.

If a store charges tax on diapers

If you see tax on diapers at the register, the Department of Revenue says to ask the cashier to take it off. If you notice it on the receipt after you've paid, ask the store for a refund first. If the store won't refund it, you can file a form with the Department of Revenue called the Purchaser's Claim Under Section 144.190.4(2) for Sales or Use Tax Refund.

Your next step

The Missouri county directory that Nexus Point Family Foundation built groups each county's entries by need, and the diapers and baby supplies section lists places near you with an address, phone number and hours for each.

Sources