MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The school year begins today for most educational institutions in Marion County and other counties in the 352 (although some start tomorrow, and some colleges in the region won’t begin the fall semester until a little later). But that doesn’t mean parents can’t still save a little money on a wide variety of items associated with heading off to school, thanks to the Florida Back to School Sales Tax Holiday.
While the dates for the state legislature-mandated sales tax reprieve are a little different than last year, which ran August 1-31, this permanent period of economic stimulus is still in effect through August 20, 2026. And it covers much more than paper, pencils and binders.
Covered items
School supplies (costing $50 or less per item)
- Binders
- Cellophane tape
- Compasses
- Composition books
- Computer disks
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Erasers
- Folders
- Glue or paste
- Legal pads
- Lunch boxes
- Markers
- Notebooks
- Notebook filler paper
- Pencils
- Pens
- Poster board
- Poster paper
- Protractors
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Staplers and staples
Bags (costing $100 or less per item)
- Backpacks
- Diaper bags
- Fanny packs
- Handbags
Personal computers and accessories (costing $1,500 or less per item)
- Desktops
- Laptops
- Tower/under desk computers
- Tablets
- PDAs
- E-readers
- Calculators
- Routers
- Monitors
- Modems
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Educational software
Clothing and accessories (costing $100 or less per item)
- Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shorts, etc.
- Shoes, boots, sandals, etc.
- Belts, hats, gloves, scarves, etc.
Items not included
- Briefcases, suitcases, or garment bags
- Watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, and handkerchiefs
- Skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates
- Clothing items with a sales price of more than $100
- Any school supply item with a sales price of more than $50
- Books that are not otherwise exempt
- Computers and computer-related accessories with a sales price of more than $1,500
- 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
- Rentals of any eligible items
- Repairs or alterations of any eligible items
- Sales of any eligible items within a theme park or entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport
So if you still need to outfit your kid (or yourself!) for the school year, you’ve got 10 days to take advantage of this now-annual incentive.