Florida Homestead Portability Explained
Florida’s Homestead Portability Summary
Homestead Portability = you take your tax savings with you when you move.
If your current primary home has Homestead Exemption, your property taxes are probably lower than they would normally be because of Florida’s 3% cap on value increases.
Over time, that creates a “tax discount.”
When you:
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Sell your homesteaded home
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Buy another primary residence in Florida
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Apply for homestead again (and portability)
You can transfer that tax discount to your new home.
Why this matters:
Without portability, your new home’s taxes would start fresh at full market value (higher taxes). With portability, part of your old savings lowers the taxable value of your new house.
Maximum you can transfer: up to $500,000 in value difference.
Deadline: Apply by March 1 of the year you claim homestead on the new home. You must establish the new homestead by January 1 of one of the 3 years after you give up the old one.
*Link to Florida Statute below;
https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199%2F0193%2FSections%2F0193.155.html
Upsizing vs. Downsizing With Portability
If your new home has a higher just (market) value than your old one, you can generally transfer the full Save Our Homes benefit, up to $500,000. If you downsize, the benefit transferred is reduced in proportion to the new home’s value. Your county property appraiser makes the final calculation, so file the portability application with your homestead application. Need the county links? See our homestead resources.
This information is general and educational only, is not legal advice, and does not change the terms of any title commitment or policy. Every transaction is different; consult a Florida attorney for legal advice.