Who qualifies for the General homestead exemption in Florida?

You own the home and, on January 1, it is your permanent residence (or the residence of a dependent). Your deed must be recorded. Up to $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption applies to assessed value above $50,000 for non-school taxes only. Its 2026 maximum is $26,411. It does not remove special benefit assessments. Deadline: March 1 of the tax year.

Who qualifies for the Local-option senior homestead exemption (age 65) in Florida?

Homestead owner age 65 on January 1 with household adjusted gross income of $38,686 or less for 2026. Only offered where your county or city passed an ordinance. Up to $50,000 more off assessed value, only against the taxes of the county or city that adopted it. The amount can be less. It does not apply to school taxes or to taxing units that did not adopt it. Deadline: March 1. You must tell the property appraiser by May 1 if your household income goes over the latest limit.

Who qualifies for the Long-term low-income senior exemption (age 65 and 25 years) in Florida?

Age 65 or older, household income of $38,686 or less (2026), and you have lived in the home as your permanent residence for at least 25 years. Its just value must have been under $250,000 in the first year you applied and qualified. Only offered where your county or city passed an ordinance. Exempts the full assessed value, but only against the taxes of the county or city that adopted it. School taxes still apply. Deadline: March 1.

Who qualifies for the Disabled ex-servicemember exemption in Florida?

An honorably discharged ex-servicemember disabled 10% or more by misfortune or wartime service. An unremarried surviving spouse can carry it in stated cases. $5,000 off assessed value. It is not limited to homestead property. Deadline: March 1.

Who qualifies for the Totally and permanently disabled veteran exemption in Florida?

A Florida resident, honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability, or a disabled veteran confined to a wheelchair. Also the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died on active duty, and an unremarried surviving spouse who keeps the homestead. Total exemption from ad valorem tax on your homestead. If a surviving spouse sells, the exemption amount from the most recent roll may move to a new Florida homestead if the spouse does not remarry. Deadline: March 1. If you take title between January 1 and November 1, you may still qualify for that year.

Who qualifies for the Veteran age 65+ with combat-related disability discount in Florida?

Age 65 or older, honorably discharged, with a permanent combat-related service-connected disability. The discount carries to an unremarried surviving spouse who holds title and lives there. A discount on your homestead tax equal to your VA permanent service-connected disability percentage. Deadline: March 1.

Who qualifies for the Homestead tax deferral in Florida?

Anyone entitled to the homestead exemption. You need fire and extended coverage insurance, and equity limits apply. Deferred taxes, interest and other liens cannot exceed 85% of just value. Delays, but does not forgive, the taxes and non-ad valorem assessments above 5% of last year's household income (3% if you are 65 or older). You can defer the whole amount if last year's household income was under $10,000, or if you are 65 or older and under $38,686 (2026). Interest builds and the deferral is a lien on your home. Deadline: Before the tax becomes delinquent. Check the tax collector's cutoff for your 2026 bill.

Rules by state / Florida

Florida property tax, line by line.

Your county tax collector sends one bill a year. The county property appraiser sets your value. Florida has no state tax on real property, and the bill also lists flat non-ad valorem charges such as stormwater, fire and solid waste.

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At a glance

Who sends the bill: The county tax collector. The county property appraiser sets the value.
When it comes: On or about November 1, or as soon as the roll is certified. A notice of your value and proposed millage (the TRIM notice) comes in August.
When it's due: Payable November 1. The full amount is due by March 31. It becomes delinquent April 1, or the day after 60 days from the original notice if the roll is certified late.
If you pay late: From April 1, interest of 18% a year until a tax certificate is sold. There is a 3% minimum if you pay before the certificate sale. The sale happens on or before June 1. Paying early earns a discount: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, 0% in March. There is also an optional quarterly installment plan through the tax collector, and the lump-sum discounts do not apply the same way.
Value is set as of: January 1
Limits on increases: Save Our Homes: after your first homestead year, your assessed value can rise by no more than the lower of 3% or inflation (CPI). The 2026 cap is 2.7%. Non-homestead residential property has a separate 10% annual cap on non-school levies.

Bill dates source · Assessment source

What may come off

8 programs homeowners can claim

None of these are applied for you automatically. Each one is free to apply for. If you upload your bill, we check which ones are already on it and which may fit you.

