Filing taxes in Florida is simpler than in most states for one reason: there is no personal state income tax, so individuals never file a Florida equivalent of the federal Form 1040. What you do file depends on who you are. Every resident still owes a federal return. Online shoppers may owe state use tax. Business owners file sales tax, possibly corporate income tax, and tangible personal property tax. Homeowners file for the homestead exemption. Employers file reemployment tax. Each has its own form, agency, and deadline.
Your Federal Return Still Applies
The Florida Constitution prohibits a tax on the income of individuals, which is why no state agency will send you an income tax bill.1State of Florida.com. Florida Tax Guide Your federal obligation is unchanged. If you meet the IRS filing thresholds, you file a federal return and pay any balance by the April deadline.
Late federal filers face a failure-to-file penalty of 5% of the unpaid tax for each month or partial month the return is overdue, capped at 25%. If you file on time but underpay, a separate failure-to-pay penalty of 0.5% per month applies, also capped at 25%. Interest accrues on top of both at the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points, compounding daily.2Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 653, IRS Notices and Bills, Penalties and Interest Charges
Use Tax on Out-of-State Purchases
The one state tax most individual Floridians overlook is use tax. If you buy something from an out-of-state seller who doesn’t collect Florida sales tax, you owe 6% use tax on the purchase. This covers online orders, mail-order catalogs, and items you bought in another state or country and brought home.3Florida Dept. of Revenue. Consumer Information
If the seller charged a lower rate, you owe the difference. Pay 4% in another state, and Florida wants the remaining 2%. Items you purchased and used in another U.S. state for at least six months before bringing them into Florida are exempt. Items purchased abroad do not get that six-month rule. Use tax is due on the first day of the month following the quarter in which you made the purchase and becomes late after the 20th. If what you owe for the period is less than one dollar, you don’t need to file.3Florida Dept. of Revenue. Consumer Information
Sales and Use Tax if You Run a Business
Any business making taxable sales in Florida must register with the Department of Revenue and file Form DR-15, the Sales and Use Tax Return. The state rate is 6%. Most counties add a discretionary surtax between zero and 2%, so the combined rate depends on where the sale happens.4Florida Department of Revenue. DR-15 Sales and Use Tax Return Instructions
For each reporting line on the DR-15 you report gross sales, exempt sales, and the resulting taxable amount. Exempt sales include items sold for resale, sales to organizations holding a Florida Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption, and specifically exempt goods.4Florida Department of Revenue. DR-15 Sales and Use Tax Return Instructions
How Often You File
Filing frequency is tied to how much sales tax you collect annually:
- More than $1,000 a year: file monthly
- $501 to $1,000: file quarterly
- $101 to $500: file semiannually
- $100 or less: file annually
Most new businesses start on a quarterly schedule, and the Department of Revenue adjusts your frequency as your sales volume changes.5Florida Dept. of Revenue. Florida Sales and Use Tax
How to Submit the Return
The Department of Revenue’s e-Services portal is the primary filing method. You log in, enter sales figures, and authorize an ACH debit for payment. The system issues a confirmation number as proof of filing. Paper returns can still be mailed to Tallahassee, but the state pushes hard toward electronic filing.6Florida Dept. of Revenue. eFile and Pay Taxes, Fees, and Remittances
Filing and paying electronically on time earns a collection allowance of 2.5% on the first $1,200 of tax due, up to $30 per filing period. File late or on paper and you forfeit it.5Florida Dept. of Revenue. Florida Sales and Use Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Florida imposes a 5.5% corporate income tax on the net income of C-corporations and other entities doing business in the state.7Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 220.11 – Tax Imposed The first $50,000 of net income is exempt, so smaller corporations with modest Florida-sourced income may owe nothing. The return is Form F-1120.
The starting point for the F-1120 is federal taxable income from Form 1120, before any net operating loss deductions. From there you calculate a Florida apportionment fraction based on property and sales located in the state, which determines how much income Florida can tax. State-approved credits, including the research and development credit, apply after that.8Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 12C-1.022 – Returns; Filing Requirement
S-corporations generally owe no Florida corporate tax because their income passes through to individual owners, and Florida doesn’t tax individuals. An S-corporation must file F-1120 for any year it owes federal tax under the Internal Revenue Code. A single-member LLC or qualified subchapter S subsidiary that is disregarded for both federal and Florida tax purposes does not file a separate Florida return.8Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 12C-1.022 – Returns; Filing Requirement
Form F-1120 is due on the first day of the fifth month after the close of the taxable year, which is May 1 for calendar-year filers.9Florida Dept. of Revenue. Corporate Income Tax Due Dates An extension is available by filing Form F-7004 by the original due date and generally grants another six months. Electronic filing is required at certain tax liability levels, and most businesses use the e-Services portal or approved third-party software.
