If you’re buying a laptop for school this summer, the state sales tax holidays running through July and August are actually worth planning around. If you’re just stocking up on notebooks and pencils, they aren’t. Same tax break either way. The check size is where it matters, and on a couple bucks of pencils, 6% is pocket lint.
Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday started July 20 and runs a full month, through August 20. The state waives its 6% sales tax on clothing and shoes up to $100 per item, school supplies up to $50 per item, learning aids and puzzles up to $30, and personal computers and accessories up to $1,500. Sixteen other states hold shorter versions, most crammed into early or mid August. Texas runs August 7 to 9. Massachusetts, August 8 to 9. Maryland, August 9 to 15. South Carolina, the first weekend of August. Connecticut, August 16 to 22.
Here’s the math, because this is where most coverage waves its hands. On $200 of school supplies at 6%, you save $12. On a $1,500 laptop at the same 6%, you save $90, and in some counties with local sales surtax layered on top, closer to $100. Same holiday. Different check size. One is worth timing. The other is not.
Here’s the catch. Some states waive only the state portion of the tax, so local surtax may still apply. Florida’s version is generous and covers most of the total tax, but check your county rate before you decide the number in the headline is what you’ll actually save. Sales at theme parks, airports, and hotels don’t qualify, which matters if you were planning to grab something at a resort gift shop. Cell phones and video game consoles are out. So are briefcases and jewelry.
Retailers know when the holiday is. Check the price on a laptop today. Watch it through the end of July. If the pre-holiday price and the holiday price come out close, the tax-free savings evaporates into markup. Bank’s bet is that you’ll be too pressed for time to shop it.
Do this. If you actually need a laptop, decide on the model this week and price it now on Amazon and at Best Buy so you have a baseline. Compare that baseline to the holiday price in your state. If the holiday price is genuinely lower after tax, buy it. If not, buy the cheaper one whenever it’s cheaper. On regular school supplies, don’t drive anywhere special. Grab them wherever you already are.
If you’re in a state without a holiday, the calendar doesn’t help you. Buy the laptop when the price drops, not when the tax does. Back-to-school laptop deals from the retailers themselves usually beat any state tax discount.
One more line worth knowing. Florida’s holiday is now permanent by state law, which is unusual. Most states re-authorize theirs each session, so if you’re moving next year, don’t assume the dates carry over.
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