Florida gears up for back-to-school sales-tax holiday

With children heading back to school in just two weeks, the state is once again offering its tax-free, back-to-school shopping holiday.

From Friday, Aug. 2, to Tuesday, Aug. 6, no Florida sales tax or local-option tax will be collected on certain items. This includes clothing, footwear and certain accessories priced $60 or less; certain school supplies priced $15 or less; and certain personal computers and related accessories costing $1,000 or less. Cell phones are excluded from this.

The tax-free holiday officially begins at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 2 and ends at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 6.

There are some restrictions, however. Watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas and handkerchiefs do not qualify as tax-exempt clothing, and the tax-free exemption doesn't apply to  clothing, wallets or bags purchased in a theme park, entertainment complex or airport.

The sales-tax holiday also does not apply to computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial purposes, rentals or leases of any eligible items, or repairs or alterations of any eligible items, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.

For a complete list of the tax-exempt items or for more information on the tax-free holiday, click here. Otherwise, here are some of the items included in the tax-free holiday:

Clothing ($60 or less)

• Baby clothes
• Backpacks and book bags
• Belts 
• Dresses
• Gym suits and uniforms
• Hats and caps
• Jackets
• Jeans
• Leggings, tights and leg warmers 
• Pants
• Purses
• Raincoats, rain hats and ponchos \
• Shirts
• Shoes (including athletic)
• Shorts
• Skirts
• Socks
• Sweaters
• Uniforms (work, school, and athletic, excluding pads) 

School Supplies ($15 or less)

• Binders
• Calculators
• Colored pencils
• Composition books 
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Folders
• Glue (stick and liquid)
• Highlighters
• Lunch boxes
• Markers
• Notebook filler paper
• Notebooks
• Pencils, including mechanical and refills
• Pens, including felt, ballpoint, fountain, highlighters and refills
• Rulers
• Scissors
• Staplers and staples 

Computers and Related Accessories ($1,000 or less)

• Cables (for computers)
• Central processing units (CPU)
• Compact disk drives
• Computer for noncommercial home or personal use
• Computer batteries
• Data storage devices (excludes those devices designed for use in digital cameras or other taxable items)
• Hard drives
• Headphones (including “earbuds”)
• Ink cartridges (for computer printers)
• Keyboards (for computers)
• Mice (mouse devices)
• Monitors (except devices that include a television tuner)
• Printer cartridges
• Printers (including “all-in-one” models)
• Software (nonrecreational)
• Tablets