Saving on school supplies: Sales tax holiday begins Monday, July 25

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Keeping kids stocked with supplies is costing parents more this year, but Floridians will get a tax break on certain items starting Monday.

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Many parents are crunching numbers to get their children what they need for school.

“I hope I’m not spending more,” said Joanna Smith. “Everything’s going up.”

Smith came to the Walmart on San Jose Boulevard to grab some supplies for her two kids.

The retailer is trying to ease some of that stress.

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“A lot of things that have really increased for schooling this year have rolled back to [lower] prices, I’ve been noticing,” said Eric Rose, the seasonal team lead at the Walmart on San Jose Boulevard. “Especially composition notebooks and crayons.”

The Consumer Price Index shows that a calculator could be the item on your child’s list that has become the cheapest, seeing a 13% price drop in the last year.

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“Almost a $30 difference on some of them,” Rose pointed out.

The state is also helping out.

There’s also a tax holiday for Floridians, which kicks in on Monday, July 25, and lasts through Sunday, Aug. 7.

For those two weeks, you won’t have to pay a state sales tax on:

• Supplies costing $50 or less
• Backpacks, handbags, and wallets costing $100 or less
• Personal computers (or other technology) costing $1,500 or less

Still, families are still feeling the pinch.

According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $864 on school items.

That’s about $15 more than last year and $168 more than 2019.

“It’s a lot. That’s a lot,” Smith said. “That’s pretty accurate, though.”

For a more detailed overview, you can check out the 2022 Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday FAQ below: