Florida sales tax holidays are temporary windows when the state’s 6% sales tax and local surtaxes come off specific categories of goods, and for 2026 the main ones are the month-long back-to-school holiday every August and a hunting, fishing, and camping holiday running from September 7 through December 31. Hurricane and emergency supplies no longer need a holiday window at all: they became permanently tax-free on August 1, 2025.
What’s Scheduled for 2026
Two holidays are on the calendar so far. The back-to-school holiday is a permanent annual fixture running August 1 through August 31.1Florida Department of Revenue. Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday The hunting, fishing, and camping holiday runs September 7 through December 31, 2026.2Sales Tax Institute. Sales Tax Holidays
Other holidays, including the skilled-trade Tool Time period, depend on whatever tax package the legislature passes each year. The 2025 legislature authorized a Tool Time window from August 29 through September 7, 2025; whether it returns in 2026 is up to the annual bill. The Florida Department of Revenue posts confirmed dates and item lists once each holiday is finalized.
Hurricane and Emergency Supplies Are Now Permanently Tax-Free
If you remember waiting for the June or August disaster preparedness windows, that’s over. Starting August 1, 2025, Florida eliminated the temporary hurricane holidays and made the exemption permanent and year-round. No dates to watch, no price caps.
The permanently exempt items include:
- Portable generators
- Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms
- Fire extinguishers
- Batteries in AA, AAA, C, D, 6-volt, and 9-volt sizes
- Life jackets
- Waterproof tarps of 1,000 square feet or less
- Ground anchor systems and tie-down kits
- Portable gas or diesel cans of five gallons or less
- Bicycle helmets, insect repellent, and sunscreen
A $4,000 generator qualifies just like a $500 one. There is no threshold.
Back-to-School: What Qualifies in August
The August holiday covers four categories, each with its own per-item price ceiling. Every item is judged on its own, so a receipt full of qualifying items stays tax-free even if the total is large.1Florida Department of Revenue. Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday
- Clothing, footwear, bags, and wallets at $100 or less per item. Backpacks, handbags, fanny packs, and diaper bags count.
- School supplies at $50 or less per item. Pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, folders, lunch boxes, markers, scissors, tape, glue, rulers, staplers, protractors, and compasses all qualify.
- Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles at $30 or less. Flashcards, memory games, puzzle books, interactive or electronic learning toys, and stacking or nesting block sets are included.
- Personal computers and accessories at $1,500 or less, for noncommercial home or personal use. Laptops, desktops, tablets, e-readers, calculators, keyboards, mice, monitors without a TV tuner, routers, and nonrecreational software qualify. Cell phones, video game consoles, and digital media receivers do not.
The threshold is strict. A jacket priced at $105 gets taxed on the full $105, not on the $5 above the limit. There is no partial exemption.
What’s Excluded
Some items feel like they belong but don’t. Watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, and handkerchiefs are not “clothing” under the rule, regardless of price.1Florida Department of Revenue. Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday Skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates are excluded from footwear. Computers bought for business use don’t qualify even under $1,500, and neither do monitors with built-in TV tuners or peripherals designed primarily for gaming. Rentals are out entirely.
Where You Buy Matters
None of the back-to-school exemptions apply inside a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport. Same backpack, same price, but bought at an airport gift shop: taxed.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 12AER23-16 – Sales of Clothing and School Supplies Sales Tax Holiday This applies across every qualifying category.
Coupons, Online Orders, and Layaway
Store coupons and retailer discounts reduce the price for holiday purposes because they lower what the store actually receives. A $120 pair of shoes marked down to $95 with a store coupon qualifies for the $100 clothing exemption. Manufacturer coupons don’t, because the manufacturer reimburses the retailer, so the store still books the full sale. A $120 item with a $25 manufacturer coupon is treated as a $120 sale and misses the threshold.1Florida Department of Revenue. Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday If you’re close to a cap, look at the receipt.
Online and mail-order purchases qualify as long as the seller accepts the order during the holiday window for immediate shipment. Delivery can arrive later without breaking the exemption, and a shipping backlog or temporary out-of-stock status still counts as immediate. The only exclusion is when the customer specifically asks for a delayed shipment date.1Florida Department of Revenue. Annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday
Layaway works too. Putting a qualifying item on layaway during the holiday locks in the exemption even if you finish paying afterward.4Florida Department of Revenue. 2025 Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday Useful if you’re eyeing a computer near the $1,500 line.
Hunting, Fishing, and Camping
The outdoor recreation holiday replaced what used to be called Freedom Month. In 2025 it ran from September into December on camping, fishing, and hunting supplies, and the 2026 dates are September 7 through December 31.2Sales Tax Institute. Sales Tax Holidays Specific qualifying items and price caps for 2026 hadn’t been finalized at the time of writing, so watch the Department of Revenue’s holiday page for the item list. One note: life jackets, previously a common holiday buy, are now permanently exempt under the disaster preparedness rules and don’t need a window.
Tool Time for Skilled Trades
When it runs, the Tool Time holiday exempts trade tools and gear. In 2024 the categories included hand tools at $50 or less and power tools at $300 or less, along with protective coveralls, toolboxes, and LED flashlights.5Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Tax Information Publication – Sales Tax Holiday for Tools Commonly Used by Skilled Trade Workers The 2025 window ran August 29 through September 7. Its 2026 status depends on the legislature’s annual tax package.
What You Actually Save
Florida’s state sales tax is 6%, and most counties add a discretionary surtax of roughly 0.5% to 1.5%.6Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Sales and Use Tax During a holiday you skip both. A $1,500 computer in a county with a 1% surtax saves you $105. A $500 back-to-school run of clothing and supplies saves $30 to $37 depending on the county. The math is why timing bigger purchases for August tends to pay off, especially if you’re outfitting more than one kid.