The Florida homestead exemption 2027 is now the most valuable date on a Florida homeowner calendar, and it will not apply itself. Voters passed Amendment 3 on November 3 with about 62 percent of the vote, above the 60 percent the measure needed. That vote raised the exemption in law. Your county record is what turns that law into savings on your own bill. Owners who have a current homestead filing in good standing are in the strongest position. Owners who bought this year, moved this year, or never filed at all have work to do before the new year, and the steps are simple once you see the dates in order.
Florida Homestead Exemption 2027: What Changed
Amendment 3 raises the homestead exemption for non school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, adjusted for inflation after that. The new amount replaces the current non school amount of about $51,411, so the saving comes from the extra value now sheltered from county, city and special district taxes. A home assessed near $250,000 could owe no non school property tax at all by 2028, while a home assessed at $400,000 would see a large share of its non school bill fall away. Our report on the Amendment 3 Florida results set out the tally and the first savings math on election night.
Two other parts matter for planning. The annual cap on assessment increases for non homestead property falls from 10 percent to 5 percent, which helps rentals and second homes that get no homestead exemption at all. And the amendment requires the Legislature to prescribe a uniform procedure for counties and municipalities to increase the homestead exemption up to full assessed value. I have publicly called for abolishing the property tax burden on homeowners since November 2023, I continued that call through 2024, and I reshared the original post on October 19, 2026, because property taxes are up 40 percent in five years while services remain the same. Amendment 3 is not outright abolition, and I will not call it that. It is a major exemption increase and the first real step on a Florida ballot toward what I have advocated for three years.
Who Gets the Full Amount and Who Waits
The full increase goes to people who are Florida residents on December 31, 2026 and who hold a homestead exemption for 2027. Anyone who is not a Florida resident on that date gets the current exemption first, and the increased exemption begins with their fifth year of homestead. Fresh guides put that starting amount at $50,000 for new residents, with the larger amount arriving in year five. That one date is why timing matters for anyone planning a move to Florida in the next two months. Arriving before the year closes puts you in the main group. Arriving in January puts you in the waiting group.
School taxes are the honest limit in every explanation. The larger exemption applies only to non school levies, so school taxes are not changed and only the existing $25,000 school exemption applies to that part of your bill. Fees that are not based on value, such as fire and stormwater charges, also stay. Expect a much smaller non school tax line, not a bill of zero for most owners. Our Florida Homeownership Costs hub places this tax line inside the full cost stack beside insurance, flood cover and HOA dues.
The Three Dates That Decide Your Savings
Florida homestead law runs on a calendar, and three dates decide the 2027 year. The first is December 31, 2026, the residency date described above. The second is January 1, 2027, because you must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on that day to qualify for the 2027 exemption, and Amendment 3 itself takes effect that same day. The third is March 1, 2027, the deadline to file your application with the property appraiser in the county where the home sits, whether that is Broward County, Miami Dade County, Palm Beach County or any other Florida county.
After those dates, the proof arrives in two stages. Your August 2027 TRIM notice should show the new exemption, and that notice is your chance to spot an error while there is still time to question it. The saving itself first appears on the tax bill delivered in November 2027. Nothing about the vote changes the bill in your mailbox this month. The 2026 bill is under the old law, so pay it on the normal schedule and take the November discount if you pay this month. To see what the change is worth on a home like yours, work through the math in our Florida Amendment 3 calculator.
Filing Steps to Take in November and December
Start by checking the record you already have, then close any gap while the offices are still quiet.
- Look up your home on your county property appraiser site and confirm that a homestead exemption shows in your name for the current year.
- If you bought or moved in 2026, gather proof of permanent residence, such as a Florida driver license or state identification, vehicle registration and voter registration where they apply, along with your recorded deed.
- File for 2027 now if your county accepts an early filing, and keep the confirmation the system gives you. Filing is free, and no closing document or escrow account files it for you.
- If you moved within Florida, ask about portability when you file, because your Save Our Homes benefit may move with you if you file the portability form by March 1, 2027.
- Put a reminder on your calendar for August 2027 to check your TRIM notice line by line the week it arrives.
In my work at Sunset Realty, the buyers who close before the year ends and file right away are the ones who enter 2027 with their cost stack in order. A seller exemption does not transfer to you. You must file in your own name, in your own county, by the deadline for your first year.
What to Do This Week
If you already hold a homestead exemption and you have not moved, your main job is verification, not a new filing, because an approved exemption renews while you continue to qualify. If anything in your status changed this year, such as a move or a change in how title is held, call your property appraiser this month and ask what that change means for 2027. A short call in November is far easier than an appeal after a March deadline has passed. Less noise, more clarity and one verified record will put real money back in your budget next fall.
Here is the usable takeaway for this week: check your county record today, confirm your name and your exemption are on it, and file before March 1, 2027 if they are not. Then put the same calm attention to work on the rest of your money. Download the free ebook Unlocking Financial Freedom for practical checklists that help you lower the cost of owning a home and grow what you keep.
