Pinellas County property tax: millage rates, homestead exemption and a worked bill

At a glance

How Pinellas County property tax is calculated

Your bill is taxable value multiplied by the total millage for your taxing district, plus any flat non-ad valorem charges. One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value, so 19.3522 mills on $300,000 of taxable value is $5,805.66.

Two offices share the job. The Pinellas County Property Appraiser sets the value and handles exemptions. The Tax Collector mails the bill, collects payment and runs the discount and installment programs. If your question is about value or homestead, go to the appraiser. If it is about paying, go to the Tax Collector.

The levies every parcel pays

Every 2025 Pinellas bill carries the same base: 4.6136 mills countywide (general fund 4.5423 plus health department 0.0713), 6.2930 mills for schools (3.0450 state required plus 3.2480 local) and 1.0256 mills of other districts (Juvenile Welfare Board 0.8250, Southwest Florida Water Management District 0.1831 and the Pinellas Planning Council 0.0175). Emergency medical services add 0.8050 in every district on the county's list.

The levies that change by address

On top of that base, your city's operating levy, a fire district in unincorporated areas, the PSTA transit levy (0.7300 in most districts) and, outside the cities, the county MSTU (2.0857) and library levy (0.5000) decide where your total lands. That is why two houses a mile apart can carry bills that differ by several hundred dollars.

Pinellas County millage rates by city, 2025

These are the 2025 totals from the Tax Collector's millage schedule, the rates on the bills mailed in November 2025. The city column is the municipal operating levy alone; the total adds everything described above.

All 24 cities

Unincorporated Pinellas and its fire districts

Outside city limits you pay the County & MSTU base of 15.3229 (16.0529 where the transit levy applies) plus a fire district levy. The fire district is often named after the nearest city, which is why a "Clearwater" or "Largo" mailing address can carry a county rate rather than a city one.

Special districts inside cities

A few city parcels pay more than the headline rate. Inside the Clearwater Downtown Development Board area the total is 20.3222, because the board adds 0.9700. St. Petersburg parcels in the Pinellas Park Water Management District pay 21.7867, and similar water-district versions exist for Pinellas Park (20.9842) and Kenneth City (20.0415). Your bill names the district code, so read that before you compare.

Worked example: property tax on a $400,000 Pinellas home

This answers the question most buyers ask: how much is property tax on a $400,000 house in Florida? In Pinellas it depends on homestead status and location. The example uses a Clearwater home assessed at $400,000, 2025 millage and the 2025 homestead amounts. Clearwater's 19.3522 total splits into 13.0592 non-school mills and 6.2930 school mills.

With the homestead exemption

• School taxable value: $400,000 minus $25,000 = $375,000. Tax: $375,000 x 6.2930 / 1,000 = $2,359.88.
• Non-school taxable value: $400,000 minus $50,722 = $349,278. Tax: $349,278 x 13.0592 / 1,000 = $4,561.29.
• Total ad valorem tax: about $6,921. Paid in November with the 4% discount: about $6,644.

Without the homestead exemption

A second home, rental or a first-year purchase that has not yet filed pays on the full value: $400,000 x 19.3522 / 1,000 = $7,740.88, or about $7,431 with the November discount. The homestead saves about $820 in year one, and the gap widens each year the Save Our Homes cap holds your assessed value below market.

The same home in unincorporated Pinellas

At the County & MSTU base of 15.3229, the homestead bill is about $5,514 and the non-homestead bill about $6,129. Add your fire district's levy from the table above to get the real figure.

What the example leaves out

Non-ad valorem assessments for things such as stormwater, street lighting or solid waste are flat charges added on top, and they vary by parcel. The seller's bill is also a poor guide: it reflects their exemptions and capped value, which reset when you buy. Estimate from the price you pay, not the tax you see on the listing.

Pinellas County homestead exemption and other exemptions

Exemptions are filed with the Pinellas County Property Appraiser, not the Tax Collector. The statewide deadline is March 1 for the year you want the exemption to start, and you must own and live in the home as your permanent residence on January 1.

Homestead exemption

The first $25,000 comes off every levy, including school taxes. A second $25,000 applies to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 on non-school levies only, and that second piece is now indexed to inflation, making the total non-school exemption $50,722 for 2025 and $51,411 for 2026. The state's rules for the homestead are explained in our Florida homestead exemption guide.

Senior exemption for low-income owners 65 and older

The requirements for the Pinellas County senior property tax exemption start with state law: at least one owner must be 65 or older on January 1, the home must already carry the homestead exemption, and total household adjusted gross income for the prior year must be at or below the state limit, $38,686 for 2026. You file with income documentation by March 1. Each county and city decides whether to offer it and for how much, up to $50,000, so the amount on a Pinellas bill depends on which governments at your address have adopted it. Ask the Property Appraiser which levies at your parcel include it before you count on the saving.

Long-term resident senior exemption

Florida also lets local governments exempt the full value of a homestead worth less than a set limit for low-income owners 65 and older who have lived there at least 25 years. Adoption varies by city in Pinellas, so confirm it with the Property Appraiser rather than assuming it applies.

Other exemptions to ask about

Florida offers exemptions for surviving spouses, people who are blind or totally and permanently disabled, and veterans with service-connected disabilities, with larger relief for some disabled veterans. Each has its own proof requirements, and the Property Appraiser's staff can tell you which apply.

