Florida residents need to pay property taxes to the county tax collector each year. Here’s how the process works and what can happen if you don’t pay.
Each Florida county has an elected tax collector that collects tax payments. You should receive a property tax bill around October or November each year.
The normal payment timeline is November 1st to March 31st. There are discounts for paying early.
You can typically mail a check or money order or visit your tax collector’s office in person. Many tax collectors also have online payment options especially in the larger counties. Some payment methods may have a small convenience fee for credit card payments.
When you receive your property tax bill, you should check it for accuracy.
If you notice errors, contact your local property appraiser’s office. This is a separate entity that determines what you pay in property taxes.
You can get a discount by paying your Florida property taxes early. The discount is based on the month you pay. In other words, pay at any time during that month to receive the discount. If you mail your payment, it goes by the payment postmark date.
If you pay your property taxes through escrow, you can still receive the discount. A payment from the mortgage company’s escrow service is the same as a payment you make.
Discounts are based on when your mortgage lender pays the tax collector not when you make escrow payments as part of your standard mortgage payment.
Check with your mortgage company for their policies on when they make property tax payments. If you make a payment on your own to make sure you get the discount and your mortgage company also pays, you can request a property tax refund.
Some people may make multiple payments for budgeting purposes. Early payment discounts generally don’t apply to partial payments.
Under Florida Statute 197.374, the tax collector may impose a processing fee of up to $10 per payment for processing payments.
If you make partial payments, you must pay in full by March 31st. Otherwise, late payments are handled the same as other late payment situations.
Some counties offer a quarterly installment payment plan. This is authorized by Florida Statute 197.222, but each county has the option to offer it or not.
To qualify, you generally need to owe more than $100 in property taxes. To participate, you must notify your tax collector by April 30th. Contact them for the installment payment forms.
If the due date falls on a weekend or legal holiday, you typically have until the next business day to pay.
Delinquent installment payments generally need to be paid in full with the next installment.
If you don’t complete the installment plan or choose to no longer participate, you may lose your discounts.
Normally, you only make one property tax payment, so refunds aren’t a regular thing like they are with federal income taxes. However, there are several situations where you may need a refund:
To request a property tax refund, complete Form DR-462 and return it to your county tax collector. You generally have four tax years to request a refund. For example, for 2022 property taxes based on January 1, 2022, you have until January 1, 2026 to request a refund.
While you are generally required by law to receive at least one notice of your property taxes bill, not receiving a property tax bill doesn’t excuse or extend your responsibility for payment. The usual payment deadlines, discounts, and penalties apply.
If you don’t receive your bill, check online or contact your tax collector.
If you can’t pay your property taxes on a property with the Homestead Exemption, you may be eligible for the Homestead Tax Deferral. The deferral can prevent a tax certificate from being sold and a lien placed on your home.
To receive a deferral, you must submit Form DR-570 to your tax collector by the March 31st payment deadline. You will usually need to include supporting documentation such as federal income tax returns.
There are several potential deferral options.
You can’t defer your property taxes, even if you fall into one of the options above, if:
Interest is based on the long-term fixed-income portion of the Florida Retirement System investments. The maximum rate is 7%.
Deferred taxes become due and payable when: