If you bought a home in Florida in 2026 and live in it, you have until Monday, March 1, 2027, to file for the homestead exemption. Miss it and you pay a year of property tax at full value and lose a year of the Save Our Homes cap, which is the part that matters most over time. Filing is free, takes about fifteen minutes online, and you only do it once.
What does the Florida homestead exemption actually save you?
The exemption removes $51,411 of assessed value from your property tax bill for 2026, and a slightly higher figure for 2027 once the state publishes the inflation adjustment. The first $25,000 comes off every tax, including school taxes. The second part, $26,411 for 2026, comes off everything except school taxes and applies to assessed value above $50,000. In Central Florida that is worth roughly $700 to $1,000 a year depending on your county’s millage rate.
The bigger benefit is the Save Our Homes cap. Once your homestead is in place, your assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year, or the rate of inflation if that is lower, no matter what the market does. After five or ten years in a rising market, the gap between what your home is worth and what you are taxed on is usually worth far more than the exemption itself.
Who qualifies for the 2027 exemption?
You qualify if, on January 1, 2027, you owned the home and it was your permanent residence. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and the home cannot be a rental or second home. A closing in December 2026 counts; a closing on January 2, 2027, does not, and you would file for 2028 instead.
The property appraiser checks that your Florida driver’s license or ID, your vehicle registration and your voter registration, if you vote, all show the homestead address. Update those before you file. If you moved from another state, you also need to give up any homestead-style exemption there; Florida will ask.
How do you file, and what do you need?
File online with your county property appraiser before March 1, 2027. Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Polk, Volusia and Marion all take applications online, and most confirm within a few weeks. You will need:
- Florida driver’s license or ID card showing the property address
- Florida vehicle registration, if you own a vehicle
- Voter registration or a declaration of domicile, if you do not drive
- Social Security numbers for every owner applying
- Your recorded deed or closing date, and the parcel number from your tax bill
Filing is free. Any letter or website offering to file it for a fee is selling you something you can do yourself in a quarter of an hour.
County property appraisers for Central Florida: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Polk, Volusia, Marion.
What if you miss the March 1 deadline?
You can still file late, until 25 days after your county mails its TRIM notice in August, which usually means mid-September. The property appraiser can grant a late application for extenuating circumstances; forgetting does not count. If the appraiser says no, you can petition the Value Adjustment Board for a $15 fee within that same 25-day window. After that, the year is lost and you file for the following one.
Are you moving within Florida? Take your savings with you
Portability lets you carry up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit from your old homestead to the new one, as long as you establish the new homestead within three tax years of leaving the old one. It is not automatic. You file a separate portability application (Form DR-501T) with the homestead application on the new home, and the appraiser transfers the difference between your old home’s market value and its capped assessed value.
If you are selling a home you have owned for a decade and buying a more expensive one, this is often the single largest tax break in the whole transaction. Ask about it before you close, not after.
What is Amendment 3, and does it change any of this?
Amendment 3, “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes,” is on the ballot on November 3, 2026, and needs 60% of the vote to pass. If it passes, the non-school homestead exemption rises to $150,000 for 2027 and $250,000 from 2028, indexed to inflation from 2029, for anyone who established Florida residency before January 1, 2027. Homeowners who establish residency on or after that date start at the current exemption and step up to the larger one in their fifth year. School taxes keep the $25,000 exemption, and the Save Our Homes cap and portability do not change.
Whatever the result, the filing steps in this guide are the same: if the amendment passes, the larger exemption is applied to the homestead you file for by March 1, 2027. Check your property appraiser’s site for the current figures, or ask us.
Five mistakes that cost new owners a year of savings
- Assuming it transfers. The seller’s exemption covers only the year of sale. You must file your own.
- Filing with an out-of-state license. The application is denied until your Florida documents match the address.
- Keeping a homestead somewhere else. Florida allows one, and it checks.
- Forgetting portability. It is a second form, and it is not filed for you.
- Renting the home out. Renting your homestead for more than 30 days in two consecutive years can end the exemption and trigger back taxes with penalties.
For what else changes hands at closing, see our Florida closing costs guide. For where prices stand, see the latest Central Florida market report.
Frequently asked questions
When is the deadline to file for homestead exemption in Florida for 2027?
Monday, March 1, 2027. You must have owned and lived in the home on January 1, 2027. Late applications are accepted until 25 days after the August TRIM notice for extenuating circumstances only.
How much is the Florida homestead exemption worth?
$51,411 of assessed value for 2026: $25,000 off all taxes and $26,411 off non-school taxes, adjusted for inflation each year. That is roughly $700 to $1,000 a year in Central Florida, plus the 3% Save Our Homes cap on future assessment increases, which is usually worth more over time.
Does the homestead exemption transfer when I buy a house?
No. The seller’s exemption and capped value apply only through the year of sale. You file your own application, and your assessed value resets to market value before your cap begins.
What is Florida homestead portability?
The right to move up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead, if you establish it within three tax years of leaving the old one. It requires a separate application, Form DR-501T, filed with the new homestead application.
Is it free to file for homestead exemption?
Yes. Every Florida county property appraiser accepts applications free of charge, and most take them online. Companies that charge to file for you are not affiliated with the county.
Figures from the Florida Department of Revenue, the enrolled text of CS/HJR 1-F (Amendment 3), and county property appraiser guidance, checked October 2026; the 2027 inflation adjustment is published by the state in late 2026. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Sloan Properties is an independent, broker-owned brokerage in Orlando. (407) 961-7720.
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