Florida's new homestead rules: what comes off your tax bill, and why December 31 matters

The short version

• The homestead exemption lowers the taxable value of your primary home. You must own the home and make it your permanent residence.
• The key dates are January 1 and March 1. Own it and live in it by January 1. File with your county property appraiser by March 1.
• Amendment 3 raises the exemption for non-school taxes. It goes to the first $150,000 of assessed value in 2027 and the first $250,000 in 2028.
• It does not change school taxes. The school tax exemption stays at $25,000.
• Newcomers start lower. A person who did not have a permanent Florida residence as of December 31, 2026, starts at $50,000 for non-school taxes. The larger amount begins with the fifth year of exemption.
• Save Our Homes limits how fast your assessed value can rise. For 2026, the limit was 2.7 percent.
• Portability can move that savings to your next Florida home, up to $500,000.

What it takes off the tax bill

The exemption comes off your home's assessed value. Your tax rates then apply to what is left. So the exemption does not take the same dollar amount off every bill.

The 2026 amounts come from the Department of Revenue. The 2027 and 2028 amounts come from the text of the amendment, which takes effect January 1, 2027.

An example: a home assessed at $300,000

This shows taxable value, not a tax bill. Your bill depends on your local rates.

What the exemption does not cover

• School district taxes above the first $25,000 of value.
• Assessments for special benefits. The constitution leaves these out of the exemption.

Amendment 3 does not change 2026 tax bills. The St. Johns County Property Appraiser says the change first shows on 2027 bills, issued in November 2027. Palm Beach County's appraiser says current homestead owners who meet the requirements do not need to file a new application.

What else changed

• Other property: starting January 1, 2027, the yearly limit on assessment increases for non-homestead property drops from 10 percent to 5 percent. It does not apply to school taxes.
• Local budgets: state estimators put the loss to local non-school property tax revenue at $4.95 billion in the 2027-28 budget year and $8.78 billion in 2028-29, with a recurring figure of $11.86 billion. Supporters call the amendment relief for homeowners. Local governments expect less money.
• How local money is spent: the amendment limits county and city use of remaining property tax money to listed purposes, including public safety, education, infrastructure, and flood control.
• Future cuts: the amendment tells the Legislature to set a uniform procedure for local governments to raise the exempt amount. Special districts may do so by referendum.

Moving to Florida: why December 31, 2026 matters

The amendment creates a separate track. It applies to a person who gets a homestead on or after January 1, 2027, and "had not maintained a permanent residence in this state as of December 31, 2026."

• School taxes: the first $25,000.
• Non-school taxes: the first $50,000, adjusted for inflation starting in 2028.
• Later: the larger amount begins "with the fifth year of exemption."

Official sources word the wait differently

This page follows the text of the amendment. Four years at the lower amount and "the fifth year" can describe the same schedule. "Five years of residency" may not.

What is not settled

The amendment tells the Legislature to set uniform procedures for this rule by general law. We did not find those procedures. So we cannot tell you what proof will be accepted for December 31, 2026.

The wording is about a permanent residence in Florida. It does not say you must already have a homestead exemption on that date. That is our reading of the text, so ask your property appraiser before you rely on it.

What a property appraiser looks at for residency

Under section 196.015, no single factor decides it. The list includes:

• A declaration of domicile recorded in the public records.
• Where your dependent children go to school.
• Where you work.
• When your residence in another place ended.
• Florida voter registration at the property's address.
• A Florida driver license or ID, and proof you gave up another state's license.
• A Florida license plate.
• The address on your federal tax return.
• Where your bank accounts are registered.
• Proof of utility payments at the property.

Be truthful about when you moved. Wrongly claiming a homestead can be expensive. Our moving to Florida guide covers the rest of the move.

How and when to file

1. Own the home by January 1. Your name should be on the title.
2. Make it your permanent residence by January 1. A dependent living there can also qualify.
3. File Form DR-501 by March 1 with your county property appraiser. Many offices take applications online.
4. Have your details ready. Expect to give Social Security numbers for you and a spouse or co-applicant. The appraiser may also ask for any of the residency proofs listed above.

If you miss March 1

Missing the deadline generally gives up the exemption for that year. There is a narrow late path under section 196.011:

• File within 25 days after the property appraiser mails the proposed tax notice.
• Show that you could not apply on time or had extenuating circumstances.
• If the appraiser says no, you may petition the value adjustment board in the same 25-day window. The petition costs a nonrefundable $15.

