Florida has over 2 dozen exemptions that provide significant property tax savings. It’s important that you carefully and accurately answer the questions on the next page so that we can evaluate what exemptions you qualify for.
The Exemption Checker will generate a report for you telling you what exemptions you are eligible for. It will also tell give you links to the forms that you need to file to obtain the exemption, as well as access to our Property Tax Counseling Center if you have any questions.
Our Homestead Filing Packet™ makes filing for Homestead in Florida easy! It includes a one page task list on how to file, provides you with access to our free Portability Checker™ to check for portability if you have an existing Florida home, provides access to our Exemption Checker™ that checks your eligibility for all 24+ homestead exemptions (most people don’t even know these exist!), provides the address, phone number, and online filing link for your County Property Appraiser’s office, and gives you all forms you’ll need. The Homestead Filing Packet™ also includes an important list of Follow-Up items after filing- including how to make sure that your initial tax valuation is reasonable and what to do if it’s not! Most importantly, the packet includes access to our Property Tax Counseling Center™ where you can ask questions and receive help with your filings.
Homestead Exemptions are more money in your bank account! An “Exemption” exempts part of the value of your home from taxation. Florida has a “standard” exemption that gives all homeowners that own homes valued at over $75,000 a $50,000 tax exemption- that alone saves about $1,000 a year on your tax bill. Most taxpayers don’t realize it, but there are over two dozen additional exemptions that range from minor savings to a complete exemption against payment of all property taxes! There are exemptions for senior citizens, active duty military, disabled veterans and other persons, granny flats, catastrophes… the list is long and the exemptions are hard to find without the FHC Exemption Checker™!
Exemptions lower the Taxable Value of your Property. Determining your tax bill starts with your “Market Value”- which is basically what your home should sell for in a free and open market. The Market Value can only go up 3% a year or CPI, whichever is less, because of the Florida Save Our Homes Act- so as the years go by you don’t have to pay increased property taxes if your Market Value goes up. Instead, you pay taxes on your Assessed Value, which is the Market Value corrected by “hold down effect” of the Save our Homes Act. Now is where Exemptions come in. Your Taxable Value (the value on which you are taxed), is determined by taking your Assessed Value and subtracting any Exemptions that you’re eligible for. All Floridians get a $50,000 “standard” exemption if your home is worth $75,000 or more, but there are over 2 dozen other exemptions! Some are minor, but others can completely exempt you from having to pay property taxes at all! For example- in Florida if you’re over 65 and you have an adjusted gross income of less than about $32,000, then you receive an additional $50,000 exemption in addition to the “standard” exemption! Most people in Florida pay about a 2% annual property tax rate (also called 20 “mills”), so a $50,000 exemption will save you about $1,000 a year.
