It's hard to believe summer break is drawing to a close and that the kids will soon be going back to school. For many of us, the back-to-school to-do list includes shopping for new clothes and school supplies. Thankfully, the state of Florida is providing us with a Back to School Sales Tax Holiday again this year. The sales tax holiday begins on Monday, July 29, 2024, and ends on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
To make things a little easier for you, we went to the Florida Department of Revenue's website to check out what's included this year and compiled a quick list of some of the main qualifying items.
- School Supplies (most items) - $50 or less per item
- Clothing, footwear, and accessories: $100 or less per item
- Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sale price of $30 or less
- Computers and related accessories selling for $1,500 or less per item, when purchased for noncommercial or personal use
- CLICK HERE to see the full, downloadable 2024 Sales Tax Holiday Tax Information Publication
Overlapping Exemption Periods
The 2024 Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday overlaps with the 2024 Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday exemption period (taking place Monday, July 1, 2024 through Wednesday, July 31, 2024), which includes tax exemptions on several similar products. During the Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday, the retail sale of various children’s toys and children’s athletic equipment is tax-exempt, as is the first $35 of the sales price of pool toys.
Internet or Mail-Order
Eligible items purchased online or through a mail-order catalog during the sales tax holiday period qualify as tax-free even if delivery occurs after the tax holiday period ends.
Taxable Items
Some common items that we may think of as supplies that DO NOT qualify for a tax-free exemption include: books not otherwise exempt, computer paper, correction tape, fluid or pens, masking tape, and printer paper.
If you will be visiting a theme park or tourist attraction during the tax-free holiday, keep in mind that items purchased at theme parks, entertainment venues, or travel spots (think hotels & airports) do not qualify for the tax-free exemption, even if they are school supply type items such pens, pencils, notepads, etc.
You can find a complete list of tax-exempt items by visiting the Florida Department of Revenue’s Back to School Sales Tax Holiday web page.
