Updated 09.14.2026
Florida’s homestead exemption is one of the more meaningful tax breaks available to homeowners in the state, and one of the most commonly misunderstood, partly because it’s actually two exemptions stacked together, not one flat number.
Short version: The homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a primary Florida residence by up to $51,411 for 2026: $25,000 shielded from every property tax including school taxes, and another $26,411 shielded from every tax except school taxes. It must be filed with the county property appraiser by March 1 of the year after you move in. It also activates the Save Our Homes cap, which limits how much your home’s taxable value can rise each year going forward, often the more valuable long-term benefit. A ballot measure heading to voters on November 3, 2026, could raise the non-school portion substantially starting in 2027, current rules apply exactly as described below until then.
What the exemption actually does
The first $25,000 of your home’s assessed value is exempt from all property taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption applies to the portion of your home’s value between $50,000 and $76,411 for 2026, but this one doesn’t apply to school district taxes, only to other local levies. That second number isn’t fixed at $25,000 the way people often assume, it started there but is adjusted every January for inflation using the change in the Consumer Price Index, so it only ever grows or holds steady, never shrinks. For 2026 it sits at $26,411, for a combined maximum of $51,411 shielded from non-school property taxes. In practice, most homesteaded properties worth $76,411 or more end up with that full combined amount shielded.
What could change: the November 2026 ballot measure
This is worth understanding regardless of when you’re reading this. On June 2, 2026, the Florida Legislature passed HJR 1-F, a constitutional amendment now heading to voters as Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, needing 60% approval to take effect. If approved, it would replace the entire non-school piece described above with a flat exemption, $150,000 starting in 2027, then $250,000 starting in 2028, indexed to inflation after that. The $25,000 school exemption is untouched either way. Nothing changes until and unless voters approve it, current amounts and deadlines apply exactly as described here. Our homestead savings calculator runs both the current numbers and both amendment phases side by side for your county.
Who qualifies, and the deadline that matters
To qualify, the property has to be your permanent primary residence as of January 1 of the tax year, and you (or your spouse) generally can’t claim a homestead exemption on another property, in Florida or elsewhere. The application deadline is March 1. Miss it, and you wait until the following year, there’s no retroactive filing for a missed deadline in the current tax year.
The part that matters more after year one: Save Our Homes
Once homesteaded, a property’s assessed value for tax purposes can only increase by 3 percent per year, or the rate of inflation if that’s lower, regardless of how much the market value actually rises. In a fast-appreciating Central Florida market, this gap between assessed value and market value can become substantial over several years, which is also why it matters when you eventually sell, non-homesteaded buyers start fresh at market value, and that reset should be fully understood before closing. The November 2026 ballot measure doesn’t touch this cap either way, whatever happens with the exemption amount, Save Our Homes and portability work exactly as they do today.
How to actually file
Applications go through your county property appraiser’s office, most now accept online filing, and you’ll typically need your deed or closing statement, a Florida driver’s license or ID showing the property address, and your voter registration or a recent utility bill as proof of residency. If you’re moving from one Florida homestead to another, ask about portability, it lets you carry some of your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit to the new property instead of starting over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Up to $51,411 in reduced taxable value for 2026: $25,000 exempt from every property tax including school taxes, plus an additional $26,411, adjusted yearly for inflation, exempt from every tax except school taxes.
March 1 of the year after you make the property your permanent residence. There’s no retroactive filing for a missed deadline, you’d need to wait and file for the following tax year.
Once homesteaded, a property’s assessed value can only increase 3 percent per year, or the rate of inflation if lower, no matter how much the market value actually rises. The gap this creates between assessed and market value often becomes the exemption’s biggest long-term benefit.
Yes, through portability. Moving from one Florida homestead to another lets you carry some or all of your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit to the new property, instead of starting over at full market value.
If Florida voters approve Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026, the non-school portion of the exemption would grow from today’s $26,411 to a flat $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. The $25,000 school exemption and the Save Our Homes cap would be unaffected either way.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead_exemption_in_Florida
https://www.floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/DataPortal.aspx
https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/0196.031
https://floridarevenue.com/property/documents/pt113.pdf
https://www.pcpao.gov/amendment3