The Florida homestead exemption in brief
The homestead exemption is set by section 196.031 of the Florida Statutes and Article VII, section 6 of the Florida Constitution. It does three things for a home that is your permanent residence:
- Lowers taxable value. $25,000 comes off the assessed value for all levies, including school taxes. A second exemption covers assessed value above $50,000 for non-school levies only. It started at $25,000 and is now indexed to inflation: $25,722 for 2025 and $26,411 for 2026, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.
- Caps future increases. From the second year, the assessed value can rise by no more than 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower (the Save Our Homes limit in section 193.155). For 2026 that cap is 2.7%.
- Travels with you. When you move to a new Florida homestead, you can carry up to $500,000 of the built-up Save Our Homes benefit with you (portability).
How those values turn into a bill, and how much tax each county charges, is covered in the Florida property tax guide. This page focuses on qualifying, filing and keeping the exemption.
Who qualifies for the Florida homestead exemption?
Four conditions must all be true. The county property appraiser decides whether they are met, and only the appraiser can grant or deny the exemption (Florida Department of Revenue, PT-113).
You hold title on January 1
You must have legal title, or beneficial title in equity, on January 1 of the tax year, and the deed must be recorded in the county. Title can be held jointly, in common, by husband and wife, or in many types of trust. If the home is in a trust, appraisers such as Miami-Dade's ask for a copy of the trust document.
The home is your permanent residence on January 1
You, or someone legally or naturally dependent on you, must live in the home as a permanent residence on January 1. A closing on January 2 means you wait a full year. Buying in December and moving in before the new year is enough, as long as you can show it.
You intend to stay a Florida resident
Section 196.015 lists the evidence an appraiser may weigh: a recorded declaration of domicile, a Florida driver license and surrender of other states' licenses, a Florida vehicle tag, Florida voter registration at the property, the address on your federal tax return, where your bank accounts are registered, where dependent children attend school, your place of employment, when your previous residency ended, and utility bills paid at the home. No single item is conclusive, but the more that point to the same address, the easier the decision.
You claim no residency-based tax break elsewhere
If you receive a property tax exemption or credit in another state that requires permanent residency there, you cannot also claim a Florida homestead (section 196.031(6)). The same applies within Florida: a married couple gets one homestead between them. New arrivals from states such as New York or New Jersey often need to cancel the old state's primary-residence benefit before filing.
Condos, co-ops and mobile homes count
A condominium unit you own and live in qualifies, and so does an apartment or mobile home held through a cooperative. The exemption is limited to $25,000 per person or dwelling for the first tier, and where only some owners live in the home, it can be apportioned between them.
How much will you save with a Florida homestead exemption?
The saving depends on your assessed value and your local millage rate. Once the assessed value reaches $76,411, the full $51,411 applies in 2026. Below that, the Department of Revenue applies it in tiers: the first $25,000 is exempt from all taxes, the next $25,000 is taxed, and the third tier is exempt from non-school taxes only.
Worked example: a home in the City of Tampa
Take a home assessed at $377,121, which was Zillow's typical Hillsborough County value in August 2026, taxed at the City of Tampa's 2025 final rates: 6.3400 mills for schools and 13.5028 mills for everything else (Hillsborough County Property Appraiser).
| Line | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| School exemption | $25,000 × 6.3400 ÷ 1,000 | $158.50 |
| Non-school exemption | $51,411 × 13.5028 ÷ 1,000 | $694.19 |
| Yearly saving | $158.50 + $694.19 | $852.69 |
In a county with lower rates the saving is smaller, and in a higher-rate area it is larger. Multiply $25,000 by your school millage and $51,411 by your non-school millage, then divide each by 1,000. The Hillsborough County guide and the other county pages list the rates you need.
Worked example: the Save Our Homes cap over time
The cap usually matters more than the exemption. Suppose your homestead was assessed at $300,000 for 2025 and the market pushes its just value to $324,000 on January 1, 2026. The 2026 assessed value can rise only 2.7%: $300,000 × 1.027 = $308,100. The $15,900 gap between $324,000 and $308,100 is taxed at nothing, which at Tampa's 19.8428 total mills is $15,900 × 19.8428 ÷ 1,000 = $315.50 saved in a single year, on top of the exemption. The gap builds each year that values outpace the cap.
What the exemption does not reduce
Non-ad valorem assessments, such as solid waste, stormwater, fire fees or a community development district, are flat charges. The homestead exemption does not touch them, so a home with a large CDD line can still carry a high bill after the exemption.
How to apply for the homestead exemption
You apply once, to the property appraiser in the county where the home sits, on Form DR-501 (Original Application for Homestead and Related Tax Exemptions). Most appraisers take applications online.
