Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday 2026 Was Back For 1 Month Only
The tax-free holiday in Florida brought month-long savings on computers, clothing, and other school supplies. Here's where you could save.
Updated: The 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday in Florida has ended.
Ready or not, back-to-school shopping is here — but Florida gave your wallet a break.
Running from late July through mid-August, the Sunshine State's annual back-to-school holiday exempted many purchases of electronics, clothing, and school supplies from the state sales tax at checkout.
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We broke down the rules and limits so you could stretch your shopping budget as far as possible.
When was tax-free shopping in Florida?
The annual back-to-school Florida sales tax holiday was one month long — in 2026, that was a total of 32 days.
The tax-free holiday started on Monday, July 20, and ran through Thursday, August 20, 2026. Many school supplies (including laptops and tablets) and clothing were exempt from Florida’s usual 6% sales tax rate during that time.
Tax-free school supplies in Florida
Shoppers could save on most items under a certain dollar amount. For instance, clothing must've cost $100 or less per item, school supplies must've cost $50 or less, personal computers and tablets must've cost $1,500 or less, and learning aids and jigsaw puzzles must've cost $30 or less.
There were many school supplies you could purchase tax-free in the state during the sales tax holiday, but here were a few of our favorites:
- 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
Yet while many eligible items were included in the one-month Florida tax holiday, there were a few exceptions.
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 athletic gloves. A few additional exclusions applied.
Clothing. Umbrellas and protective masks were taxable, as were roller skates, rented 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, 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 are tax-exempt year-round.
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 may 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, including threshold limits, bundles, orders placed prior to the holiday starting or specific items that are not included in the holiday."
Did theme parks and airports participate in the FL tax-free days?
You might have found it harder to save as a tourist. According to Florida’s Department of Revenue, you are taxed on purchases from “a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport" during tax-free holidays.
So if you are in Florida on holiday during the annual back-to-school state sales tax exemption (or any other state sales tax holiday), you might miss out.
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