Dedicated shelves of school supplies are appearing in Florida stores, but try to resist starting your back-to-school shopping this weekend.
Well, resist if you’d like to save a little money.
Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday begins Monday, July 20.
Worried about missing something if you buy supplies before your child steps into the classroom?
With the first day of school coming Aug. 10 for most counties, you’ll have plenty of time to add any extras since the tax holiday lasts until Aug. 20.
Shop Amazon for school supplies
This year, the state will offer two major sales tax holidays. The first is the month-long back-to-school sales tax holiday, followed by a more than three-month sales tax holiday on hunting, fishing and camping supplies.
The back-to-school sales tax holiday allows families to save money on eligible school supplies, clothing, computers and other technology before classes begin.
Here’s what shoppers can buy tax-free during the 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday, starting July 20.
When is Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday?
Florida’s 2026 back-to-school sales tax holiday for school supplies, including clothing and computers, will run from July 20 through Aug. 20.
What school supplies will be tax-exempt this 2026-2027 school year?
The following items will be tax exempt from July 20-Aug. 20:
Go to floridarevenue.com for a complete list of all items included in the sales tax holiday, along with exceptions.
When does school start in Florida? See list by county
Thirty-eight of Florida’s 67 counties will start the 2026-2027 school year on the earliest possible date in the state, Monday, Aug. 10, with the others following shortly the same week.
Special note: Links to school calendars often change. Here’s a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.
Why aren’t school calendars same for all Florida counties?
The decision on what days schools should be closed is made by individual school districts.
Florida school districts develop their academic calendars with input from a variety of sources, including staff, families and calendar committees.
The final decision is made by each county’s school board.
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://news-journalonline.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Want to save money on school supplies? Here’s why it pays to wait
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
