Duval County Property Taxes, Fall 2026: Exemptions to File

 Quick Facts: Duval County Property Taxes, Fall 2026

• Discounts: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February.
• Delinquent: unpaid 2026 taxes become delinquent April 1, 2027.
• Filing deadline: Monday, March 1, 2027, for homestead and other personal exemptions on the 2027 roll.
• Who qualifies: you must own the home and make it your permanent residence by Jan. 1, 2027.
• Homestead value: up to $50,000 off assessed value, with the second $25,000 now adjusted for inflation.
• Wait time: Duval asks new owners to allow 60 days after closing before filing online.

 Duval County Property Tax Discount Dates

Florida sets the discount schedule for every county in section 197.162 of the Florida Statutes. Pay the full bill in November and you save 4%. The discount drops to 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February, and the gross amount is due by March 31.

The Duval County Tax Collector mails bills to the address on the tax roll and lets you look up and pay a bill online. If you didn’t get a bill, you still owe the tax, so look it up rather than waiting for the mail. If a lender escrows your taxes, the lender pays from your escrow account and you don’t pay the bill yourself.

On a $4,000 bill, the November discount is worth $160. That’s only an illustration, but it’s a reason to pay early if your taxes aren’t escrowed.

 How to File for Homestead in Duval County

Under section 196.011 of the Florida Statutes, you must apply for an exemption by March 1, or it’s waived for that year. For the 2027 roll, the deadline is Monday, March 1, 2027. You must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on Jan. 1, 2027.

The Property Appraiser’s online exemption system takes homestead applications along with portability and personal exemptions, including the service-connected disability exemption. A few rules from that page:

• Your ownership must already show in the Property Appraiser’s records. Allow 60 days after closing for the deed to post.
• Plan on about an hour, because the application must be finished in one session.
• Print the receipt at the end. It’s your proof that you filed.
• Some filings must be done in person, such as adding an exemption to an existing homestead. The office is at 231 E. Forsyth St., Suite 260.

Homestead takes $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes, plus up to another $25,000 on value between $50,000 and $75,000 for non-school taxes, under section 196.031 of the Florida Statutes. That second amount is now adjusted each year for inflation. Our Florida homestead exemption guide explains how it works. If you’re new to Florida, ask the property appraiser whether the Nov. 3 ballot results change anything for your 2027 exemption.

 Duval County Disabled Veteran Exemptions

Florida offers several property tax benefits to veterans with a service-connected disability, and Duval handles all of them through the Property Appraiser. In brief:

• $5,000 exemption: under section 196.24 of the Florida Statutes, for an honorably discharged veteran with a disability of at least 10% from wartime service or misfortune.
• Total exemption: under section 196.081 of the Florida Statutes, for an honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability.
• Percentage discount: under section 196.082 of the Florida Statutes, for veterans 65 or older with a combat-related disability, equal to the disability rating.

The Property Appraiser’s disabled veterans page lists the paperwork, such as a VA letter showing the disability rating and proof of honorable discharge. It recommends checking your documents first with the City’s Division of Military Affairs and Veterans Services at City Hall, 117 W. Duval St., Suite 175. Our disabled veteran property tax exemption guide covers each benefit in more detail, including surviving spouses.

 Military Homeowners in Duval: Deployments and Rentals

Two Florida rules matter most to service members who own a Duval home.

Renting while on orders. Renting out a homestead normally counts as abandoning it. As amended in 2026, section 196.061 of the Florida Statutes says that rule doesn’t apply to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Tell the Property Appraiser about your orders before you rent, and keep copies.

Deployment. Under section 196.173 of the Florida Statutes, a homesteaded service member deployed outside the continental U.S., Alaska or Hawaii in a listed operation can get an added exemption. You file by March 1 of the year after the deployment, with proof of the dates.

Both apply whether you live on the Westside near NAS Jax or at the Beaches near Mayport. Our guide to homes near NAS Jacksonville compares the neighborhoods closest to the base.

 Moving Within Florida: Portability in Duval

If you’re moving from another Florida homestead, portability lets you carry part of your Save Our Homes savings to the new home. Duval requires a separate portability application, also due March 1. Our Save Our Homes guide explains the 3% cap and how portability is figured.

Missed the deadline? The same statute allows a late application within 25 days after the August notice of proposed taxes is mailed, if the Property Appraiser accepts your reason. Don’t count on it. File early.

 Duval County Exemption Checklist

• Pay your 2026 bill in November for the 4% discount, unless your lender escrows it.
• Confirm the Property Appraiser shows you as owner, then file for homestead.
• File portability at the same time if you’re moving from a Florida homestead.
• Veterans: gather your VA rating letter and DD-214 before you file.
• Print and save your receipt.
• Put Monday, March 1, 2027, on your calendar as the last day.