Save Our Homes cap and portability

Once you have the homestead, your assessed value can rise by no more than 3% a year or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. That cap was 2.9% for 2025 and 2.7% for 2026. If market value climbs faster, your taxable value falls further below it each year.

The cap resets when the home sells, and the new owner is reassessed at market value the next January 1. If you are moving within Florida, portability lets you carry up to $500,000 of your old Save Our Homes benefit to the new homestead, provided you file for the new homestead by March 1. Non-homestead property has a separate 10% annual assessment cap on non-school levies.

Pinellas County property tax due dates, discounts and installments

The Tax Collector mails annual notices by November 1. You can pay any time from then until March 31, and paying early earns a statutory discount.

Discount schedule for 2025 taxes

Online payments count until 11:55 pm on the deadline, and mailed payments need that month's postmark. Taxes become delinquent April 1 with interest added, and if they are still unpaid by May 31 a tax certificate is sold on the parcel.

How to pay

Pay online through the Tax Collector's account lookup. An eCheck is free for current taxes; domestic credit and debit cards cost 2.95% (minimum $2.50) and international cards 3.95%, charged by the processor. The Tax Collector's phone line is 727-464-7777.

Installment payment plan

If your estimated bill is over $100, you can pay in four installments across the year and still get a discount of about 3.5% on the total. The window for 2026 taxes closed April 30, 2026. The window for 2027 taxes opens November 1, 2026 and runs through April 30, 2027. Once enrolled, you stay in as long as you pay the first installment each year.

Partial payments and tax deferral

A partial payment plan for 2026 taxes opens for applications November 1, 2026. Homestead owners who qualify on prior-year household income can also defer taxes and non-ad valorem assessments; the deferred amount becomes a lien and accrues interest. The deferral application for 2025 taxes was due March 31, 2026 (727-464-3409).

Non-ad valorem charges on a Pinellas bill

Non-ad valorem assessments are set amounts levied by a taxing authority for a service, not a percentage of value. The Tax Collector lists stormwater utility, street lighting, fire and rescue and solid waste collection as typical examples. Because they are flat, they weigh more heavily on a lower-priced condo than on a large house.

Before you buy, open the parcel's current bill on the Tax Collector's site and read every line under the non-ad valorem heading. Condo and HOA dues are separate and never appear on the county bill; ask the association for those. For how community assessments work elsewhere in Florida, see our CDD fees guide.

Your TRIM notice and how to appeal

Each August the Property Appraiser mails a Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice. It is not a bill. It shows your market, assessed and taxable values, the exemptions applied, the rates each taxing authority proposes and the dates of their budget hearings, where you can speak before rates are final.

Check the TRIM notice line by line

Confirm the homestead and any senior or disability exemptions are listed, the market value is realistic for your home's condition, and the district code matches your address. Storm damage that existed on January 1 should be reflected in the value.

Informal review, then the Value Adjustment Board

Start by calling the Property Appraiser; many value questions are settled informally. If not, you can petition the Pinellas Value Adjustment Board. Petitions are due 25 days after the TRIM notice is mailed, so the clock starts in August, not when the bill arrives in November.

How to look up property taxes in Pinellas County

To find information about property taxes in Pinellas County, use the official tools below. The same approach works anywhere in Florida: the county Property Appraiser shows value and exemptions, and the county Tax Collector shows the bill and payment history.

Official Pinellas tools

• Property Appraiser tax estimator: estimate taxes at a purchase price, with or without homestead.
• Pinellas County Property Appraiser: parcel search, values, exemptions and homestead filing.
• Tax Collector property tax page: bill lookup, online payment, installment and deferral applications.
• 2025 millage schedule (PDF): every district code and rate.

Looking up taxes elsewhere in Florida

Every county has the same two offices. For the Tampa side of the bay, see our Hillsborough County property tax guide, and for the statewide rules, the Florida property tax hub.

What Pinellas tax means when you buy in Clearwater or St. Petersburg

The two largest cities sit near the top of the county range. At 2025 rates, each $100,000 of taxable value costs about $1,935 in Clearwater and $1,992 in St. Petersburg, against about $1,532 at the unincorporated base. On a home at Clearwater's Zillow typical value of $342,820 (August 2026), a homestead bill works out to about $5,815 a year, and a non-homestead bill about $6,634.

For market context, see the Clearwater housing market and St. Petersburg housing market pages, and the St. Petersburg cost of living breakdown. If you are weighing a move, the Clearwater hub covers buying and selling there.

Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot

Florida voters decide Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026. If it passes, the non-school homestead exemption would rise to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property would fall from 10% to 5%.

For a Pinellas homesteader, a larger exemption would cut the non-school part of the bill, which is about two thirds of Clearwater's total millage. Cities and the county could respond by changing their rates, so treat any estimate as a range until the 2027 TRIM notices arrive. Nothing changes for school taxes under the measure as described.

Common questions

Sources

• Pinellas County Tax Collector: 2025 millage rates (PDF)
• Pinellas County Tax Collector: Property taxes in Pinellas County
• Pinellas County Property Appraiser: tax estimator (link only)
• Florida Statutes s.197.162: discounts for early payment
• Florida Department of Revenue: CPI-adjusted homestead exemption
• Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes
• Florida Department of Revenue: PT-113 homestead exemption
• Florida Department of Revenue: PT-110 exemptions for seniors
• Florida Department of Revenue: PT-101 TRIM and property tax process
• Florida Division of Elections: 2026 constitutional amendments booklet