Florida has changed its back-to-school sales tax break. Here’s the deal
Florida’s Back to School Sales Tax Holiday looks different this year.
Instead of a midyear January and August tax break on school supplies of about two weeks apiece, state legislators signed off on one full month to run for all of August. The school sales tax holiday is now designed to be an annual August event.
The tax break on select school items runs Friday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 31. The sales tax holiday applies to goods purchased online during the month if the seller is registered to collect Florida sales tax.
Tax free school items
According to the Florida Department of Revenue, the following items are exempt from sales tax if they meet specified price limits and conditions:
Personal computers or related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use with a sales price of $1,500 or less. These items can include:
- Calculators.
- Desktops and handhelds, laptops, tablets and tower computers.
- Electronic book readers.
- Keyboards, mice, modems, monitors, nonrecreational software and routers.
Computer-related items that aren’t included:
- Cellphones.
- Video game consoles and digital media receivers.
- Furniture, systems, software and monitors that are designed primarily for recreational use.
Clothing, footwear and personal accessories with a sales price of $100 or less per item include:
- Backpacks, handbags, fanny packs and diaper bags.
- Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts and other apparel.
- Shoes, boots, sandals and other footwear.
- Belts, hats, gloves and scarves.
Excluded clothing and personal accessories include:
- Briefcases, suitcases and other garment bags.
School supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item include:
- Binders, cellophane tape, compasses, composition books and construction paper.
- Crayons, erasers, folders, glue, paste and legal pads.
- Lunch boxes, markers, notebooks and notebook filler paper.
- Pencils, pens, poster board and poster paper.
- Protactors and rulers.
- Scissors, staplers and staples used to secure paper products.
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less:
- Flashcards, learning cards, stacking or nesting blocks or sets.
- Interactive or electronics books and toys intended to teaching reading or math skills.
- Matching or other memory games, puzzle books and search-and-find books.
The deal does not apply to the rental or repair of any of the qualifying items. The sales tax holiday also does not apply to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
