Florida Property Tax FAQ: Complete 2026 Guide

Save Our Homes. Their assessed value has been capped at 3% growth a year, or the change in CPI if that is lower, for every year they have held the homestead; yours reset to market value on the day you bought. Two identical houses on one street routinely carry bills that differ by thousands, and the gap widens every year the market rises. Nothing is wrong with either assessment — the cap is doing exactly what it was written to do, and the longer someone stays, the more it is worth.

Because the two halves come off different taxes. The first $25,000 is deducted from every levy on the bill, schools included. The additional slice — $26,411 for 2026, adjusted for inflation each year under Amendment 5 — comes off the non-school levies only. That is why your TRIM notice carries two taxable values rather than one, and why a single blended figure will never reconcile against it.

Up to $500,000 of it moves with you to your next Florida homestead, claimed on form DR-501T within three tax years of giving up the old one. If the new home is worth at least as much as the old, the full differential transfers. If you downsize, you transfer a proportional share instead — you keep the same ratio of assessed to market value rather than the same number of dollars. It is the most valuable thing most Florida sellers never claim, and the rule most calculators state incorrectly.

Yes, and by more than most people assume. Bills arrive in November carrying a 4% discount, which falls to 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, and nothing after that. On a $6,000 bill, paying in November rather than March is $240 for moving money a few months earlier. The full amount is due by 31 March regardless.

The Truth in Millage notice arrives in August and is the only clear look you get at the proposed assessment and the proposed rates before either is final. The bill in November is the outcome; the TRIM notice is the moment you can still argue about it. You have 25 days from the date printed on it to petition the Value Adjustment Board, and once that window closes the number stands for the year.

No. Community Development District assessments and the other non-ad-valorem charges — solid waste, stormwater, fire — are set per district and billed as separate lines rather than as a share of your millage. In newer master-planned communities they routinely add well over $1,000 a year, so a CDD neighbourhood can cost meaningfully more than its millage rate suggests. Check the non-ad-valorem section of your own bill.

Assessed value, less exemptions, multiplied by the millage rate — but the arithmetic hides two things worth knowing. The assessed value is not the market value once a homestead has been held for any length of time, because Save Our Homes caps its growth. And the exemption does not come off in one piece: the first $25,000 reduces every levy while the additional slice reduces only the non-school ones, so the bill runs two taxable values through two different portions of the rate.

A constitutional limit, in Article VII of the Florida Constitution and section 193.155 of the statutes, on how fast the assessed value of a homestead may rise: 3% a year, or the change in CPI if that is lower. It begins the January after your homestead is approved and compounds for as long as you hold it. The benefit is the gap between what your house would sell for and what you are assessed on, and in a rising market that gap grows every year.

With your county property appraiser, by 1 March, for a home you owned and occupied as your permanent residence on 1 January. You will need proof that Florida is genuinely your domicile — a Florida driver's licence, vehicle registration, voter registration — because the appraiser is testing residency rather than ownership. Miss the deadline and you wait a full year; the exemption does not backdate.

Bills go out in November and the full amount is due by 31 March. Paying in November takes 4% off, December 3%, January 2%, February 1%, and nothing thereafter. The discount is on the whole bill, so on a typical Florida homestead it is worth a few hundred dollars a year for doing nothing but paying sooner.

Yes, and the window is short. File a petition with your county's Value Adjustment Board within 25 days of the date on your TRIM notice — not 25 days from when you opened it. Most successful petitions argue one of two things: that the appraiser's market value is above what comparable homes actually sold for around 1 January, or that a fact on the record is simply wrong, such as square footage or the number of bathrooms. Bring the comparable sales; an opinion that the bill feels high is not evidence.

An additional $50,000 off non-school levies for owners 65 and over whose household income is under the annual limit — $37,694 for 2026 — where the county or city has adopted it. A total exemption from ad valorem tax for veterans with a service-connected total and permanent disability, under section 196.081. Smaller exemptions for widows, widowers, the legally blind and the totally disabled. Several are county-adopted rather than statewide, so the answer genuinely differs by county.

Almost always because the assessed value rose rather than the rate. A newly purchased home resets to market value and loses the previous owner's accumulated Save Our Homes benefit entirely, which is why the first bill after a sale is so often a shock — the number the seller quoted was their capped assessment, not yours. Losing an exemption, or an improvement being added to the roll, does the same thing on a smaller scale.

You claim it on form DR-501T when you file for homestead on the new property, and you must establish that new homestead within three tax years of 1 January of the year you gave up the old one. Up to $500,000 of accumulated benefit transfers. Buy at or above your old market value and the whole differential moves; buy below it and you keep the same assessed-to-market ratio instead, which transfers proportionally less. Nothing happens automatically — the form is the whole mechanism, and missing it forfeits the benefit permanently.

When buying in Florida, consider: (1) Properties with existing Save Our Homes benefits, (2) Timing your purchase to qualify for homestead by January 1st, (3) Reviewing assessment history for appeal potential, and (4) Working with real estate professionals who understand property tax implications.

Absolutely. Your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit is a valuable asset that can be transferred through portability. Strategic timing can maximize your tax savings on your next home. Working with knowledgeable real estate professionals can help you preserve and transfer these benefits while optimizing your real estate transactions.

Portability allows you to transfer up to $500,000 of your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead. This can result in thousands in annual tax savings. The process must be completed within 2 years of leaving your previous homestead. Professional guidance from real estate experts ensures you maximize this valuable benefit.

Investment properties don't receive homestead exemptions or Save Our Homes caps, making tax analysis crucial. Consider: annual assessment increases, local millage trends, and potential for tax appeals. A comprehensive tax impact analysis is essential for investment property decisions throughout Florida.

Time major improvements after January 1st to delay assessment impact by one year. Plan renovations in phases to spread tax increases over multiple years. Consider applying for building permits after the assessment date. For properties approaching market value caps, delay improvements until after portability transfer to a new home.

Multi-property owners should: (1) Maximize homestead exemption on primary residence, (2) Consider timing of property sales to optimize portability benefits, (3) Appeal investment property assessments aggressively since they lack SOH protection, (4) Structure ownership through LLCs for asset protection while preserving homestead benefits on primary residence, (5) Plan succession to maintain family exemptions.

Estate planning coordination involves: preserving homestead exemption for surviving spouses, structuring revocable trusts to maintain exemptions, planning for portability transfers in retirement relocations, documenting primary residence status for exemption purposes, and considering impact of irrevocable trusts on exemption eligibility. Professional coordination between tax and estate planning attorneys is essential.

Advanced VAB strategies include: choosing Special Magistrate vs. full board based on case type, hiring local appraisers familiar with county preferences, incorporating market condition analysis beyond comparable sales, challenging CAMA methodology for unique properties, timing informal conferences before formal hearings, and preparing functional obsolescence arguments for dated properties. Success rates improve significantly with professional representation.

Relocation optimization requires: filing portability within 3 years of establishing new homestead, maximizing transferable benefit before moving, researching county-specific exemption programs, timing sale and purchase to minimize gaps in homestead protection, documenting residency establishment for exemption purposes, and coordinating with real estate professionals who understand SOH transfer mechanics.

Ownership structure impacts include: individual ownership preserves all exemptions and SOH benefits, revocable trusts maintain exemption eligibility if grantor occupies property, irrevocable trusts typically lose exemption benefits, LLCs disqualify properties from homestead exemptions, joint ownership with survivorship rights preserves exemptions for surviving owners, and life estates allow both life tenant and remainderman potential exemptions under specific circumstances.