Florida Homestead Exemption

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 The 2026 exemption dollars

The first $25,000 of homestead applies to every levy, including the school levy. That piece is statewide.

The additional amount for 2026 is $26,411. It applies only to non-school levies, and only on assessed value between $50,000 and $76,411. St. Johns County Property Appraiser published the 2026 total as $51,411. That is the $25,000 plus the $26,411.

These are exemptions off assessed value. They are not a check, and they are not a cut in the sale price. Your TRIM notice in the summer is where the county shows the math on your parcel.

 January 1 and the March 1 deadline

You have to own the home and occupy it as your permanent residence on January 1 of the tax year. A closing on January 2 waits until the next January 1.

File by March 1. In 2026, March 1 fell on a Sunday, so the timely deadline was March 2, 2026. One permanent residence. A second house does not get a second homestead. The county wants the deed in your name and a Social Security number. Ask that desk what proof of occupancy they want this year.

A wrongful claim can become a lien. Florida law allows a 50 percent penalty and 15 percent interest under section 196.161. File only for the house you actually live in.

 The 2026 filing window is closed

As of fall 2026, the window for the 2026 tax year is closed. A late file after March 1 is an extenuating circumstances request, and it generally runs only until 25 days after the TRIM notice. TRIM season is summer, so that door is shut for 2026 as well.

The next occupancy date is January 1, 2027. File by March 1, 2027. A closing in October, November, or December 2026 can set up the 2027 exemption if you own the house and live in it on New Year's Day. It does not rewind the 2026 bill.

The bill you see at closing often still has the seller's exemptions in it. Budget your first full year with that in mind. Call (904) 309-0609 before you treat last year's tax line as yours.

 Save Our Homes

Save Our Homes caps how fast assessed value can rise after you have homestead. For 2026 the cap is 2.7 percent. That is the lesser of 3 percent and the change in the Consumer Price Index. The full rule, including when it starts and what a buyer does not inherit, is on our Save Our Homes page.

The cap sits on assessed value. It does not freeze the tax rate. Millage can still move. New construction and some additions sit outside the cap. The exemption dollars and the cap are two different lines on the TRIM notice.

If you sell and buy another Florida homestead, the gap between just value and assessed value can move with you. That transfer is portability, on Form DR-501T, filed with the new county. The steps are on our homestead portability page. We do not guess the dollar amount that will port.

 Duval County desk

Duval County Property Appraiser Joyce Morgan takes homestead at homestead.coj.net. The exemptions phone is (904) 255-5900. The desk is 231 E. Forsyth Street, Suite 260, Jacksonville.

The deed has to be in the owner's name. The online session does not save, so finish it in one sitting. Allow about 60 days after closing for the deed to post. If it has not posted, file in person and take the closing package.

Jacksonville, the beaches, Mandarin, Arlington, Riverside, and the Westside are Duval parcels. Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach still file here. A Clay, St. Johns, or Nassau deed does not.

 Clay County desk

Clay County Property Appraiser Tracy Scott Drake posts forms at ccpao.com and the homestead portal at exemption.ccpao.com/Homestead/. Phone (904) 284-6305. The office is on the second floor, 477 Houston Street, Green Cove Springs.

Orange Park, Fleming Island, Oakleaf, and a lot of NAS Jacksonville commutes on Blanding Boulevard are Clay. A 32073 or 32003 address does not go to the Duval portal.

Same January 1 rule. Same 2026 dollars. Different website. Call (904) 284-6305 and ask if the deed has posted before you start the online file.

 St. Johns County desk

St. Johns County Property Appraiser Eddie Creamer handles homestead and portability at sjcpa.gov/homesteadportability. Phone (904) 827-5500. Call that number for the walk-in counter. Do not use the Jacksonville Forsyth Street address for a St. Johns deed.

Julington Creek sits across the county line from Mandarin and files here. Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, and St. Augustine use this same property appraiser. The published 2026 total of $51,411 is not an automatic credit on a new purchase. You still file.

Same occupancy date and same March deadline as the other three counties. The recorded deed still has to catch up before the file will stick.

 Nassau County desk

Nassau County Property Appraiser A. Michael Hickox takes the filing at ncpafl.com. Phone (904) 491-7300. Call for the counter. We are not going to guess a street address.

Yulee, Callahan, Wildlight, and Fernandina Beach are Nassau. A Mayport sailor who buys in Yulee does not file with Duval, even though the base is in Jacksonville. Amelia Island is Nassau for this exemption.

The exemption rules match Duval. The tax bill, any CDD line, and the commute do not. We can pull the bill with you before you write. Call (904) 309-0609.

 Keep going

• Homestead portability in Florida
• Save Our Homes

Call (904) 309-0609.