At a glance
| 2025 millage, City of Tampa | 19.8428 |
|---|---|
| 2025 millage, Plant City | 18.2926 |
| 2025 millage, unincorporated | 18.2515 |
| Homestead deadline | March 1 |
| Where to file | Hillsborough County Property Appraiser |
Hillsborough County millage rates for 2025
Millage is the tax rate per $1,000 of taxable value. One mill is $1 per $1,000. Your total depends on which city or district the parcel sits in. These are the final 2025 rates published by the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, which applied to bills mailed in November 2025.
| Taxing area | School millage | Non-school millage | Total 2025 millage |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Tampa | 6.3400 | 13.5028 | 19.8428 |
| City of Plant City | 6.3400 | 11.9526 | 18.2926 |
| City of Temple Terrace | 6.3400 | 13.1919 | 19.5319 |
| Unincorporated Hillsborough | 6.3400 | 11.9115 | 18.2515 |
Every area pays the countywide general levy (5.4608 plus 0.0604 for environmental lands), the school board (6.3400), the Port Authority (0.0737), the Children's Board (0.4589) and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (0.1831). Tampa adds its city levy of 6.2076, the library levy of 0.5583 and the transit authority levy of 0.5000. Plant City adds its city levy of 5.7157 but is not in the transit levy. Unincorporated parcels pay a county MSTU of 4.6163 in place of a city rate.
Between Tampa and Plant City the 2025 gap was 1.5502 mills, or about $155 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value.
Proposed 2026 rates were on the August 2026 TRIM notices.
Worked example: tax on a typical Hillsborough County home
This example uses Zillow's typical home value for Hillsborough County in August 2026, $377,121, and the 2025 City of Tampa millage of 19.8428. It assumes the property appraiser's assessed value equals that figure, which is a simplification: the just value on a tax roll is set as of January 1 and often differs from a sale price. The formula is taxable value × millage ÷ 1,000, worked out separately for school and non-school levies because the second homestead exemption does not apply to school taxes.
| Line | Homesteaded | Not homesteaded |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed value | $377,121 | $377,121 |
| School taxable value | $377,121 − $25,000 = $352,121 | $377,121 |
| School tax | $352,121 × 6.3400 ÷ 1,000 = $2,232 | $377,121 × 19.8428 ÷ 1,000 = $7,483 (all levies) |
| Non-school taxable value | $377,121 − $50,722 = $326,399 | $377,121 |
| Non-school tax | $326,399 × 13.5028 ÷ 1,000 = $4,407 | Included above |
| Estimated ad valorem tax | $6,639 | $7,483 |
| If paid in November (4% discount) | $6,373 | $7,184 |
On these assumptions the homestead exemption is worth about $844 a year on a home at this value. Treat both figures as estimates only. Your actual bill depends on the appraiser's value, your exact taxing district, any other exemptions and the rates adopted for the year. Non-ad valorem assessments such as solid waste, stormwater, fire or CDD charges are billed on top and are not included here.
The same home in Plant City, at 18.2926 mills, works out to about $6,133 with homestead and $6,899 without. See also the Tampa cost of living guide.
How to file for the Hillsborough County homestead exemption
File with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. You can apply online through the appraiser's homestead e-file page or in person, including at the downtown office at 601 E. Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa. The deadline is March 1, and you must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1. Buy and move in during 2026, and you would file by March 1, 2027. Missing the deadline generally waives the exemption for that year.
The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption covers assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 for non-school taxes only, and now rises with inflation: it was $25,722 for 2025 and is $26,411 for 2026, so the full exemption is up to $50,722 and $51,411. The appraiser may ask for your Florida driver license, vehicle registration and voter registration at the new address. If you are leaving another Florida homestead, file the portability form (DR-501T) with your application.
Save Our Homes cap, portability and the 10% cap
Once a home is homesteaded, its assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The cap was 2.9% for 2025 and is 2.7% for 2026. It limits the value, not the bill, so higher millage or new assessments can still raise what you pay.
The cap does not pass to a buyer. The home is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after a sale, so ask for the parcel's just value rather than relying on the seller's bill. Portability moves up to $500,000 of the benefit to a new Florida homestead established within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one.
Second homes and rentals have a 10% annual cap on assessed value for non-school levies, and no cap on school levies. It resets on a sale.
When bills arrive and how the discounts work
The Hillsborough County Tax Collector mails bills once the tax roll is certified. Taxes are due from November 1, and Florida law sets the early payment discounts: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. March is full price, and unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1 (or 60 days after the bill is mailed, if later).
Taxes are normally prorated between buyer and seller at closing. Our guide to Florida closing costs explains how that shows up on the settlement statement.
Charges that are not in the millage
Your bill also carries non-ad valorem assessments, which are flat charges rather than a rate on value. Depending on the parcel, these can include charges such as solid waste, stormwater or street lighting.
If a home sits inside a community development district (CDD), its debt and maintenance assessments are collected on the same bill and can run into the thousands a year. If you are looking at new construction around Tampa, ask for the parcel's current tax bill and the CDD's published assessment schedule before you sign.
What Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot would change
Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then index it to inflation. It would also cut the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5% and set up a process for counties and cities to raise the exemption further. School taxes would keep the $25,000 exemption. It needs at least 60% of the vote and would take effect January 1, 2027. People who were not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger exemption only from their fifth year of exemption.
As a rough illustration, raising the non-school exemption from $51,411 to $150,000 adds $98,589 of exemption. At the 2025 City of Tampa non-school rate of 13.5028, that is about $1,331 a year. It is not a forecast, because rates and fees would change.
Common questions
What is the property tax rate in Hillsborough County?+
For 2025, the total millage for City of Tampa was 19.8428, which works out to about $19.84 per $1,000 of taxable value. Plant City was 18.2926 and unincorporated Hillsborough was 18.2515. Your exact rate depends on the taxing district shown on your TRIM notice or tax bill, and non-ad valorem assessments are added separately.
When is the Hillsborough County homestead exemption deadline?+
The deadline is March 1. You must own the home and make it your permanent residence by January 1 of the tax year, then file with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. A home bought and occupied in 2026 would be filed for by March 1, 2027. Missing the deadline generally means losing the exemption for that year.
How much does homestead save on a typical Hillsborough County home?+
Using Zillow's August 2026 typical value of $377,121 and 2025 City of Tampa rates, the estimated bill is about $6,639 with homestead and $7,483 without, a difference of about $844. This assumes assessed value equals that figure and excludes non-ad valorem assessments.
Sources
- Hillsborough County Property Appraiser: Final 2025 millage rates
- Hillsborough County Property Appraiser: Truth in Millage
- Hillsborough County Property Appraiser: Homestead e-file
- Florida Department of Revenue: Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption (PT-113)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment (revised January 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes annual increase table (revised January 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation and Portability Transfer (PT-112)
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser: Assessment caps (10% non-homestead cap)
- Florida Statutes: section 197.162, discounts for early payment
- Florida Statutes: section 197.333, when taxes are due and delinquent
- Florida Department of State: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for the General Election, November 3, 2026
- Tax Foundation: Florida Property Tax Proposal, 2026 details and analysis