Florida's sales tax holiday
Tax year 2026
Normally you pay
6.98%
state plus local
The holiday removes
6.98%
the whole rate, local included
Saved on five hundred
$35
Days a year
31
What it means in Florida
- Florida switches the tax off completely for a few days. Five hundred dollars of qualifying goods usually carries $35 in tax. During the holiday that becomes nothing, a saving of $35, because the county gives up its share as well as the state.
- The ceilings matter more than the categories in Florida. It lists 4 groups of goods, each capped at a maximum price. An item above that maximum is normally taxed in full. So the holiday reaches the ordinary version of a thing and not the expensive one, which is usually the point of a cap.
- One holiday a year in Florida: Back to School Sales Tax Holiday, running August 1st to August 31st. That makes the timing the main thing to get right — the categories are worth nothing to you if the dates have already passed.
- Both layers are suspended in Florida: the exemption runs to the full combined rate of about 6.98%, not merely the state's about 6%. A five-hundred-dollar qualifying purchase therefore saves $35 rather than the state-only figure. ⚠️ This is the majority arrangement but not the universal one — four holidays in this dataset suspend the state levy alone, so the distinction is a property of the holiday rather than of holidays generally.
- Florida bounds each exempt category with a per-item ceiling. ⚠️ Because the cap almost always applies as a cliff, an item above it is taxable on its full price. The design effect is deliberate: caps target the exemption at standard goods and exclude premium substitutes, which is also why the revenue cost of these holidays is far lower than the headline category list suggests.
- A single annual holiday applies in Florida. Research on these programs consistently finds the dominant effect is intertemporal shifting rather than net consumption change: households move planned purchases into the window, which is why the timing is the operative variable and the category list is secondary.
Tax-free days in Florida
A $75,000 salary
| Back to School Sales Tax Holiday | 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-31 |
|---|
Dates come from statute, so they move with the legislature rather than with a data refresh.
At the register
A $75,000 salary
| Tax added | $6.98 |
|---|---|
| You hand over | $106.98 |
| Rate here | 6.98% |
Uses this location’s stored combined rate and category rule. Clothing is one item; address-level coverage varies.
Back to School Sales Tax Holiday
Runs August 1st to August 31st.
Set by rule: Full month of August, annually (made permanent by HB 7031, eff 8/1/2025)
Local sales tax is suspended too, so the whole rate comes off.
Check this holiday at Florida's own source
| What qualifies | Up to | Saved at that price |
|---|---|---|
| Computers and accessories | $1,500 | $105 |
| Clothing, footwear, accessories | $100 | $6.98 |
| School supplies | $50 | $3.49 |
| Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles | $30 | $2.09 |
What it saves on a real purchase
Reference amounts, not a claim about what anyone spends. What comes off depends on whether the locality suspends its own tax as well, which is recorded per holiday and applied here — not assumed.
| You spend | Tax normally | The holiday removes |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $6.98 | $6.98 |
| $250 | $17 | $17 |
| $500 | $35 | $35 |
| $1,000 | $70 | $70 |
What this page cannot tell you
- ⚠️ These dates are worked out from Florida's law, not copied from an announcement. Confirm them with the state before making a special trip.
- Which layers of tax come off is recorded per holiday here, not guessed. Individual towns can still differ from the state's general rule.
- And the category names here are summaries. Florida publishes a much longer list of exactly what counts, with exclusions that surprise people.
- ⚠️ The dates shown are DERIVED from the statutory recurrence rule reproduced beside them, not from a published calendar. Where a legislature moves or suspends a holiday by special act, that change reaches this page only when the rule itself is re-read — so the state revenue department's own announcement is authoritative over this page for Florida.
- Whether the local levy is suspended alongside the state's is recorded per holiday in the underlying delivery and applied to every figure on this page; it is not assumed. ⚠️ Residual variation remains possible at the municipal level in Florida, since a small number of jurisdictions elect independently of the general state position, so a specific town's treatment is authoritative over this page.
- Category descriptions are condensed. Each state's implementing guidance enumerates qualifying and excluded items in far greater detail — commonly excluding rentals, items for business use, and specific product classes within an otherwise exempt category — so Florida's own guidance governs any individual purchase.
Questions people ask
Does the whole tax come off during the holiday?
Not necessarily all of it. The state's own share of about 6% comes off, but Florida also has local layers taking the combined rate to about 6.98% — and in several states local participation is optional, so a county can keep charging its part while the state's is suspended.
What actually qualifies?
More than most states cover — 4 categories here, listed on this page. Breadth does not mean everything qualifies, though: each category is defined in statute and usually capped per item, so an expensive purchase inside a covered category can still be taxable.
How long do I have?
A wide window by national standards: 31 days. Statute sets it, so it does not vary between retailers.
Is this the only one this year?
Just the one. Simpler than the states that run several with different lists, but it also means a single chance.
Is local participation in the holiday mandatory here?
The state component of about 6% is suspended; the representative combined rate is about 6.98%. Local participation is mandatory in some states and optional in others, so residual local liability during a holiday is jurisdiction-specific and cannot be inferred from the state rule.
How is the exempt class defined during the holiday?
4 categories are enumerated. Exemption is defined by statutory category rather than by general rule, and per-item price ceilings commonly apply within each, so items above the ceiling remain fully taxable even inside a covered category.
What is the duration of the exemption window?
Total exemption duration is 31 days, exceeding the typical two- or three-day window. Dates are fixed in statute and may be amended by legislature between years, so they are not stable across tax years.
Does this state run additional exemption periods?
A single exemption period operates in this state, with one set of qualifying categories and ceilings. States operating multiple periods define each independently; that complexity does not apply here.