Florida kicks off a sales tax exemption for back-to-school items on Monday, July 20, which will last until Thursday, August 20, as reported by NBC Miami.
During this 32-day period, buyers in the state will be able to purchase clothing, footwear, school supplies, educational materials, and personal computers without paying sales tax, as long as the items do not exceed the price limits established by law.
The exemption applies to both the state tax of 6% and the additional local taxes, resulting in an effective rate of 0% for eligible items across all counties in the state.
Exempt products are divided into four categories with their respective price caps:
- Clothing, footwear, and backpacks up to $100 per item: includes pants, shirts, shoes, swimsuits, sweaters, and sleepwear.
- School supplies up to $50 per item: notebooks, pencils, pens, markers, folders, lunch boxes, rulers, and glue.
- Learning materials and educational games for up to $30 per item: interactive books, puzzles, educational cards, and memory games.
- Personal computers and accessories up to $1,500: laptops, tablets, printers, headphones, microphones, flash drives, calculators, and software.
There is no limit to the number of items that can be purchased, as long as the individual price of each does not exceed the allowed maximum.
Online purchases also qualify for the exemption if the order is accepted during the holiday period and the shipment is made to a Florida address.
Purchases made within theme parks, hotels, airports, and entertainment complexes are excluded from the exemption.
Items such as jewelry, watches, umbrellas, prescription-free sunglasses, briefcases, and luggage are not included.
The benefit does not apply to smartphones, video game consoles, digital cameras, or devices that are not primarily designed for processing data.
This measure is the result of a law passed by the Florida Legislature in 2025 that turned the back-to-school tax holiday into a permanent annual event, originally set for the entire month of August.
In 2026, the dates were adjusted to the period from July 20 to August 20 to better align with the actual start of the school year in many districts across the state.
The initiative is part of a $2 billion tax relief package approved in 2025, of which $450 million was specifically allocated to support families during the school season.
The estimated savings for consumers from this back-to-school exemption is approximately $217 million annually.
Florida is one of the few states in the country that includes personal computers in its back-to-school tax exemption, a benefit that sets it apart from other states like Texas.
For the Cuban community living in Florida - one of the largest in the state - this measure represents a tangible relief amid the high costs of back-to-school expenses, with the added possibility of purchasing supplies and technology to send to family members in Cuba, where these items are scarce or very expensive.
The governor Ron DeSantis justified the fiscal policy in 2025 with these words: "By lowering taxes, empowering parents, and boosting our economy, we make it easier for people to live, work, and thrive in the Free State of Florida."
The Florida Department of Revenue provides the complete list of exempt items and those that remain taxable during the period on its official back-to-school page.
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