What Is Florida’s Homestead Exemption? Your Complete 2025 Guide
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Written byJess Ullrich
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Jess Ullrich is a personal finance writer who’s been creating financial and business content for over a decade. Her work has been published in Investopedia, MoneyWise, NextAdvisor, The HuffPost, and she's been contributing to Compare.com since 2024. Prior to writing full-time, Jess was an editor at Investopedia, The Balance, and FinanceBuzz.
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Edited byLequita Westbrooks
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Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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In This Article
A homestead exemption is a financial protection for homeowners that can reduce the taxable value of your home. It helps lower your property tax burden and protects your home from certain creditors.[1]
Florida homeowners can apply for a homestead exemption, but, like many other states, you must meet specific requirements and deadlines to qualify.
Here’s how Florida’s homestead exemption works, who qualifies, and how to apply before the March 1 deadline.
How Florida’s Homestead Exemption Works
The Florida homestead exemption is a two-tiered system, with homeowners receiving a tax reduction of up to $50,000 for their permanent residence. This doesn’t affect your taxes owed but instead reduces the taxable value of your home and your tax liability.
Homeowners can receive a first reduction of $25,000, and that value applies to property and school taxes. There’s also a second $25,000 reduction that applies for non-school taxes, for the assessed value of your home between $50,000 and $75,000.[2]
Florida also recently revised its homestead exemption to account for changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). So, for example, if the CPI increases by 2.5%, your homestead exemption can increase similarly.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
Let’s say your home’s value is $75,000. The first $25,000 is exempt from all property and school district taxes. The value between $25,000 and $50,000 is fully taxable, and the portion between $50,000 and $75,000 is exempt from non-school taxes.
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Benefits of Florida’s Homestead Exemption
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Florida’s homestead exemption offers homeowners two key benefits: financial relief through reduced property taxes and legal protection that safeguards your home from certain credits. These benefits can help you save money and maintain long-term financial security.
Here’s what to know.
Property tax savings
The homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of your permanent residence, which could reduce your property tax bill.
Let’s say the taxable value of your home is $65,000. When consider ingthe homestead exemption, your first $25,000 is exempt from all property taxes, including school district taxes. The $25,000 is taxed at the regular amount, and the remaining $15,000 is exempt from non-school taxes.
So, in this case, only $25,000 of your home’s value is fully taxed. Your savings can vary depending on the value of your home and local tax rates.
Save Our Homes (SOH) cap
Florida’s Save Our Homes (SOH) provision limits how much the assessed value of a homestead property can increase each year. The cap is set at 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. It helps protect homeowners from sudden tax increases in property taxes when market values rise quickly.
Starting in 2025, the non-school portion of the homestead exemption will also increase annually for inflation when the CPI is positive.[3] The cap helps safeguard your finances against rapid property value increases and increases your homestead exemption slightly over time.
Creditor protection
Your Florida homestead property also has protection from most judgment creditors. Creditors generally can’t force the sale of your home to satisfy a civil debt or attach a lien to it.
But creditor protection doesn’t apply to certain types of liens, such as:
Secured loans
Construction or home improvement liens
Property tax liens
Homeowner association liens recorded before your homestead status
Recent legislative updates
As mentioned, Florida recently increased the homestead exemption amount for 2025 to $50,722, due to Constitutional Amendment 5.[4] This amendment adjusts the exemption based on changes to the CPI.
The SOH cap — which limits annual assessment increases to 3% or the CPI change (whichever is lower) — remains unchanged, protecting homeowners from rapid increases in assessed property values.
Florida Homestead Exemption Eligibility Requirements
You’ll need to meet certain criteria to qualify for Florida’s homestead exemption. Criteria include specific ownership, residency, and property requirements. Here’s what to know.
Ownership requirements
Either you or your dependent must own the property in Florida and designate it as your permanent residence. Make sure your name is on the deed or title and that it’s on record with your county appraiser’s office.[5]
Residency requirements
The home must be your permanent residence to qualify for the Florida homestead exemption. You can provide residency with a state-issued driver’s license, voter registration card, or vehicle registration. Florida doesn’t have a waiting period to establish residency, but you need to prove that you intend to make your home your permanent residence.[6]
Property requirements
A Florida homestead property is one that’s up to 160 acres of land outside of a designated municipality or up to half an acre within a municipality. Make sure to record your title or deed in the county’s public records where the property is located.
