DOR's Sales Tax TIP for 2012

SALES TAX HOLIDAY IS AUGUST 3rd – AUGUST 5th

If your business sells clothing, footwear, accessories, or school supplies in Florida, you need to know about the upcoming Sales Tax Holiday. For 3 days in early August, these items will not be subject to state sales tax if they meet certain price restrictions.

Here are some details about the 2012 tax-free shopping days:  

• The sales tax holiday is earlier this year:  it begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 3rd and runs through midnight on Sunday, August 5th.  
• Tax-free items are clothing and footwear selling for $75 or less, and school supplies selling for $15 or less.
• The sales tax exemption applies no matter how many tax-free items a customer buys.  There is no limit to the amount of items that can be purchased tax-free.    
• Books are not included in the sales tax holiday.  
• To be tax-free, clothes and shoes must sell for $75 or less.  
• To be tax-free, school supplies must sell for $15 or less each. 

Retailers are not required to keep additional or special records for the tax-free days.  Simply continue to keep your normal sales tax records.  Sales of eligible items that are sold tax-free from August 3rd through the 5th should be reported as exempt sales on your sales tax return for that period. The Florida Department of Revenue has mailed a detailed Tax Information Publication to all active registered sales tax dealers explaining:

• A detailed list of items that are tax-free and which ones are taxable
• What to do when a product contains both exempt and taxable items
• How to deal with gift certificates
• How to handle exchanges of tax exempt purchases after the tax-free days are over
• How to do refunds during/after the tax-free days
• How to handle coupons, rebates, discounts, rain checks and layaways
• How to handle tax-free sales in Bay County

>> Click here to download the Department’s Taxpayer Information Publication on the sales tax holiday. <<

>> Click here for detailed, alphabetized list of items and whether they will be tax-free or not.  This list is an 8 ½” by 11” poster that you can print out and display at your business for reference during the sales tax holiday. <<

If you have questions about the sales tax holiday, call the Department of Revenue’s toll-free Taxpayer Assistance line at 800-352-3671 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.  Or, you can visit the Department’s website at www.myflorida.com/dor.

Published: 06/01/2012

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