If you haven’t heard yet, Florida’s tax-free month is already underway!
Florida’s 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday began Monday, July 20 and runs through Thursday, August 20. That’s a full 31 days to buy qualifying items without paying Florida’s 6% state sales tax, plus whatever your county’s local surtax adds on top of that. In Orange County that’s an additional 0.5%, so Orlando families are saving 6.5% on every qualifying purchase.
Here’s exactly what qualifies, what doesn’t, and how to get the most out of it before the window closes!
What's Tax-Free - And Up to What Price?
Not everything in the store qualifies. Here’s the breakdown by category:
Clothing & Footwear - $100 or Less Per Item
Clothing, footwear, wallets, bags, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags qualify if the sales price is $100 or less per item.
A few things worth noting here that people miss every year:
This applies to adults too, not just kids! If you need new work shoes, a new pair of sneakers, or a bag for yourself, buy it now.
Backpacks qualify. Backpacks and book bags are included in the Department’s examples of exempt items when the sales price is $100 or less per item.
What doesn’t qualify: briefcases, suitcases, garment bags, watches, jewelry, umbrellas, skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates. And anything over $100 per item is fully taxable, the exemption doesn’t apply to just the first $100, it’s all or nothing per item.
School Supplies - $50 or Less Per Item
Certain school supplies are tax-free if the sales price is $50 or less per item. Examples include pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, binders, lunch boxes, markers, rulers, scissors, and glue.
The full list includes pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster board, scissors, ruler, calculator, and staplers used to secure paper products.
The $50 limit is per item, not per transaction. A single calculator over $50 is taxable. Three $15 notebooks are each tax-free individually.
Learning Aids and Jigsaw Puzzles - $30 or Less
Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less are also tax-exempt during the holiday.
This one surprises a lot of parents. Educational games, flashcard sets, and puzzle sets under $30 all qualify. Worth knowing if you’re stocking up for the school year.
Personal Computers and Accessories - $1,500 or Less
This is the biggest savings opportunity of the entire holiday, and the most underused!
Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use, are tax-exempt.
On a $1,000 laptop in Orange County, that’s $65 back in your pocket. On a $1,500 computer, you’re saving nearly $100. If you’ve been putting off a computer purchase for your student, or for yourself, this month is the time.
What qualifies as computer accessories: keyboards, mice, monitors, headsets, external hard drives, USB drives, and similar items designed primarily to work with a computer.
What doesn’t qualify: cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data. Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial purposes are also excluded.
What Doesn't Qualify - The Full Exclusion List
Every year people are surprised at the register. Here’s what to watch for:
- Clothing or accessories over $100 per item
- School supplies over $50 per item
- Books that are not otherwise exempt
- Computers over $1,500
- Video game consoles
- Cell phones
- Rentals or repairs of any qualifying items
- Sales within a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport, the holiday does not apply in those locations
That last one is important for anyone planning to shop on resort property or in an airport store. It won’t apply there.
Does It Work Online?
Yes. Online shopping qualifies – major retailers like Amazon, Walmart.com, and Target.com participate, and many offer free shipping thresholds. Buy online, pick up in-store is also a valid option to avoid shipping costs.
The key is that the purchase must be completed, meaning paid for, during the July 20 through August 20 window. Items ordered before July 20 or after August 20 don’t qualify even if they ship during the holiday period.
Where to Shop in Orlando
You don’t need to go anywhere special, the tax exemption applies automatically at any participating Florida retailer during the holiday period.
For Orlando families doing back-to-school shopping, a few local options worth knowing:
Target — Multiple East Orlando locations including Waterford Lakes and Avalon Park. Wide selection of clothing, supplies, and computers all in one trip.
Walmart — Multiple locations across East Orlando and Oviedo. Typically the best pricing on bulk supply purchases.
Best Buy — Waterford Lakes and other Central Florida locations for computers and accessories.
Staples / Office Depot — School supply specialists. Usually run additional store promotions stacked on top of the tax savings during this period.
Local boutiques and children’s clothing stores — The tax exemption applies to independent retailers too. Good time to support local while saving on qualifying clothing purchases.
What's Coming Next After This Holiday
The next tax-free holiday in Florida following the back-to-school period will be the hunting, fishing, and camping sales tax holiday, which begins Tuesday, September 1 and runs through the end of the year.
If you’re an outdoor family (fishing gear, camping equipment, hunting supplies) mark September 1 on the calendar.
School Start Dates for Central Florida
For Orlando-area families planning their shopping timeline:
Thirty-nine of Florida’s 67 counties will start the 2026–2027 school year on the earliest possible start date: Monday, August 10. Orange County and Seminole County are both in that group.
That gives you until August 20, the last day of the tax-free holiday, after the first day of school. Which means if you miss something on the supply list after that first week, you still have time to pick it up tax-free!
One More Thing
One of the things I’ve always appreciated about raising a family in Central Florida is that the state genuinely tries to make life more affordable for residents in practical ways. No state income tax year-round. Tax-free months like this one. Homestead exemptions that compound over time for homeowners.
If you’re thinking about putting down roots here, buying your first home, upsizing as the kids get older, or just curious what the market looks like right now, I’m always happy to have that conversation!
Ray Lopez Team | Keller Williams Advantage II Realty
📞 407-697-8298
📧 closings@raylopezteam.com
🌐 raylopezteam.com
What’s on your back-to-school shopping list this year? Drop it in the comments, and don’t forget to grab it before August 20!
