When is Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday? What you need to know

Jim Abbott, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·3 min read

Yes, it seems like we were just watching Fourth of July fireworks, but now it’s time to start the back-to-school routine.

For parents and students, that means shopping for everything from laptops to trendy footwear.

Fortunately, the impact on the pocketbook can be eased a bit during Florida’s back-to-school summer sales tax holiday that runs this year from July 24-August 6.

Parents and students shop for back-to-school clothing at Volusia Mall. Florida's annual back-to-school summer sales tax holiday starts on July 24.
Parents and students shop for back-to-school clothing at Volusia Mall. Florida's annual back-to-school summer sales tax holiday starts on July 24.

If you’re new to the summer student shopping ritual or just need a reminder, here’s how it works:

What's exempt from sales tax during the back-to-school holiday?

According to the Florida Department of Revenue, the exemption covers certain clothing, footwear and accessories with a sales price $100 or less per item, certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item, learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less and personal computers and related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use with a sales price of $1,500 or less.

Shoppers will soon be heading to the malls for back-to-school shopping. Florida's annual back-to-school summer sales tax holiday runs July 24-Aug. 6.
Shoppers will soon be heading to the malls for back-to-school shopping. Florida's annual back-to-school summer sales tax holiday runs July 24-Aug. 6.

In addition to the summer back-to-school holiday, there’s a second school-related tax holiday slated for Jan. 1-14, 2024.

More: When does school start in Volusia and Flagler? Here are the 2023-24 school year calendars

Here’s more information on tax-exempt items:

Personal computers that qualify include:

  • Electronic book readers

  • Laptops

  • Desktops

  • Handhelds

  • Tablets

  • Tower computers

The list DOES NOT include cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers or devices that are not primarily designed to process data.

Personal computer-related accessories that qualify include:

  • Keyboards

  • Mice

  • Personal digital assistants

  • Monitors

  • Modems

  • Routers

  • Nonrecreational software, regardless of whether the accessories are used in association with a personal computer base unit

Accessories DO NOT include furniture or systems, devices, software, monitors with a television tuner or peripherals that are designed primarily for recreational use.

School supply items with a price of $100 or less that qualify include:

  • Wallets

  • Handbags

  • Backpacks

  • Fanny packs

  • Diaper bags

Briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags are excluded.

Clothing items eligible for the exemption include:

  • Any article of wearing apparel intended to be worn on or about the body, excluding watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, and handkerchiefs

  • All footwear, excluding skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates

School supplies with a price of $50 or less per item eligible for the exemption include:

  • Pens

  • Pencils

  • Erasers

  • Crayons

  • Notebooks

  • Notebook filler paper

  • Legal pads

  • Binders

  • Lunch boxes

  • Construction paper

  • Markers

  • Folders

  • Poster board

  • Composition books

  • Poster paper

  • Scissors

  • Cellophane tape

  • Glue or paste

  • Rulers

  • Computer disks

  • Staplers

  • Staples used to secure paper products

  • Protractors

  • Compasses

  • Calculators

Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less that qualify include:

  • Flashcards or other learning cards

  • Matching or other memory games

  • Puzzle books and search-and-find books

  • Interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills

  • Stacking or nesting blocks or sets

For more information on the back to school sales tax holiday, visit floridarevenue.com/backtoschool.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday: What you need to know