Last weekend to save during Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — The first week of school may be over for many Southwest Florida families, but the back-to-school shopping is not.

This is the final weekend of Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday, giving families a few more days to save on qualifying clothing, school supplies and technology before the holiday ends Thursday.

For sisters Taya and Tessa Bucar, that meant picking up a few last-minute items after heading back to class.

“We’re doing back-to-school shopping, just for like everything, I guess. Little last-minute clothes, all of that stuff,” they said.

Taya is a sophomore at Charlotte High School, while Tessa is beginning her senior year.

The sisters have already made several shopping stops.

“First, we went to Target and then we went to Michael’s for her senior jeans, and then we’re gonna go over there to Didi’s Discount and all that,” they said.

The timing could help families save.

During the tax holiday, qualifying school supplies costing $50 or less per item are exempt from sales tax. That includes items such as notebooks, binders and markers.

Qualifying clothing, shoes and certain accessories costing $100 or less per item are also tax-free.

Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories costing $1,500 or less also qualify.

Families may be able to find additional savings through retailer discounts.

Walmart is advertising some back-to-school supplies for up to 30% off, with many items priced below $25. Target is advertising discounts of up to 60% on some back-to-school merchandise.

Amazon is also offering rolling discounts on items including tech accessories, calculators and dorm essentials, with some discounts reaching up to 50%.

That means shoppers who find an item already discounted by a retailer may be able to combine that lower price with the sales tax exemption, as long as the item still meets the requirements of Florida’s tax holiday.

For the Bucar sisters, any extra savings can make a difference.

“I feel like it’s great because it helps my mom and it just helps everybody, honestly. It’s just really good,” one of the sisters said.

“Everything’s so expensive nowadays,” the other added.

Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday runs through Thursday, Aug. 20.