Updated: The 2024 sales tax holiday in Florida has ended.
Floridians are no strangers to tax holidays, and back-to-school is no exception. The Sunshine State's annual August sales tax holiday allowed many purchases of electronics, clothing, and school supplies to be tax-exempt for two weeks.
We’ll explore the ins and outs to discover how much bang for your buck you had this shopping season.
When was Florida tax-free weekend 2024?
The annual back-to-school Florida sales tax holiday was two weeks long -- so it actually covered two weekends!
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The tax-free days ran from Monday, July 29, through Sunday, August 11, 2024. Many school supplies (including laptops and tablets) and clothing were exempt from Florida’s usual 6% sales tax rate.
What was included in Florida’s 2024 sales tax holiday?
Shoppers could save on most items under a certain dollar amount. For instance, clothing must have cost $100 or less per item, school supplies must have cost $50 or less, personal computers and tablets $1,500 or less, and learning aids and jigsaw puzzles $30 or less.
There were many school supplies you could purchase tax-free in the state during the sales tax holiday, but here are a few highlights:
- Hats, shoes, shorts, pants, shirts, underwear, socks, and raincoats
- Backpacks, book bags, handbags, purses, and lunch boxes
- Cleated and spiked shoes and swimsuits
- Notebooks, scissors, pens, pencils, and calculators
- Printers, scanners, mice, keyboards, and routers
- Electronic books, flashcards, puzzle books, and matching games
- Hair accessories, wallets, and belts
While many eligible items were included in the two-week tax holiday, there were a few exceptions.
Did Florida’s tax-free holiday apply to online purchases?
Online purchases could qualify, but delivery to a Florida address was required.
Online retailers like Amazon honor state sales tax holidays. However, the retailer explains on its website that "tax may still be calculated on items if they do not qualify, which can include items over a certain threshold, bundles, or specific items that are not included in the holiday."
What items were not tax-exempt in Florida’s back-to-school holiday?
Accessories like jewelry and watches were not tax-free nor were many types of gloves. A few additional exclusions applied.
Clothing. Umbrellas and protective masks were taxable, as were roller skates, rented formal clothing, and non-prescription sunglasses and goggles.
School supplies. Taxable items included printer or computer paper, and books not otherwise exempt.
Electronics. Many electronics were taxable, including computer bags, CDs and DVDs, computers for recreational use, regular batteries (e.g. not for medical use), smartphones, surge protectors, tablet covers, game controllers, and digital cameras.
Miscellaneous items. Furniture, luggage, garment bags, suitcases, and any rentals of eligible items were taxable and excluded from the tax-free holiday.
Note: For a complete list of included and excluded items, visit the Florida Department of Revenue website. Most groceries and prescription drugs were already tax-exempt.
Did theme parks and airports participate in the FL tax-free days?
You may have found it harder to save as a tourist. According to Florida’s Department of Revenue, you would have been taxed on purchases from “a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.”
This rule may have been due to the nature of the holiday. The general purpose of a state sales tax holiday was to benefit state residents, though whether sales tax holidays accomplish this effectively is still up for debate.
Another important note is that Florida businesses may have chosen not to participate in the sale. It may have been prudent to check before deciding which stores you hit in your area.
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