How to Tax Free Shop in Florida
Florida is most commonly known as a sunny state of beautiful coastlines, major attractions like Walt Disney World Resort and the mysterious everglades. However, the state's yearly 10-day back-to-school tax free holiday is also a huge draw, making back-to-school shopping more affordable for parents and more exciting for children. The state also offers a hurricane preparedness tax free holiday that allows people to shop free of sales tax on certain items.
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Things You'll Need
- Shopping list of back-to-school items
- Shopping list of items needed in times of hurricane
Instructions
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Shop Back to School Specials
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Go to a mall or favorite store each year in August for Florida's back-to-school tax free holiday. There are 17 states that participate in the back-to-school holiday, but few can rival that of Florida. In 2007, August 4 through 13 marked the state's 10-day tax free holiday. In the past, the holiday was held in July to try to help boost sales of a typically slow retail month.
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Look for eligible tax free products during the back-to-school holiday, such as clothing (items must be less than $50) and books and school supplies (items must be less than $10). Markers, notepads and correction fluids are school supplies not included in the holiday.
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Plan wisely by breaking down large purchases into smaller ones to fully utilize the tax free holiday. It is permissible in Florida to make multiple smaller purchases--for example, if you have more than $50 of clothing to buy--in order to fully realize the tax break.
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Prepare for the hurricane season tax free during the end of spring. June 1 of 2007 marked the first day of the hurricane preparedness tax free holiday for shoppers in Florida. Tax free items included ice, flashlights, lanterns, batteries, cellphone chargers, tarps, bungee cords and even portable generators, all within a certain price range.
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Fly out of Florida International Airport if you're visiting from another country to shop the duty free stores. The airport allots each individual $400 of exemptions each month in duty free purchases.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're planning on taking advantage of Florida's tax free back-to-school holiday, be sure to plan out a budget so you don't overspend just because you're not paying a sales tax.
Florida's normal sales tax on retail purchases is 6 percent, but this can vary by .25 to 2.5 percent depending on the county.
Don't try to buy back-to-school supplies tax free during Florida's hurricane preparedness tax free holiday in June. All regular taxes still apply to school supplies and clothing during this time.