General homestead exemption

Who: You own the home and, on January 1, it is your permanent residence (or the residence of a dependent). Your deed must be recorded.
What you get: Up to $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption applies to assessed value above $50,000 for non-school taxes only. Its 2026 maximum is $26,411. It does not remove special benefit assessments.
How to apply: File form DR-501 with your county property appraiser.
Deadline: March 1 of the tax year.
If you're late: You can petition the Value Adjustment Board by the 25th day after the property appraiser mails the TRIM notice. There is no multi-year lookback.
After that: Automatic each year. You must tell the property appraiser if anything changes.

DR-501: the form

Local-option senior homestead exemption (age 65)

Who: Homestead owner age 65 on January 1 with household adjusted gross income of $38,686 or less for 2026. Only offered where your county or city passed an ordinance.
What you get: Up to $50,000 more off assessed value, only against the taxes of the county or city that adopted it. The amount can be less. It does not apply to school taxes or to taxing units that did not adopt it.
How to apply: File form DR-501SC (household income sworn statement) with your county property appraiser, with proof of age and income.
Deadline: March 1. You must tell the property appraiser by May 1 if your household income goes over the latest limit.
After that: Every year you report your income. The property appraiser tells owners the adjusted income limit each year.

DR-501SC: the form

Long-term low-income senior exemption (age 65 and 25 years)

Who: Age 65 or older, household income of $38,686 or less (2026), and you have lived in the home as your permanent residence for at least 25 years. Its just value must have been under $250,000 in the first year you applied and qualified. Only offered where your county or city passed an ordinance.
What you get: Exempts the full assessed value, but only against the taxes of the county or city that adopted it. School taxes still apply.
How to apply: File DR-501 and DR-501SC with your county property appraiser, with proof you have lived there 25 years.
Deadline: March 1.
If you're late: The $250,000 value test is set in your first qualifying year and is not retested.
After that: Every year you report your income, same as the $50,000 senior exemption.

DR-501 and DR-501SC: the form

Disabled ex-servicemember exemption

Who: An honorably discharged ex-servicemember disabled 10% or more by misfortune or wartime service. An unremarried surviving spouse can carry it in stated cases.
What you get: $5,000 off assessed value. It is not limited to homestead property.
How to apply: File DR-501 with your county property appraiser.
Deadline: March 1.
If you're late: You can use the 25-day TRIM notice petition.
After that: Continues while the disability status continues. A spouse must stay unremarried.

DR-501: the form

Totally and permanently disabled veteran exemption

Who: A Florida resident, honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability, or a disabled veteran confined to a wheelchair. Also the unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died on active duty, and an unremarried surviving spouse who keeps the homestead.
What you get: Total exemption from ad valorem tax on your homestead. If a surviving spouse sells, the exemption amount from the most recent roll may move to a new Florida homestead if the spouse does not remarry.
How to apply: File DR-501 with your county property appraiser, with your VA letter or other required proof.
Deadline: March 1. If you take title between January 1 and November 1, you may still qualify for that year.
If you're late: The November 1 acquisition rule is not a general retroactive refund.
After that: Continues while homestead conditions continue. A surviving spouse must stay unremarried and a resident.

DR-501: the form

Veteran age 65+ with combat-related disability discount

Who: Age 65 or older, honorably discharged, with a permanent combat-related service-connected disability. The discount carries to an unremarried surviving spouse who holds title and lives there.
What you get: A discount on your homestead tax equal to your VA permanent service-connected disability percentage.
How to apply: File form DR-501DV with your county property appraiser.
Deadline: March 1.
If you're late: You can use the 25-day TRIM notice petition.
After that: Continues while age, disability percentage and homestead conditions continue. Spouse carryover ends on remarriage.

DR-501DV: the form

Quadriplegic, paraplegic, hemiplegic, wheelchair or legally blind homestead exemption

Who: Homestead owner who is quadriplegic (no income test), or who is paraplegic, hemiplegic, a totally and permanently disabled wheelchair user, or legally blind. Those other groups get the total exemption only if they meet the income test.
What you get: Total exemption from ad valorem tax on your homestead.
How to apply: File DR-501 with the physician certificates the law requires. DR-501A is the gross-income statement. Form: DR-501 and DR-501A.
Deadline: March 1.
If you're late: You can use the 25-day TRIM notice petition.
After that: Continues while the medical conditions and, where required, the income conditions continue.

