Do Seniors Get a Property Tax Break in Florida?

Yes. Florida gives homeowners aged 65 and older a senior property tax break on top of the standard homestead exemption: an additional homestead exemption of up to $50,000, and in some counties and cities a separate exemption that can wipe out county and city property taxes entirely for long-term residents. Both are income-tested, with a household income limit of $38,686 for the 2026 tax year, and both require an application filed with your county property appraiser by March 1.¹

None of these breaks apply automatically. You have to ask for them, document your age and income, and renew your eligibility if your finances change.

The Senior Homestead Exemption Up to $50,000

Florida law authorizes counties and cities to offer an additional homestead exemption of up to $50,000 to homeowners 65 and older with limited incomes. This sits on top of the standard $50,000 homestead exemption that every Florida permanent resident can claim, so a qualifying senior could see up to $100,000 knocked off the taxable value of their home.²

Three conditions have to be met:

At least one owner must be 65 or older as of January 1 of the tax year.
The property must already have the standard homestead exemption in place.
The combined adjusted gross income of everyone living in the home cannot exceed the annual limit set by the Florida Department of Revenue. For 2026, the limit is $38,686, based on 2025 income.¹

Household income means everyone’s income, not just the owner’s. Social Security, pensions, interest, and rental income all count.

Because this exemption is a local option, not every jurisdiction has adopted it, and some that have offer less than the full $50,000. Call your county property appraiser to confirm what applies where you live. Once you’re approved, you don’t have to refile every year. You do have to notify the property appraiser by May 1 if your household income rises above the current year’s limit.³

The Long-Term Resident Exemption That Can Eliminate County and City Taxes

A stronger version of the senior exemption exists for homeowners who have stayed put. Where the standard senior exemption reduces taxable value by up to $50,000, this one can eliminate the county and city portion of your property tax bill entirely. School district taxes still apply.¹

You have to meet the same age and income tests (65 or older, household income at or below $38,686 for 2026), plus two more:

You must have lived on the property as your permanent residence for at least 25 consecutive years.
The home’s market value must be under $250,000 at the time you first qualify. If the home appreciates past that figure in later years, you keep the exemption.¹

This one is also a local option. Your county or city has to have passed an ordinance adopting it. Where it exists and you qualify, your only remaining property tax bill is the school district portion.

Save Our Homes Still Does the Heavy Lifting

Many long-tenured seniors save more from Florida’s assessment cap than from any exemption. Once your home has a homestead exemption, the state constitution limits how much its assessed value can rise each year to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.⁴ For 2026, the cap is 2.7%.⁵

Over 15 or 20 years in the same home, the gap between what the home would sell for and what it’s assessed at can grow large. A property worth $400,000 on the market might still be assessed at $250,000. Lower assessed value means lower taxes, year after year. No separate application is needed. The cap attaches to any homesteaded property.

Keeping Your Savings When You Move

Downsizing or relocating within Florida doesn’t force you to start over. You can transfer up to $500,000 of the difference between your old home’s assessed value and its market value to a new homestead.⁴ If the new home costs more, you move the full dollar gap. If you’re downsizing, the transfer is proportional, so you keep the same percentage reduction rather than the same dollar amount.

To use portability, you must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one. File Form DR-501T with your homestead application (Form DR-501) by March 1.⁶ Missing the deadline forfeits a benefit that is often worth tens of thousands of dollars in reduced assessments.

Other Breaks Seniors Often Qualify For

Several more property tax benefits aren’t limited to seniors but frequently apply to them.

Veteran Disability Discount

Veterans 65 or older with a permanent service-connected disability receive a discount on their homesteaded property equal to their VA disability rating. A veteran rated 70% disabled gets a 70% reduction in assessed value. If the veteran dies, the discount carries over to a surviving spouse who holds title, lives there permanently, and has not remarried.⁷

Total and Permanent Disability Exemption

Homeowners who are quadriplegic are fully exempt from property tax on their homestead, with no income test. The same full exemption is available to homeowners who are paraplegic, hemiplegic, legally blind, or require a wheelchair for mobility, as long as combined household gross income stays below the annual cap. For 2026, that cap is $37,712.⁸ You’ll need certification from two Florida-licensed doctors or from the VA.⁹

Widow and Widower Exemption

A homeowner whose spouse has died and who hasn’t remarried gets an additional $5,000 reduction in taxable value on the homestead.¹⁰ The savings are modest, but there’s no income requirement and it stacks on everything else.

How to Apply and What to Bring

Everything is filed through your county property appraiser’s office, and every exemption shares the same March 1 deadline for the tax year.¹¹ First-time senior exemption applicants submit Form DR-501SC (the income sworn statement) along with the homestead application, Form DR-501. Both are on your county property appraiser’s website.³

Have these ready:

Proof of age: a Florida driver’s license, state ID, or certified birth certificate.
Proof of residency: a Florida driver’s license showing the homestead address, a voter registration card, or utility bills.
Proof of income for everyone living in the home: for filers, the most recent IRS Form 1040 and W-2 statements; for non-filers, a Social Security statement (Form SSA-1099) and an IRS transcript request (Form 4506-T).³

Income documentation covers every household member, not just the owner. If you’re approved, the reduction appears on the tax bill mailed in November.

If You Miss March 1 or Get Denied

A missed deadline isn’t automatically fatal. You can petition the Value Adjustment Board to grant the exemption anyway, as long as you file within 25 days of the property appraiser mailing the annual assessment notice (the TRIM notice, typically mailed in August). The filing fee is $15, nonrefundable, and the board grants late exemptions only for specific extenuating circumstances like serious illness, hospitalization, or a natural disaster.¹²

If you filed on time and the property appraiser denied your exemption, you can appeal. Denial notices go out by July 1, and you have 30 days from the mailing date to petition the Value Adjustment Board. The filing fee runs up to $50 depending on the county.¹³ Before filing, ask the property appraiser’s office for an informal conference. Many denials can be fixed without a hearing.

1
Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County. Senior Citizen Exemptions
2
Florida Senate. Florida Code Title XIV Chapter 196 – Section 196.075 Additional Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older
3
Florida Department of Revenue. DR-501SC Adjusted Gross Household Income Sworn Statement
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 193 – Section 193.155 Homestead Assessments
5
Jacksonville.gov. Save Our Homes – Assessment Cap on Homesteaded Property
6
Florida Department of Revenue. Save Our Homes Brochure
7
Florida Department of Revenue. Veteran Benefit Brochure
8
Florida Department of Revenue. Total and Permanent Disability Income Limitations
9
Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 196 – Section 196.101 Exemption for Totally and Permanently Disabled Persons
10
Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. Widow/Widower Exemption
11
Florida Department of Revenue. Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption PT-113
12
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 196 – Section 196.011 Annual Application Required for Exemption
13
Florida Department of Revenue. Petitions to the Value Adjustment Board