Do You Get a Tax Credit for Impact Windows in Florida?

There is no tax credit for impact windows in Florida available for installations in 2026. Florida has never offered a state income tax credit for impact windows (it has no state income tax), and the federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit that homeowners used for this purpose was repealed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. What remains are three financial benefits that often matter more than a credit would: a mandatory homeowners insurance discount under Florida law, a state grant worth up to $10,000, and a possible sales tax exemption that the Legislature may reinstate in 2026.

The Federal Credit Is Gone for 2026 Installations

Through 2025, the federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit under Section 25C of the Internal Revenue Code covered 30% of the cost of qualifying energy-efficient windows and skylights, capped at $600 per tax year, within a broader $1,200 annual limit for home improvements.¹ It applied only to an existing primary residence.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, accelerated the end of that credit. The IRS has confirmed that “the credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025.”²

If your windows were installed on or before December 31, 2025, and you haven’t yet claimed the credit, you can still file IRS Form 5695 with your return for the tax year the windows were placed in service.³ The windows had to meet ENERGY STAR Most Efficient criteria, and you should keep the Manufacturer Certification Statement on file in case the IRS asks.

Florida Sales Tax Exemption: Expired, With a Renewal Pending

Florida ran a sales tax exemption on impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024. During that window the state’s 6% sales tax was waived at the register on qualifying products.⁴ The exemption covered materials only and applied to both residential and commercial purchases.⁵

That exemption has not been renewed. Senate Bill 78, filed for the 2026 legislative session, proposes a permanent sales tax exemption for impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors starting July 1, 2026.⁶ It has been filed but not enacted, so buyers in early 2026 should not count on the exemption applying. Check the bill’s status before purchasing if that savings is material to your decision.

The Insurance Discount Is the Benefit That Actually Lasts

The most durable financial return on impact windows in Florida comes from your homeowners insurance. Florida law requires insurers to include “actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials” for properties with windstorm damage mitigation features, and the statute specifically names opening protection and window strength among qualifying improvements.⁷

To claim the discount, you need a wind mitigation inspection from a qualified inspector. The inspection scores seven areas of your home’s construction, and impact windows fall under opening protection. One catch matters: every glazed opening in the home must have hurricane protection to earn any credit in that category. One unprotected window or sliding glass door zeroes out that section of the inspection.

The size of the discount depends on the insurer and how many of the seven categories your home passes. Windows alone will not maximize savings; combined with a hip roof, modern roof-to-wall connectors, and secondary water resistance, the reduction grows substantially. Each insurer must post its hurricane mitigation discounts on its website, so you can compare before you buy a policy.⁷ Some insurers require a fresh inspection every five years to keep the discount active.

My Safe Florida Home Grant: Up to $10,000

The My Safe Florida Home program offers grants of up to $10,000 for hurricane-hardening improvements, including window protections, exterior doors, garage doors, roof upgrades, and roof-to-wall connections. The program also provides free wind mitigation inspections, which double as the basis for your insurance discount.⁸

Eligibility is income-based and prioritized in four tiers:

Group 1: low-income homeowners aged 60 or older (household income at or below 80% of county median income)
Group 2: low-income homeowners of any age (same 80% threshold)
Group 3: moderate-income homeowners aged 60 or older (household income below 120% of county median income)
Group 4: moderate-income homeowners of any age (same 120% threshold)

Lower-income and older homeowners get first access to funding. The grant covers only improvements recommended by the program’s initial inspection, so you cannot request window funding without going through that inspection first. Applications are submitted through the program’s website, and funding is limited; the program periodically closes when funds are exhausted.⁹

PACE Financing

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing lets homeowners fund impact windows and other hurricane-hardening work and repay the cost through an assessment added to their property tax bill over 10 to 20 years. The obligation attaches to the property, so it transfers with the home if you sell.¹⁰

PACE can make a $20,000-plus window project feasible without cash on hand, but the structure carries risks. The PACE lien typically takes priority over your existing mortgage, which can create friction with your lender and complicate a future sale. As of July 1, 2024, each Florida county must approve PACE before it can be offered to residents, so availability varies by location. A federal rule effective March 1, 2026 will require PACE lenders to provide the same standard mortgage disclosures as traditional lenders, making cost comparisons easier.¹⁰

What About Property Taxes?

You may run across claims that Florida excludes hurricane-hardening improvements from your property tax assessment. That exclusion does not exist in current law. Senate Bill 1176, filed in the 2025 session, would have created Florida Statute 193.6245 to exclude the value added by wind-resistance upgrades from assessments,¹¹ but the bill died in the Community Affairs committee.¹² Installing impact windows that raise your home’s market value can therefore result in a higher assessed value at reassessment. Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits annual assessment increases to 3% for homesteaded properties, which blunts the effect, but no wind-hardening-specific exclusion currently applies. Similar legislation may be refiled in future sessions.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 25C – Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
2
Internal Revenue Service. FAQs for Modification of Sections 25C, 25D, 25E, 30C, 30D, 45L, 45W, and 179D
3
Internal Revenue Service. Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit
4
Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 12AER22-7 – Sales Tax Exemption for Impact-Resistant Windows, Doors, and Garage Doors
5
Florida Department of Revenue. TIP 22A01-07 Sales Tax Exemption Period on Impact-Resistant Doors and Windows
6
Florida Senate. Senate Bill 78 (2026) – Bill Text
7
Justia Law. Florida Code 627.0629 – Residential Property Insurance Rate Filings
8
My Safe Florida Home. MSFH New Year 2025-26
9
My Safe Florida Home. My Safe Florida Home – Grants and Inspections Available
10
Florida PACE. PACE Program Florida – Home Improvement Funding
11
Florida Senate. Senate Bill 1176 (2025) – Bill Text
12
Florida Senate. Senate Bill 1176 (2025)