DR-501 and DR-501A: the form

Homestead tax deferral

Who: Anyone entitled to the homestead exemption. You need fire and extended coverage insurance, and equity limits apply. Deferred taxes, interest and other liens cannot exceed 85% of just value.
What you get: Delays, but does not forgive, the taxes and non-ad valorem assessments above 5% of last year's household income (3% if you are 65 or older). You can defer the whole amount if last year's household income was under $10,000, or if you are 65 or older and under $38,686 (2026). Interest builds and the deferral is a lien on your home.
How to apply: File form DR-570 with your county tax collector.
Deadline: Before the tax becomes delinquent. Check the tax collector's cutoff for your 2026 bill.

DR-570: the form

In some situations

If you moved, inherited, built or had a disaster

Deployed servicemember exemption

Who: Homestead owner who was deployed in the prior calendar year outside the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii in support of an operation the legislature designated.
What you get: An extra exemption equal to your taxable value times days deployed divided by 365. For 2026 only, for newly added operations, you can count qualifying days in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with a limited refund of 2024 or 2025 taxes in stated cases.
How to apply: File form DR-501M with your county property appraiser (provisional form DR-501M26 for 2026).
Deadline: The usual deadline is March 1. For the 2026 roll only it was August 1, 2026, which has passed.
If you're late: The 2026 refund is limited to newly listed operations when deployment exceeded 365 days across 2023 to 2025. It is not a general refund.
After that: Every year. It tracks the prior year's deployment days.

DR-501M: the form

Save Our Homes portability

Who: You had a homestead with a Save Our Homes savings and you set up a new Florida homestead.
What you get: Moves your assessment savings to the new home, up to $500,000, using the upsize and downsize formulas in the law.
How to apply: File form DR-501T with your new homestead application at the property appraiser in the county of the new home.
Deadline: March 1 of the year you set up the new homestead.
If you're late: A late first-year transfer can be requested later, but refunds are not made for previous years.
After that: One time.

DR-501T: the form

Think your value is too high?

Asking for a lower just value

Free review: After the August TRIM notice, ask your county property appraiser for a free informal review. You can do this before or along with a formal petition.
Formal appeal: Your county Value Adjustment Board
Deadline: File within 25 days after the TRIM notice is mailed. A pending petition does not delay the payment calendar. To challenge value you must pay all non-ad valorem assessments and at least 75% of the ad valorem tax, less the discount, before the bill becomes delinquent.
Fee: If the board requires one, no more than $50 per parcel. There is no fee to appeal a denied homestead exemption or a denied tax deferral. Your county's fee can be lower or zero.
Good to know: Keep paying your bill while the petition is pending. The research did not confirm whether the board can set a value above the property appraiser's roll value, so assume a petition could change your value in either direction. You may appear yourself or send an attorney or other agent.

A formal appeal reopens your whole value: the board can raise it as well as lower it. Bring recent sales of similar homes.

Source · We never charge for help asking for a lower value.

What can't come off

Charges you can't remove

Assessments for special benefits and other non-ad valorem charges (CDD, stormwater, solid waste, fire).
School taxes on the second homestead band and on local-option senior exemptions.
Tax on assessed value between $25,000 and $50,000, which stays taxable for every levy.
Tax on value above your exemptions and above the Save Our Homes cap difference.
Delinquency interest and tax certificate charges once April 1 has passed.

Non-ad valorem assessments such as community development districts, stormwater, fire and solid waste are listed on the same county tax bill. The homestead exemption does not apply to assessments for special benefits, and no general homestead exemption applies to CDD debt assessments. They can be included in a homestead tax deferral.

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Rules checked October 28, 2026 against official Florida sources. Rules change: check the deadline with your county before you rely on it. Not legal or tax advice.

Florida property tax, line by line.

At a glance

8 programs homeowners can claim

General homestead exemption

Local-option senior homestead exemption (age 65)

Long-term low-income senior exemption (age 65 and 25 years)

Disabled ex-servicemember exemption

Totally and permanently disabled veteran exemption

Veteran age 65+ with combat-related disability discount

Quadriplegic, paraplegic, hemiplegic, wheelchair or legally blind homestead exemption

Homestead tax deferral

If you moved, inherited, built or had a disaster

Widow, widower, blind or totally and permanently disabled exemption

Deployed servicemember exemption

Save Our Homes portability

Asking for a lower just value

Charges you can't remove

Ask about Florida property tax

See your own bill, line by line.