Bought a Florida Home in 2026? File for Homestead by March 1 or Wait a Year.
Amendment 3 made the homestead exemption worth a lot more. It only helps if the exemption is actually on your house. The three minute checklist, the March 1 deadline, and where to file in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando.
Why this matters more now
Amendment 3 raises the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. None of that reaches you if the exemption is not on your property. Every year, people who bought in the spring forget the application and pay a full year at the higher rate.
Do you already have it?
Pull up your property on your county appraiser's site or look at the TRIM notice that arrived in August. If "Homestead" shows under exemptions, you are set. The increase is written into the constitution; no new application has been announced. If anything looks off, call the appraiser's office before March.
Bought in 2026? Here is the checklist
- 1Own and occupy by January 1, 2027. The home must be your permanent residence on that date.
- 2Have your documents ready. Florida driver license or ID with the property address, Florida vehicle registration, voter registration if you vote, and the recorded deed or closing statement.
- 3File by March 1, 2027. Online in all four counties. Late filing is possible only in limited cases, so do not test it.
- 4Bring your old exemption with you. If you sold a homesteaded Florida home, ask about portability. It carries your Save Our Homes savings to the new house and stacks with Amendment 3.
Where to file
| County | Office |
|---|---|
| Hillsborough | Hillsborough County Property Appraiser (hcpafl.org) |
| Pinellas | Pinellas County Property Appraiser (pcpao.gov) |
| Pasco | Pasco County Property Appraiser (pascopa.com) |
| Hernando | Hernando County Property Appraiser (hernandopa-fl.us) |
Fifteen minutes online in February is worth more than $1,000 a year starting in 2027.
Not sure which situation you are in? Text me and I will check it with you.
*Sources: Florida Department of Revenue homestead exemption guidance; Florida TaxWatch Property Tax Resource Center; county property appraiser offices. This is not tax or legal advice. Deadlines and documents can change; confirm with your county property appraiser.*
Written by Shebastian Burley
Realtor with CENTURY 21 BE3 / Beggins Enterprises, working Tampa Bay from Pinellas to Hernando. Numbers come from Stellar MLS and the sources named in each post, never from a headline.
