Guide To Florida's 2019 Tax-Free Back-To-School Holiday

ACROSS FLORIDA — Summer is nearly over, and that means it's time to prepare for a new school year. This year, Florida's tax-free back-to-school holiday has been extended from one weekend to five days and includes computers and other technology along with the usual notebooks, pencils, backpacks and clothing.

Florida residents can begin back-to-school shopping at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 2 and continue filling their carts until 11:59 p.m. Aug. 6 without paying the 6 percent or more state and local sales tax.

Qualifying items exempt from tax include school supplies selling for $15 or less per item; clothing, footwear and certain fashion accessories selling for $60 or less per item; and computers and accessories selling for $1,000 or less per item.

See Back-To-School Essentials 2019: Backpacks, Laptops And Supplies

In Florida, the tax-free back-to-school holiday is the second busiest shopping holiday of the year behind Black Friday. This year, the average family shopping for back-to-school items will spend $696.70, the most spent in the history of the National Retail Federation’s annual survey.

For more information and a complete list of qualifying items, review the Florida Department of Revenue's Tax Information Publication.

Here's a sampling of items that can be purchased tax free:

Computers And Accessories

• Desktop, laptop and tablets for personal use
• Car adapters for laptop computers
• Computer batteries
• Computer towers
• Electronic book readers
• Hard drives
• Headphones, earbuds
• Printers
• Ink cartridges
• Routers
• Scanners
• Software (non-recreational)

Clothing And Accessories

• Jackets, jeans, leggings, blouses, pants, shirts, underclothes, robes
• Fitness clothing
• Handbags, purses, wallets
• Backpacks and book bags
• Bicycle helmets (youth)
• Shoes (including athletic shoes)
• Swim suits and trunks

School Supplies

• Notebooks, binders, folders, notebook filler paper, legal pads
• Lunch boxes
• Pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters
• Calculators
• Compasses, protractors, rulers, scissors, staplers and staples
• Poster board, poster paper, construction paper
• Glue, paste, transparent tape

Just because an item can be purchased tax free, doesn't always mean it's the cheapest price. The shopping website Offers.com has put together a back-to-school survival guide to help shoppers save money.

Deals For Grades Kindergarten To 8th

• Uniforms – Shop for quality, durable polos, khakis, sweaters and more from uniform retailers like Lands’ End and French Toast. Look for stock-up sales and coupons at stores like Sears, where you can find kids’ school uniforms for up to 40 percent off. Belk’s back-to-school sale runs July 31 to Aug. 6 and features 20 percent off any purchase with this promo code, $9.99 Nautica uniform polos and free earbuds with a $25 Nautica uniform purchase.
• Backpacks - Save money by spending more up front for high-quality backpacks and lunch bags. Choose durable gear from retailers like Lands’ End to get a backpack that will last your several years. Belk’s back-to-school sale features up to 50 percent off backpacks. Get $10 backpacks at Office Max and Office Depot while supplies last, plus up to 80 percent off school supplies. You can get 20 percent off school supplies when you buy a backpack with this in-store coupon at Staples. This promo runs through Aug. 3. Also through Aug. 3, get $12 off online orders of $75 or more.
• School Supplies – Always order more than required before school starts, so you’ll be set for refills and emergencies. Walmart and Target are convenient options for pens, pencils, paper and all the other essentials. Check their website for lists of required items for your child's school and grade. Amazon offers many of the same back-to-school staples that the big-box stores do. Plus, Prime members get free, fast shipping. Students can get a free trial of Amazon Prime and then a 50 percent discount on Prime after the trial expires. Sign up here. See Amazon’s Back to School sale for 2019. Walmart has school supplies starting at 98 cents through Aug. 31.

Back-To School Deals For High Schoolers

• Clothing – If uniforms aren't mandatory, the easiest way to avoid fights over clothes is to set a spending limit, show your teens how to find sales and use coupons, and let them choose for themselves. Shop Old Navy for basics like T-shirts, jeans and cotton dresses. For the more fashion-forward preteen, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (which runs until Aug. 4) overlaps with the back-to-school shopping season. Kohl’s and Target offer stylish items with a lower price tag.
• Computers– Schoolwork, online social time and college applications all call for a quality laptop. Get one on the cheap with Dell Back-to-School deals. Best Buy offers student pricing on tech. And Apple is running a back-to-school special (with free Beats headphones) and offers education pricing that could get you up to $200 off select products. Through Sept. 5, students and parents can save up to 10 percent on select Microsoft tech, including various Surface products and accessories. Plus, students and educators can get Office 365 for free with a valid school email address. See details. Check the Microsoft website daily for more limited-time deals on specific products. For example, for a limited time (until Aug. 10), get 25 percent off the Surface Pro 6 + Type Cover Bundle.