The term “Back to School” means different things to different people.
Students groan. Parents cheer. And teachers plan.
But they all do one thing together: they shop.
And thanks to the annual Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, the bill is a little smaller because many purchases are exempt from sales tax, which is 7.5 percent here in Osceola County.
This year the holiday period runs from Saturday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 9. Just a weekend in the past, the Florida Department of Revenue has extended it for a week and parts of two weekends.
Certain clothing, footwear, and accessories selling for $60 or less per item, certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item, and the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use are exempt from sales tax.
Watch your sales tags — If a clothing or supply item sells for more than $60 or $15, tax is due on the entire selling price.
In short, here’s what’s tax free:
• Clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item (Clothing, wallets, or bags, including handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags. Excludes briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags) Note this is ANY item of clothing on the allowed list, including clothing and footwear for adults.
• School uniforms less than $60 per item
• Certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item
Included items: pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses, and calculators. Miscellaneous items that are NOT included: printer paper, white-out type products, masking tape
• The first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers or personal computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.
A full list of exempt clothing, accessories, school and computer supplies (and what isn’t) can be found on Page 3-7 of the document at https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/tips/Documents/TIP_21A01-08.pdf.
Here’s a couple other notes:
Gift Cards: The sale of a gift card is never taxable. Eligible items purchased during the holiday period using a gift card will qualify for the exemption, regardless of when the gift card was purchased. Eligible items purchased with a gift card after the holiday period are taxable, even if the gift card was purchased during the holiday period.
Coupons, Discounts, and Rebates: If a coupon or discount offered by the retailer brings the item under $60, it will be tax-free. A manufacturer’s coupon that brings an item under $60 means you’ll owe sales tax. So if something falls around the $60 threshold, ask your cashier before you purchase.