Step 1: Gather your documents
Expect to give the names on the deed, social security numbers for you and your spouse or co-applicant, your Florida driver license or ID, vehicle registration, voter registration if you are a US citizen, and the date your previous residency ended. The Department of Revenue says appraisers may also ask for bank statements, your last IRS return address and proof of utility payments at the home. Non-citizens need proof of permanent residency.
Step 2: File by March 1
Section 196.011 sets March 1 as the deadline for the tax year that began on January 1. If you forget to include a social security number, the appraiser must contact you and you have until April 1 to complete the application.
Step 3: Add related forms at the same time
If you are moving from another Florida homestead, file Form DR-501T to transfer your Save Our Homes benefit with the DR-501. Senior, veteran, disability and surviving-spouse exemptions are claimed on the same application. The property tax guide lists each one.
Step 4: Check your August TRIM notice
Section 196.151 requires the appraiser to act on applications filed by March 1 on or before July 1, and to mail any denial. The exemption then shows on the Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice mailed in August, and the first tax bill that reflects it arrives in November.
If you missed March 1
You can still file late. Section 196.011(9) lets a qualified owner apply up to the 25th day after the TRIM notice is mailed, and the appraiser may grant the exemption if you show extenuating circumstances. Miami-Dade, for example, accepts late applications from March 2 to the date shown on the TRIM notice and may charge a $15 fee. If the appraiser refuses, you can petition the value adjustment board.
How long does it take to get a homestead exemption in Florida?
From filing to seeing the saving on a bill takes between about eight and eleven months, depending on when you file, because the exemption attaches to a tax year rather than a date.
| Date | What happens | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | You must own the home and live in it | s. 196.031 |
| March 1 | Application deadline | s. 196.011 |
| By July 1 | Appraiser decides applications filed by March 1; denials mailed | s. 196.151 |
| August | TRIM notice shows the exemption and proposed taxes | s. 200.069 |
| November | First bill with the exemption; 4% discount if paid that month | s. 197.162 |
Many appraisers process applications within weeks and show the status on the parcel record, but the legal deadline is July 1. If you buy after January 1, you pay the year's taxes at the non-homestead level, prorated with the seller at closing, and file the following January to March.
Do you have to file the homestead exemption every year?
No. You file once. Under section 196.011, the property appraiser sends a renewal each year, and in practice most counties renew automatically. Miami-Dade, for example, mails an automatic renewal receipt in late December and asks you to act only if something has changed.
What ends the exemption
The Department of Revenue says you are no longer eligible if the home is rented, if it stops being your permanent home, or if you stop being a permanent Florida resident. A sale or other change of ownership also ends it, and the appraiser does not send a renewal to a parcel whose owner has changed. The buyer must file their own application.
Renting out your homestead
Section 196.061 treats renting all or substantially all of the home as abandoning the homestead. There is a narrow allowance: abandonment after January 1 does not cost you that year's exemption unless the home is rented for more than 30 days per calendar year for 2 consecutive years. Service members and certain federal employees posted outside Florida are exempt from this rule. A room rented to a lodger is treated differently from renting the whole home, so ask the appraiser before you sign a lease.
Tell the appraiser when things change
If you move out, marry someone with their own homestead, or start renting, notify the appraiser. Section 196.161 lets the appraiser look back up to 10 years at an improperly claimed exemption and record a lien for the unpaid taxes, a penalty of 50% of the unpaid taxes for each year, and interest of 15% a year.
Portability: moving your Save Our Homes benefit
Portability lets you transfer the difference between just value and assessed value on your old homestead to a new one, up to $500,000. You must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old one, not three years after the sale (Department of Revenue, PT-112), and file Form DR-501T by March 1.
Worked example: buying a more expensive home
Your old home had a just value of $500,000 and an assessed value of $300,000 on January 1 of the year you left, so the benefit is $200,000. You buy a new home with a just value of $600,000. Under the constitutional formula, the new assessed value is $600,000 − $200,000 = $400,000, before the homestead exemption comes off.
Worked example: downsizing
If the new home is worth less than the old one, the benefit is scaled. With the same old home and a new just value of $300,000, the new assessed value is $300,000 ÷ $500,000 × $300,000 = $180,000. That keeps the same 60% ratio of assessed to just value you had before. The downsizing guide covers the rest of that move.
Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot
On November 3, 2026, Florida voters decide Amendment 3, a legislative joint resolution. According to the Florida Department of State's ballot booklet, it would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjust it for inflation. The school exemption would stay at $25,000. It would also lower the cap on non-homestead assessment increases from 10% to 5% and limit what counties and cities may spend property tax on. It needs 60% of the vote and would take effect January 1, 2027.
