Ammunition is tax free in Florida during the state’s annual Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday. The most recent window ran from September 8 through December 31, 2025, and the 2026 holiday is set to run September 1 through December 31.1Florida Governor’s Office. Governor Ron DeSantis Announces First-Ever Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday During that window, both the 6% state sales tax and any county discretionary surtax (which runs from 0.5% to 1.5% where it applies) come off qualifying ammunition at the register, with no price cap on the box or the bulk case.2Florida Dept. of Revenue. Florida Dept. of Revenue – Discretionary Sales Surtax
What Counts as Ammunition
The exemption follows the definition in Florida Statutes Section 790.001(1). A round qualifies only if it is a complete, assembled cartridge or shell that contains all three components in a single unit: a casing (a fixed metallic or nonmetallic hull holding a primer), one or more projectiles or shot, and gunpowder as the propellant.3Florida Department of Revenue. 2025 Florida Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday – Consumer FAQ
That covers standard cartridges and shotshells in every common caliber and gauge used for hunting, sport shooting, and personal defense. Whether the box costs $9 or $60, the entire purchase is exempt during the holiday.
Reloading Components Are Still Taxed
Because the statute requires all three components together in one assembled object, loose supplies do not qualify. Primers sold on their own, gunpowder by the canister, empty brass, and bare projectiles remain taxable during the holiday.4Florida Department of Revenue. Hunting, Fishing and Camping Supplies Sales Tax Holiday If you reload, factory ammo goes tax free but the raw materials do not.
Firearms and Accessories Are Included
The same holiday also waives tax on firearms themselves. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, and any other weapon designed to expel a projectile by an explosive are covered with no price cap.3Florida Department of Revenue. 2025 Florida Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday – Consumer FAQ Firearm accessories on the qualifying list include holsters, sights and optics, pistol grips, stocks, charging handles, and cleaning kits. Bows, crossbows, arrows, bolts, quivers, releases, and wristguards qualify as well.1Florida Governor’s Office. Governor Ron DeSantis Announces First-Ever Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday
Gun safes, lockboxes, and trigger locks are not on the qualifying list. Rentals and repairs of otherwise qualifying items stay fully taxable, and purchases made inside a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport are excluded.5Florida Department of Revenue. Hunting Season Sales Tax Holiday
How the Discount Applies at Checkout
No coupon, card, or paperwork is needed. Retailers configure their registers to strip the tax off qualifying items automatically during the holiday, and the exemption works the same way at big-box sporting goods stores, independent gun shops, and online retailers that collect Florida sales tax.
For online purchases, timing turns on the transaction, not the delivery. Payment has to be accepted while the holiday is active. If the order goes in on the final day but the retailer does not process payment until the next day, the exemption can be lost. Shipment after the window closes is fine as long as the sale itself closed inside it.
Separately stated shipping charges that you could avoid by picking up in person are generally not subject to Florida sales tax at any time.6Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Sales and Use Tax During the holiday, the ammo ships tax free and the delivery line stays untaxed, so long as the retailer breaks shipping out separately on the invoice.
Age Rules Do Not Change During the Holiday
The exemption is a price break, not a change to who can buy. Federal law at 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) requires you to be at least 18 to buy rifle or shotgun ammunition and at least 21 to buy handgun ammunition from a licensed dealer.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Those thresholds apply in-store, online, during the holiday, and every other day of the year.
Confirm the Dates Before You Shop
Florida’s ammunition tax holiday is not written into permanent tax code. The Legislature authorizes it inside an annual tax package, so the dates, qualifying items, and price thresholds can change from year to year, and the holiday could be skipped in a future session. The 2025 program was the first the Governor’s office branded around firearms and ammunition. The Florida Department of Revenue posts the current list of active sales tax holidays at floridarevenue.com, and that page is the place to verify the window before a large purchase.