The late path is not guaranteed. If the appraiser denies your application, you may also petition the value adjustment board.

Do you have to file every year?

The law lets a county waive the yearly application after the first one is granted. You must still tell the appraiser if you sell, the ownership changes, you stop living there, or your status changes. Ask your property appraiser how your county handles renewals.

Save Our Homes: the limit on assessed value

The exemption and Save Our Homes are different. The exemption takes value off. Save Our Homes limits how fast your assessed value can go up.

• The first year, the appraiser assesses the home at just (market) value.
• After that, the assessed value can rise each year by no more than 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less.
• If the market falls, your assessed value may still rise by the limited amount. It can never be more than just value.

Some transfers do not trigger a new assessment. Examples are transfers between spouses, certain transfers at death, and a transfer to correct an error. The full list is in section 193.155.

Portability: taking your savings to a new Florida home

You cannot move the exemption itself. You file for it again on the new home. You may be able to move all or part of your Save Our Homes savings. This works only from one Florida homestead to another.

• The limit: up to $500,000.
• The clock: set up the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old one. The state stresses that this is not three years after the sale.
• The forms: file the Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference (Form DR-501T) with your homestead application, Form DR-501.
• The deadline: March 1.

How the math works

Say your old home had a just value of $400,000 and an assessed value of $250,000. Your savings are $150,000.

These are our examples using the formulas in section 193.155(8). Your property appraiser sets the real numbers.

The St. Johns County Property Appraiser says Save Our Homes and portability remain unchanged by Amendment 3.

How you can lose it

The Department of Revenue says you are no longer eligible if the home is rented, is no longer your permanent home, or you are no longer a permanent Florida resident.

Renting: renting all or nearly all of the home counts as abandoning the homestead until you move back. If this happens after January 1, it does not affect that year's exemption unless the home is rented for more than 30 days a year for 2 years in a row.

Other property tax breaks

You may qualify for more. The St. Johns County Property Appraiser says Amendment 3 does not change the existing personal exemptions for veterans, seniors, first responders, widows and widowers, and disabled persons. The state's guides explain them:

• Property tax benefits for persons 65 or older
• Benefits for active duty military and veterans
• Other available property tax benefits
• Information for first-time Florida homebuyers

Questions people ask

When is the homestead exemption deadline?

File with your county property appraiser by March 1. You must own the home and make it your permanent residence by January 1 of that tax year.

How much is the exemption in 2027?

The first $150,000 of assessed value for non-school taxes, and the first $25,000 for school taxes. A person with no permanent Florida residence as of December 31, 2026, starts at $50,000 for non-school taxes.

Do I need to reapply because of Amendment 3?

Palm Beach County's appraiser says current homestead owners who meet the requirements do not need to file a new application. First-time applicants must still apply. Check with your own county.

Does the exemption transfer when I buy a new Florida home?

No. You file for the exemption again on the new home. You may be able to transfer your Save Our Homes savings, up to $500,000, with Form DR-501T.

Will my taxes stay the same as the seller's?

Do not count on it. After a sale, the home is assessed at just value on the following January 1.

Sources

We read these official pages on or before November 6, 2026. Where they disagree, this page says so.

• CS/HJR 1F, text of the amendment and ballot statement
• Florida House, final analysis of CS/HJR 1F
• Florida Senate, June 2, 2026 news release
• Florida Division of Elections, unofficial results
• Department of Revenue, Homestead Exemption guide (PT-113)
• Department of Revenue, Save Our Homes and Portability guide (PT-112)
• Department of Revenue, Save Our Homes yearly limits, January 2026
• Department of Revenue, additional exemption amounts, January 2026
• Department of Revenue, Can I keep my homestead exemption if I move?
• Department of Revenue, property tax forms
• Florida Statutes, section 196.031, homestead exemption (This section did not yet show the 2027 amounts when we read it.)
• Florida Statutes, section 196.011, annual application
• Florida Statutes, section 196.015, permanent residency
• Florida Statutes, section 196.061, rental of homestead
• Florida Statutes, section 193.155, homestead assessments and portability
• Laws of Florida, chapter 2026-239
• St. Johns County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3
• Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3 calculator

General information, not tax or legal advice. This Is Florida does not decide exemptions. Your county property appraiser does.