 Search Duval County Homes

From the Westside near NAS Jax to the Beaches near Mayport, browse Duval County homes for sale and ask us how taxes and exemptions would work for a home you like.

Episode Transcript

If you bought a home in Duval County this year, two deadlines matter, and only one of them is on the tax bill. The first is November: pay this year's bill this month and Florida takes four percent off. The second is quieter and worth more: Monday, March first, twenty twenty seven, the last day to file for the exemptions that lower next year's bill. Miss it and the exemption is waived for the year. Today: how to file homestead in Duval, what disabled veterans should bring, the two military rules that protect a homestead when orders take you away, and portability if you moved within Florida.

Welcome to The Jacksonville Real Estate Podcast. I am Mike, with Matt Strickland, broker-owner of Military Realty of Florida. One rate line for context: Freddie Mac's weekly survey, for the week ending October fifteenth, put the thirty year fixed average at seven point four zero percent.

The quick version of the bill itself, since our last episode covered the full ladder. Duval bills go out in early November. The discount is four percent in November, three in December, two in January, one in February, with the gross amount due by March thirty first and unpaid taxes delinquent on April first. On a four thousand dollar bill, the November discount is worth one hundred sixty dollars. If a lender escrows your taxes, the lender pays from the escrow account and you do not pay the bill yourself. And if your bill never arrived, you still owe the tax: the Duval County Tax Collector lets you look the bill up and pay online, so look it up rather than waiting for the mail.

Now the filing that matters most. Under section one ninety six point zero one one of the Florida Statutes, you must apply for homestead by March first, or it is waived for that year. To qualify for the twenty twenty seven roll, you must own the home and make it your permanent residence by January first, twenty twenty seven. What it is worth: homestead takes twenty five thousand dollars off assessed value for all taxes, plus up to another twenty five thousand on value between fifty and seventy five thousand dollars for non-school taxes, and that second amount is now adjusted each year for inflation. Duval's Property Appraiser takes applications online, with a few rules worth knowing before you start. Your ownership must already show in the Property Appraiser's records, so allow sixty days after closing for the deed to post before you file online. Plan on about an hour, because the application must be finished in one session. And print the receipt at the end; it is your proof that you filed. Some filings must be done in person, such as adding an exemption to an existing homestead. That office is at 231 East Forsyth Street, Suite 260.

Disabled veterans: Duval handles three separate benefits through the Property Appraiser, on top of homestead. A five thousand dollar exemption, under section one ninety six point two four, for an honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected disability of at least ten percent. A total exemption, under section one ninety six point zero eight one, for a veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability. And a percentage discount, under section one ninety six point zero eight two, for veterans sixty five or older with a combat-related disability, equal to the disability rating. The paperwork is a V A letter showing your disability rating and proof of honorable discharge. The Property Appraiser recommends checking your documents first with the City's Division of Military Affairs and Veterans Services, at City Hall, 117 West Duval Street, Suite 175, before you file.

Two rules for military homeowners. First, renting while on orders. Renting out a homestead normally counts as abandoning it, but section one ninety six point zero six one, as amended in twenty twenty six, says that rule does not apply to members of the U S Armed Forces. Tell the Property Appraiser about your orders before you rent, and keep copies. Second, deployment. Under section one ninety six point one seven three, a homesteaded service member deployed outside the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii in a designated operation can claim an additional exemption. You file by March first of the year after the deployment, with proof of the dates. Both rules apply whether you live on the Westside near N A S Jacksonville or at the Beaches near Mayport.

Moving within Florida: portability lets you carry part of your Save Our Homes savings from a prior Florida homestead to the new home. In Duval it takes a separate portability application, also due March first. The statute allows a late application within twenty five days after the August notice of proposed taxes is mailed, if the Property Appraiser accepts your reason. Do not count on it. File early, and file portability at the same time as homestead.

The Duval checklist: pay your twenty twenty six bill in November for the four percent discount, unless your lender escrows it. Confirm the Property Appraiser shows you as the owner, then file for homestead, and portability at the same time if it applies. Veterans, gather your V A rating letter and discharge paperwork before you file. Print and save your receipt. And put Monday, March first, twenty twenty seven on your calendar as the last day. This episode is education, not legal or tax advice; exemption rules and office procedures change, so confirm the details with the Duval County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector.

The full written guide, with the filing steps and office addresses, is today's post at militaryrealtyflorida.com. If you want the exemption picture walked through for a home you own or one you are considering, call or text Matt Strickland at Military Realty of Florida, (904) 309-0609.

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For education only. This is not legal or tax advice. Exemption rules, forms and office procedures change, and eligibility depends on your situation. Confirm details with the Duval County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector. Facts checked Oct. 8, 2026.