iPads are not permanently tax-free in Florida, but during the state’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday you can buy one without paying the six percent state sales tax or the local county surtax, as long as the iPad costs $1,500 or less and you’re buying it for personal use. The holiday typically covers the entire month of August.
When the Tax-Free Window Opens
Florida’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is the one reliable window each year for buying an iPad tax-free. For 2025, the holiday ran from August 1 through August 31. The 2026 holiday is expected to cover August 1–31 as well, though the Florida Department of Revenue publishes final dates on its sales tax holidays page once the governor signs the annual tax relief package.
Dates can shift if the legislature changes the timeline, so confirm the current window on the Department of Revenue’s sales tax holidays page before you buy. The Department also publishes a Tax Information Publication (TIP) a few weeks before the holiday begins with the complete, line-by-line list of qualifying items.
The $1,500 Price Cap
To qualify, the iPad’s sales price must be $1,500 or less. This is a hard cutoff, not a partial exemption. An iPad priced at $1,499 is fully exempt. An iPad priced at $1,501 is fully taxable on the entire purchase price. There’s no middle ground where you pay tax only on the amount above $1,500.
The cap covers most iPads comfortably. Even a well-equipped iPad Pro usually stays under $1,500. But iPad Pro models with the largest storage options and cellular connectivity can push past the line, so check the exact retail price of the configuration you want before you check out. Add-ons like engraving or AppleCare may be bundled into the sales price or listed separately depending on the retailer, which can affect whether you clear the threshold.
You cannot split one iPad across two transactions to stay under the cap. The exemption looks at the total sales price of the individual unit.
Personal Use Only, and What Counts as a Computer
The exemption requires that the iPad be purchased for noncommercial home or personal use. iPads bought for a business, or for resale, don’t qualify regardless of price. This is an honor-system rule at the register; retailers aren’t required to verify how you plan to use the device, but the restriction is written into the statute.
Florida defines “personal computers” broadly enough that every iPad model fits. The category covers tablets, laptops, desktops, e-readers, and handheld devices designed primarily to process data. A few device types that look adjacent to tablets are specifically excluded:
- Cell phones, including large-screen smartphones.
- Video game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
- Digital media receivers like Apple TV or Roku.
Which iPad Accessories Qualify
Computer-related accessories priced at $1,500 or less are also exempt during the holiday when purchased for personal use. The Department of Revenue’s TIP lists these qualifying items, among others:
- Keyboards, including Apple’s Magic Keyboard and other Bluetooth keyboards designed for computers.
- Mice and trackpads.
- Printers, including all-in-one models.
- Monitors without a built-in television tuner.
- Speakers, microphones, headphones, and earbuds designed for computer use.
- Cables, docking stations, chargers, and car adaptors for laptops.
- Routers and modems used with a computer.
- Nonrecreational software (productivity software qualifies; games do not).
The surprise: iPad cases and covers are explicitly taxable even during the holiday. The Department of Revenue specifically lists “cases for electronic devices” and “tablet cases or covers” as excluded. Also taxable are desks and monitor stands, game controllers, VR headsets and other peripherals designed primarily for entertainment, and monitors that can receive broadcast television.
The Apple Pencil sits in a gray area. The TIP doesn’t name styluses, but qualifying accessories include “other peripheral devices” that aren’t primarily recreational. A stylus used for note-taking or digital art likely fits, though the Department has not published explicit guidance. Check the retailer’s tax calculation at checkout.
Buying Online During the Holiday
Online purchases from Apple, Amazon, or any other retailer qualify as long as the order is accepted during the holiday window. “Accepted” doesn’t mean delivered. It means the retailer has taken action to fill the order by assigning an order number, sending a confirmation email, or date-stamping a mail order. Shipping delays, backorders, and out-of-stock situations do not disqualify the purchase, provided you didn’t request a delayed ship date yourself.
Place your order and get confirmation before the holiday ends. If you order at 11:55 PM on the last night and the retailer confirms at 12:03 AM, you may lose the exemption. Most major retailers update their checkout systems to remove sales tax automatically on qualifying items during the holiday, so you should see the $0 tax line before paying. If tax still appears on an iPad priced under $1,500, something is wrong. Don’t complete the purchase until the exemption is applied.
Your shipping address must be in Florida. Retailers calculate tax based on the delivery destination, so an iPad shipped out of state won’t get the exemption even if you’re a Florida resident ordering during the holiday.
Where the Exemption Does Not Apply
Even during the Back-to-School holiday, certain locations are carved out. Sales inside these places remain fully taxable:
- Theme parks and entertainment complexes.
- Hotels and other public lodging, including gift shops.
- Airports, including electronics stores inside terminals.
Rentals of qualifying items are excluded, and so are repair and alteration services. A cracked iPad screen fixed during the holiday is still taxable.
How Much You Actually Save
Beyond the six percent state sales tax, most Florida counties add a local discretionary sales surtax ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 percent. During the holiday, qualifying purchases are exempt from both. On a $1,300 iPad Pro, that means savings of roughly $78 to $97.50 depending on your county, rather than just the $78 in state tax alone.