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When does Florida’s ‘Tax Free’ holiday end? How much longer you have to buy school supplies

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When does Florida’s ‘Tax Free’ holiday end? How much longer you have to buy school supplies

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Fifty-nine out of Florida’s 67 counties will start the 2024-2025 school year on the first possible date — Aug. 12. By law, the earliest schools can start in the state is Aug. 10, which falls on a Saturday this year.

This gives residents less than a week to finish up their school shopping. Luckily, Florida’s tax-free week is still going on for students, parents and educators but you better act fast.

Here’s what you should know about supplies you can buy tax free and when it officially ends.

When does Florida’s tax-free holiday for school supplies end?

Florida’s back to school 2024 sales tax holiday ends on Sunday, Aug. 11, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.

What school supplies are tax free?

Personal computers or personal computer-related accessories purchased for non-commercial home or personal use having a sales price of $1,500 or less. Personal computers include:

  • Calculators
  • Desktops
  • Electronic book readers
  • Handhelds
  • Laptops
  • Tablets
  • Tower computers

Personal computer-related accessories include:

  • Keyboards
  • Mice
  • Modems
  • Monitors
  • Nonrecreational software
  • Other peripheral devices
  • Personal digital assistants
  • Routers

Items having a sales price of $100 or less per item, including:

  • Clothing
    • All footwear, excluding skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates
    • Any article of wearing apparel intended to be worn on or about the human body, excluding watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, and handkerchiefs
  • Wallets or bags, including:
    • Backpacks
    • Diaper bags
    • Fanny packs
    • Handbags

School supplies having a sales price of $50 or less per item, including:

  • Binders
  • Cellophane tape
  • Compasses
  • Composition books
  • Computer disks
  • Construction paper
  • Crayons
  • Erasers
  • Folders
  • Glue or paste
  • Legal pads
  • Lunch boxes
  • Markers
  • Notebooks
  • Notebook filler paper
  • Pencils
  • Pens
  • Poster board
  • Poster paper
  • Protractors
  • Rulers
  • Scissors
  • Staplers and staples used to secure paper products

Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less, including:

  • Flashcards or other learning cards
  • Interactive or electronic books and toys intended to teach reading or math skills
  • Matching or other memory games
  • Puzzle books and search-and-find books
  • Stacking or nesting blocks or sets

Detailed list of what’s included in Florida’s school sales tax holiday

Is there a limit on the number of school supplies you can buy tax free?

No. The sales-tax exemption is based on the sales price of each item, not on the number of items purchased.

What items are not tax exempt during the school sales-tax holiday?

The 2024 Florida back-to-school sales tax holiday does not apply to:

  • Any item of clothing with a sales price of more than $100.
  • Any school supply item with a sales price of more than $50.
  • Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of more than $30.
  • Books that are not otherwise exempt.
  • Computers and computer-related accessories with a sales price of more than $1,500.
  • Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial purposes.
  • Rentals of any eligible items.
  • Repairs or alterations of any eligible items.
  • Sales of any eligible items within a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport.

Does the back-to-school sales tax holiday apply to items purchased online?

Items purchased online are exempt from sales tax when the order is accepted by the company during the sales-tax holiday for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the tax holiday, the Florida Department of Revenue said.

What if you bought an item and were charged sales tax? What can you do?

Take your receipt to the business and request a refund of the tax collected in error, the Florida Department of Revenue said. Provide the business with a copy of TIP No. 24A01-03 or direct the seller to floridarevenue.com.

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