How to Apply for Florida’s Homestead Exemption
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Applying for Florida’s homestead exemption is fairly simple, but you’ll need to be mindful of application deadlines, required documents, and where to apply.
Application deadline and process
Florida requires you to file your homestead exemption between Jan. 1 to March 1. You can file late, but you’ll need to involve a property appraiser in the process to determine if your home qualifies for the exemption.
Fortunately, you don’t need to reapply for the Florida homestead exemption annually because the exemption automatically renews as long as you continue to meet eligibility requirements.
Required documents
Be prepared with the following information and documents before you apply for the Florida homestead exemption. Keep in mind that requirements vary by county.
Social Security numbers (or immigration/residency information) for all owners
Name and address of any owners not living in the home
Florida driver’s license or ID showing the homestead address
Florida vehicle registration or voter registration card
Recorded deed or tax bill (often required as proof of ownership)
Home’s parcel identification number
Date you established permanent residency in Florida
Where to apply
To apply, you’ll need to file Form DR-501, the Original Application for Homestead and Related Tax Exemptions. You’ll submit the completed form to your county property appraiser’s office, either online, by mail, or in person, which then shares your information with the Florida Department of Revenue.
Important Deadlines and Changes for 2025
The application deadline for the current year is March 1. You must also own and occupy the home as your permanent residence as of Jan. 1 to qualify for the Florida homestead exemption.
Following recent changes under Amendment 5, the total exemption amount has increased to $50,722 for 2025. This amendment ties part of the exemption to the CPI, helping the exemption keep pace with inflation. The SOH cap remains unchanged and continues to protect long-term homeowners from steep tax hikes.
What Happens if You Move or Sell Your Home?
If you move or sell your Florida home, your home exemption will end for that property. But you might be able to transfer part of your property tax savings (up to $500,000) to a new Florida residence through portability under the SOH cap.
You must transfer your assessment to your new home within three years of Jan. 1 in the year you sold your home. To do this, you need to reapply for the exemption by filing Forms DR-501 and DR-501T with your new county property appraiser by March 1. Make sure you file it within the county’s required time frame.
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Florida Homestead Exemption FAQs
The Florida homestead exemption provides eligible homeowners with several benefits. If you still have questions, here’s what to know.
Who qualifies for Florida’s homestead exemption?
Permanent residents who own a home or whose dependents own a home in Florida as of Jan. 1 may qualify for the homestead exemption. The home must be your primary residence, and you must submit your application by March 1.
How much do you save with a homestead exemption in Florida?
You could get an initial exemption of up to $50,000 with a Florida homestead exemption. Your exemption limit can increase slightly by year — either by up to 3% or the Consumer Price Index increase, whichever is lower.
Can you lose the homestead exemption in Florida?
Yes. You can lose your homestead exemption if your Florida home is no longer your permanent residence or if you no longer own it. Otherwise, the state automatically renews the exemption annually.
Will the homestead exemption in Florida lower your mortgage?
No. The homestead exemption in Florida won’t lower your mortgage, but it could lower your tax liability. It shields a portion of your home’s value from taxes.
Can you claim the homestead exemption if you’re not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. It’s possible to claim the homestead exemption if you’re not a U.S. citizen. You’ll need to share your immigration number or resident alien card number on your application.
Sources
- The Florida Bar. "Consumer Pamphlet: Debtors’ Rights in Florida."
- Florida Department of Revenue. "Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption."
- BallotPedia. "Florida Amendment 5."
- St. Johns County Property Appraiser. "Amendment 5 Change in 2025 Homestead Exemption."
- The Florida Senate. "2020 Florida Statutes."
- LegalClarity Florida. "What Makes You a Resident of Florida?."
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Jess UllrichInsurance Writer
Jess Ullrich is a personal finance writer who’s been creating financial and business content for over a decade. Her work has been published in Investopedia, MoneyWise, NextAdvisor, The HuffPost, and she's been contributing to Compare.com since 2024. Prior to writing full-time, Jess was an editor at Investopedia, The Balance, and FinanceBuzz.
Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.