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by Sarah Craig March 5, 2025
How are health and fitness items taxed when it comes to sales tax? Each state is different, but we’ve outlined some common health and fitness items and their taxability below.
While working on your fitness is good for your body and mind, you won’t find any relief when it comes to sales tax.
However, this is sales tax we’re talking about, so there are some exceptions. In the state of New York for example, cardiovascular, strength-training, and other fitness equipment and accessories are exempt from sales tax when prescribed by a physician. There are some restrictions around that qualification, you can read more about those here .
As far as fitness apparel goes, you are most likely paying and charging sales tax there as well. In most states, clothing is subject to sales tax. There are (of course!) some exceptions, and currently seven states that do not require you to charge sales tax on clothing in most cases. We’ve got a great resource for you on that here .
The good news is that in most states, prescription medicine is exempt from sales tax. Illinois and Louisiana have some limitations to that exemption, you can read about those here . When it comes to nonprescription medication, most states consider it to be taxable .
Things get a little tricky when it comes to supplements. Some states consider supplements grocery items because they often have “nutrition facts” labels rather than “supplement facts” or “drug facts” labels.
Other states lump dietary supplements in with other generic “tangible personal property” and consider them to be fully taxable.
And still other states make a distinction between prescription and nonprescription dietary supplements when it comes to sales tax. For example, Alabama considers dietary supplements non-taxable but only if they are prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner.
Last but not least, dietary supplements are not always pills. They can come in the form of powders or even bars. When selling a product, determine if it makes claims such as alleviating a vitamin deficiency. If it does, it may look like a food bar, but actually be taxed as a supplement. If your head is spinning, we have a state-by-state list of where supplements are subject to sales tax .
Here’s what you need to do to make sure you’re collecting and filing sales tax the way the states want you to:
Whether you sell treadmills, fitness apparel, or vitamin supplements, managing sales tax should be the last thing you’re worrying about. TaxJar can help manage your sales tax compliance. We support fitness and health transactions within our product.
To learn more about TaxJar and get started automating your sales tax compliance, start a free, 30-day trial today .
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