What is the Hillsborough County sales tax surtax rate?
Hillsborough County’s discretionary sales surtax rate is 1.5%. Combined with Florida’s 6% state sales tax, the total rate that businesses in the county collect is 7.5%. This applies to businesses operating in Tampa, Riverview, Brandon, Plant City, and all other areas within Hillsborough County.
The surtax is made up of two components. There is a 0.5% indigent care and county operating surtax plus a 1.0% charter county and regional transportation system surtax that voters approved. These are grouped together as the discretionary sales surtax that gets added on top of the state rate.
One detail that trips up business owners is the $5,000 cap. The discretionary surtax only applies to the first $5,000 of any single taxable transaction. So if you sell a $10,000 item, you charge 7.5% on the first $5,000 and only the 6% state rate on the remaining $5,000. For most small businesses with typical transaction sizes well under $5,000, this cap rarely comes into play. But contractors, equipment dealers, and anyone selling higher-ticket items or services need to apply this threshold correctly.
The rate you charge depends on where the product is delivered or where the service is performed, not where your business is located. If you’re based in Riverview but deliver goods to a customer in Pinellas County, you charge the Pinellas surtax rate instead. Florida has different surtax rates for each county, so businesses that sell across county lines need to track which rate applies to each transaction.
Hillsborough County’s surtax rate can change. The Florida Department of Revenue publishes updated rates each year, typically in the fall for the following January. It is worth checking the current rate annually to make sure you’re collecting and remitting the correct amount. Charging the wrong rate means either owing the difference out of pocket or having to correct customer invoices.
If you’re using QuickBooks or another accounting system, make sure your tax rates are set up to reflect the correct combined rate for Hillsborough County. Incorrect configuration is one of the most common issues we see when cleaning up a business’s books. Proper sales tax management means getting the rate right, filing on time, and keeping documentation in case the Florida Department of Revenue has questions.
For business owners in the Tampa Bay area who are unsure whether their sales tax setup is correct, or who are collecting in multiple Florida counties, getting this right from the start avoids penalties and interest down the road. Our team handles business tax preparation and compliance for small businesses throughout Hillsborough County and can make sure your rates, filings, and records are all in order.
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