Florida Sales Tax Holidays for Back to School, Hurricane Prep, Freedom Month,and MORE 2024
Every penny helps, especially when you’re a parent. Florida’s popular sales tax holidays like the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday wraps up soon, and the second Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday comes back next month!
2024 Florida sales tax holidays:
- Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: July 29 – August 11, 2024
- Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday: June 1 – 14 and August 24 – September 6, 2024
- Skilled Worker Sales Tax Holiday: September 1 – 7, 2024
- Freedom Month Sales Tax Holiday: July 1 – July 31, 2024
What you need to know about Florida’s Sales Tax Holidays and Exemptions
Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday: July 29 – August 11, 2024
For back to school you will not have to pay sales tax on clothing items, backpacks, and footwear that are $100 or less, school supplies $50 or less, and the first $1,500 of personal computers and personal computer-related items.
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Items having a sales price of $100 or less per item:
- Clothing
- All footwear, excluding skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates
- Wallets or bags including, Backpacks, Diaper bags, Fanny packs, Handbags
- Briefcases, suitcases, and other garment bags are excluded.
School supplies having a sales price of $50 or less per item:
- 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
Here’s something many parents may not realize are also sales tax exempt during this period:
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles having a sales price of $30 or less:
- 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
See what else qualifies for the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holidays here.
Freedom Month Sales Tax Holiday in July
Next on the sales tax-relief pipeline is a FUN one – the Freedom Month Sales Tax Holiday which will run from July 1 – 31, 2024.
You’ll get a sales tax break on purchases of admissions to music, sporting, and cultural events; tickets to movies and museums; single admission or season tickets to theatre and dance performances; state park admission and annual passes; and use of fitness facilities will be tax-free. This will be the perfect time to plan some summertime adventures for the family and save a little money at the same time!
Tickets, memberships, and passes, purchased during this time for use any time from July 1 – December 31, 2024, are tax-free.
The month-long summer sales tax holiday also applies to sales of certain boating and water activity equipment and supplies, camping equipment and supplies, fishing equipment, and supplies, general outdoor supplies (including sunglasses, sunscreen, and grills), and residential pool chemicals, supplies, and parts.
- Residential pool supplies: Sales tax break on pool parts, nets, filters, and lights selling for $100 or less. And, break on combined sales price of pool and spa chemicals purchased by an individual for $150 or less.
- Camping Supplies: Tents selling for $200 or less, sleeping bags, hammocks, camping stoves and camping chairs selling for $50 or less, and camping lanterns and flashlights selling for $30 or less.
- Fishing Supplies: Fishing rods and reels selling for $75 or less, or $150 or less for those sold as a pair. Tackle boxes selling for $30 or less and bait and tackle selling for $5 or less.
- Boating and Water Safety Supplies: Life jackets and coolers selling for $75 or less, recreation pool toys and floats selling for $35 or less, first $50 for safety flares; water skis, wakeboards, kneeboards, and inflatable/towable water tubes or floats selling for $150 or less; paddle boards and surfboards selling for $300 or less; canoes and kayaks selling for $500 or less; and snorkels, goggles and swimming masks selling for $25 or less.
- General Outdoor Supplies: Sunscreen or insect repellant selling for $15 or less, sunglasses selling for $100 or less, water bottles selling for $30 or less, hydration packs selling for $50 or less, bike helmets selling for $50 or less, bicycles selling for $500 or less, and more.
- Electric Scooters: Electric scooters weighing less than 75 pounds, less than two feet wide, with a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour selling for $500 or less.
- Florida’s Freedom Month Sales Tax Holiday FAQs
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Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays: June 1 – 14 and August 24 – September 6, 2024
The Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays are designed to give you a break on sales tax for some disaster preparedness supplies that all Floridians need to have on hand during the upcoming Hurricane season.
You can pick up things like flashlights and lanterns that are $40 or less, non-electric food coolers and portable power banks selling for $60 or less, tarps less than $100, and batteries that are $50 or less. Portable generators under $3,000 also qualify for the sales tax break during the holiday.
There are also sales tax exemptions available on the first $70 of smoke detectors and alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers. Some items needed for household pets will also be exempt, like leashes and collars that are $20 or less and pet beds that are $40 or less.
You can see a complete list of what qualifies for the disaster prep sales tax holiday here on the Florida Department of Revenue’s site.
Skilled Worker Sales Tax Holiday: September 1 – 7, 2024
This seven-day sales tax holiday usually applies to certain tools used by skilled trade workers. Tax-free items include certain hand tools costing $50 or less and power tools costing $300 or less, work boots costing $175 or less, and many other pieces of safety equipment, as well as certain shop lights, toolboxes and belts, and plumbing and electrical equipment.
For those of you making some home improvements, there are two sales tax exemptions wrapping up in June 2024 that you may want to keep in mind…
Florida Sales Tax Holidays for Home Improvement:
If you’re in the market to make improvements to your home, this is a good time to consider buying new hurricane windows and doors and even upgrading to Energy Star appliances.
Home Hardening Sales Tax Exemption: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024
Need new windows, doors, or a garage door? This temporary sales tax exemption only runs through June 2024 but will provide some relief for you since it’s a big investment, but it only applies to impact-resistant garage doors, impact-resistant windows, and impact-resistant doors.
This is something you’d want anyway as you make improvements to your home since we’re in Florida and hurricanes do happen. You can read the Home Hardening Sales Tax Exemption FAQs here.
Energy Star Appliances: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
If you need a new washing machine or refrigerator for the house, this is a good time to buy. Energy Star appliances earn the designation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency if they meet or exceed their Energy Star program requirements–which means they consume less energy and are better for your pocketbook and the environment.
Keep in mind, that this sales tax exemption is only for non-commercial use and on new appliances only. Here is what’s eligible:
- Clothes dryers selling for $1,500 or less
- Washing machines selling for $1,500 or less
- Refrigerators or Combination refrigerators/freezers selling for $3,000 or less
- Water heaters selling for $1,500 or less
Read the Energy Star Appliances Exemption FAQs here.
It’s also important to note that there are some permanent sales tax exemptions that went into effect last year. Sales tax breaks on Baby and Toddler items like clothing, shoes, diapers, and wipes are now permanent as are exemptions on the purchase of cribs and strollers. Other permanent sales tax exemptions include tax breaks on hygiene products like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash.
Baby & Toddler Clothing and Diapers Sales Tax Exemption: Permanent
Raising little ones can get expensive, and QUICK, especially when it comes to diapers and clothing since they grow so quickly. The Florida sales tax exemption on these items intended for kids ages 5 and younger will help Florida families save some hard-earned dollars. There is no price limit for children’s diapers or baby and toddler clothes, apparel, and shoes to
qualify for the sales tax exemption.
Children’s diapers include single-use and reusable diapers, including those used for toilet training, and diaper inserts.
The Florida Sales Tax Exemption Period on Children’s Diapers and Baby and Toddler Clothing,
Apparel and Shoes does not apply to:
- adult diapers, undergarments, or related products, or to diaper bags
- clothing, apparel, or shoes intended for children over the age of 5 years
- alterations to any eligible items
- rentals of any eligible items.
Read more about the Baby & Toddler Clothing and Diaper Sales Tax Exemption here.