Homestead and Other Property Tax Filings
Property taxes are administered at the county level, but the most valuable exemptions come from state law. The deadline for every one of them is March 1, and missing it means losing the benefit for the entire tax year.
Homestead Exemption
If you own and occupy your home as your permanent residence on January 1, you can apply for an exemption that reduces taxable value by up to $50,000. The first $25,000 applies to all property taxes, including school district levies. The additional $25,000 applies only to assessed value above $50,000 and does not reduce school taxes.10Florida Dept. of Revenue. Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption
You file Form DR-501 with your county property appraiser by March 1, bringing a Florida driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof that the property is your primary residence. Miss March 1 and you waive the exemption for that tax year.11Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 196.011 – Annual Application Required for Exemption
Save Our Homes Portability
Florida’s Save Our Homes provision caps annual increases in a homestead’s assessed value at 3% or inflation, whichever is lower. When you move, you can carry the accumulated benefit to your new Florida home instead of losing it. To qualify you must establish a homestead exemption on the new property within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old one, by filing Form DR-501T along with your DR-501 at the county property appraiser’s office, again by March 1. The transferable benefit is capped at $500,000.12Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 193.155 – Homestead Assessments
Senior Exemption
Homeowners aged 65 or older with limited household income may qualify for an additional exemption of up to $50,000, but only where the county or municipality has adopted it. Not every jurisdiction offers it, and the income ceiling is adjusted annually. Contact your county property appraiser about availability and documentation. The same March 1 deadline applies.13Florida Dept. of Revenue. Property Tax – Taxpayers – Exemptions
Tangible Personal Property Tax
If you own a business, you likely owe tangible personal property tax on equipment, furniture, and fixtures. Anyone who owns tangible personal property on January 1 and operates as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or self-employed contractor must file Form DR-405 with the county property appraiser by April 1.14Florida Department of Revenue. Tangible Personal Property
Filing on time makes you eligible for an exemption of up to $25,000 in assessed value. If your total tangible personal property is worth $25,000 or less and you file an initial return, you may qualify for a filing waiver that carries forward as long as the value stays under the threshold. File after April 1 without an approved extension and you lose the exemption.14Florida Department of Revenue. Tangible Personal Property
Reemployment Tax if You Have Employees
Florida’s version of unemployment insurance is called reemployment tax. If you employ workers in the state, you likely need to register with the Department of Revenue and pay the tax on wages up to $7,000 per employee per year.15Florida Dept. of Revenue. Reemployment Tax Rate Information
You become liable if any of the following is true in the current or preceding calendar year: you paid at least $1,500 in total wages during any calendar quarter, you had at least one employee for any part of a day in 20 different weeks, or you’re already liable for federal unemployment tax. Once liable, you must register within 15 days.16Florida Dept. of Revenue. Employer Guide to Reemployment Tax
Your rate varies based on your experience rating, which reflects the claims history of former employees. New employers receive an initial rate that adjusts over time, and the Department of Revenue notifies you annually.
Penalties and Interest for Filing Late
Florida gives little grace. For sales and use tax, a late return costs 10% of the tax due or $50, whichever is greater. That $50 minimum applies even when no tax is owed for the period, so a late zero-dollar return still costs you.
Interest on underpaid or late-paid taxes runs at a floating rate that resets every six months. For January 1 through June 30, 2026, the rate on deficiencies and late payments is 11%, with a daily interest rate factor of 0.000301370. The rate is capped at 12% by law and will be recalculated effective July 1, 2026.17Florida Department of Revenue. Tax Information Publication TIP 25ADM-03 – Interest Rates
Corporate income tax carries its own penalties for late filing and underpayment plus the same floating interest rate. For businesses that underestimate quarterly payments, the combination adds up fast. Filing on time with a reasonable estimate and correcting later is almost always cheaper than filing late.