What it could mean for the Tampa example
For the $377,121 home above, today's non-school taxable value is $377,121 − $51,411 = $325,710, which at 13.5028 mills is $4,398. With a $150,000 non-school exemption it would be $227,121, or $3,067: about $1,331 less. That assumes the city and county keep the same millage, which the amendment does not require, and it ignores any changes local governments make to replace the revenue.
A rule for new arrivals
People who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the existing exemption when they first qualify, and the larger exemption from their fifth year of exemption, to the extent the US Constitution allows. If you are planning a move, that is a date to know. The property tax guide tracks the other parts of the measure.
Common homestead mistakes
- Assuming the seller's exemption carries over. It doesn't. The home is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after the sale, so budget from the appraiser's just value, not the seller's bill.
- Keeping a primary-residence break in another state. Section 196.031(6) disqualifies you.
- Missing the portability form. Without DR-501T, you lose the transferred benefit for that year.
- Renting the home without checking. Long rentals trigger abandonment under section 196.061.
- Leaving documents in the old state. A driver license, voter registration and tax return that still show your previous address make residency harder to prove.
If you are buying, how to buy a house in Florida shows where the homestead filing fits in the process, and the first-time buyer guide covers budgeting.
Common questions
Who qualifies for Florida homestead exemption?+
You qualify if, on January 1, you hold recorded legal or beneficial title to a Florida home and make it your permanent residence, or the permanent residence of a legal or natural dependent. You must not claim a residency-based property tax break in another state. The county property appraiser decides, using evidence such as your Florida driver license, vehicle tag, voter registration and tax return address (sections 196.031 and 196.015).
How much will I save if I get homestead exemption in Florida?+
Multiply $25,000 by your school millage and $51,411 by your non-school millage, divide each by 1,000 and add them. At the City of Tampa's 2025 rates, 6.3400 and 13.5028 mills, that is $158.50 plus $694.19, or about $853 a year for 2026. The Save Our Homes cap of 2.7% for 2026 adds more savings every year your home's market value rises faster.
Does homestead exemption have to be filed every year in Florida?+
No. You file Form DR-501 once, by March 1 of the first year. The property appraiser renews it each year, usually automatically; Miami-Dade, for example, mails an automatic renewal receipt in late December. You must tell the appraiser if you move out, rent the home, or stop being a Florida resident, and a new owner must file their own application.
How long does it take to get a homestead exemption in Florida?+
Florida law gives appraisers until July 1 to decide applications filed by March 1 (section 196.151). The exemption then appears on the TRIM notice in August and on the tax bill in November. So if you file in February, you see the saving roughly nine months later, and if you buy after January 1 you wait until the following tax year.
What is the deadline for the Florida homestead exemption?+
March 1 of the tax year, for a home you owned and lived in on January 1 (section 196.011). If you miss it, you can apply late up to 25 days after the TRIM notice is mailed in August, and the appraiser may grant the exemption if you show extenuating circumstances. Otherwise you can petition the county value adjustment board.
Can I rent out my Florida homestead?+
Renting all or substantially all of the home counts as abandoning the homestead under section 196.061. The exemption for the current year is kept unless the home is rented for more than 30 days per calendar year for two consecutive years. Members of the armed forces and certain federal employees posted outside Florida are excepted. Check with your property appraiser before signing a lease.
What happens to Save Our Homes when I sell?+
The buyer does not inherit it. A sale resets the assessed value to just value on the next January 1. You can take the accumulated benefit, up to $500,000, to a new Florida homestead through portability if you establish it within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one and file Form DR-501T by March 1.
Sources
- Florida Statutes: section 196.031, exemption of homesteads
- Florida Statutes: section 196.011, annual application required for exemption
- Florida Statutes: section 196.015, permanent residency factors
- Florida Statutes: section 196.061, rental of homestead to constitute abandonment
- Florida Statutes: section 196.151, approval and refusal of homestead exemptions
- Florida Statutes: section 196.161, liens for improperly claimed homestead
- Florida Statutes: section 193.155, Save Our Homes assessment limitation
- Florida Department of Revenue: Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption (PT-113)
- Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation and Portability Transfer (PT-112)
- 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 Statutes: section 197.162, discounts for early payment
- Florida Statutes: section 200.069, notice of proposed property taxes (TRIM)
- Miami-Dade Property Appraiser: Homestead exemption
- Hillsborough County Property Appraiser: Final 2025 millage rates
- Florida Department of State: Proposed Constitutional Amendments, General Election November 3, 2026
- Zillow Research: Home Value Index by county, August 2026