Florida Homestead Portability When Selling: How to Carry Your Save Our Homes Savings to Your Next Home
When you sell a Florida homestead, the capped assessment on that house does not go to the buyer. It can go with you, up to $500,000 of it, if you set up your next Florida homestead in time and file one extra form. This guide explains the formula, the three-year window that most people measure wrong, the January 1 calendar that decides which closing date helps you, and what the Amendment 3 vote on November 3, 2026 could change for sellers in Port St. Lucie, the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County.
Quick Answer: What is Florida homestead portability when selling a home?
Florida homestead portability when selling lets you move up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit, the gap between your home’s just value and its capped assessed value, to your next Florida homestead. You must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you leave the old one and file DR-501T by March 1.
- Portability transfers the lesser of $500,000 or the difference between the prior homestead’s just value and assessed value (s. 193.155(8)(a), Florida Statutes, 2026).
- The new homestead must be established “within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old homestead (not three years after the sale)” (Florida Department of Revenue, brochure PT-112, R. 08/24).
- For 2026, the Save Our Homes cap on annual increases in a homestead’s assessed value is 2.7%, the change in the Consumer Price Index (Martin County Property Appraiser, “Save Our Homes & Portability 2026,” April 2026).
- The Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference (Form DR-501T) is filed with the homestead application (Form DR-501), and the deadline is March 1 (Florida Department of Revenue, PT‑112).
- Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot needs 60% of the vote; if approved it would exempt $150,000 of a homestead’s assessed value from non-school taxes in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 (Florida House of Representatives, Final Bill Analysis of CS/HJR 1F, June 16, 2026).
In this guide
- What is homestead portability, and what happens to your exemption when you sell?
- How much of your Save Our Homes benefit can you transfer?
- How long do you have to use portability after you sell?
- Should you sell first or buy first? The January 1 calendar
- How do you apply for portability, step by step?
- Who gets the benefit when there are spouses, co-owners, a divorce or an estate?
- What portability does not reduce
- How could Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot change the picture?
- What is portability worth in dollars, and what does your buyer see?
- Port St. Lucie and the Treasure Coast: where to look and where to file
- Palm Beach County: calculators, cross-county moves and condo sellers
- What should you gather before you list if you plan to buy again?
- Frequently asked questions
What is Florida homestead portability, and what happens to your homestead exemption when you sell?
Homestead portability is the Florida rule that lets an owner transfer the Save Our Homes benefit from a prior Florida homestead to a new Florida homestead, which lowers the new home’s assessed value and therefore its property taxes. When you sell, your homestead exemption stays on the old house for the rest of that tax year, the old house is reassessed at full market value for the buyer on the next January 1, and the accumulated benefit becomes yours to port, if you claim it in time.
Four terms do all the work in this topic, and each one has a precise meaning in Florida law.
Just value, assessed value and taxable value
Just value is the county property appraiser’s estimate of a property’s market value as of January 1 of the tax year. Assessed value is the just value after any assessment limitation, such as the Save Our Homes cap, has been applied. Taxable value is the assessed value minus exemptions, and it is the number the millage rates are multiplied against. The Florida House staff analysis of the 2026 property tax joint resolution states the sequence plainly: the property appraiser considers any assessment limitation to produce an assessed value, and the assessed value is then reduced by any exemptions to produce the taxable value (Florida House of Representatives, Final Bill Analysis, CS/HJR 1F, June 16, 2026).
The homestead exemption
The Florida homestead exemption is a reduction in taxable value for a property that the owner holds title to and uses as a permanent residence on January 1. It has two parts. The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all property taxes, including school district taxes. A second exemption applies to assessed value above $50,000, does not apply to school district taxes, and has been adjusted for inflation since 2025, with 2024 as the $25,000 base year. The Florida Department of Revenue set that second amount at $25,722 for 2025 and $26,411 for 2026, after a 2.7% CPI change, so the maximum total homestead exemption for 2026 is $51,411 (Florida Department of Revenue, “Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment,” revised January 2026).
The Save Our Homes cap and the Save Our Homes benefit
The Save Our Homes cap is the limit on how much a homestead’s assessed value can rise each year: the lower of 3% or the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (s. 193.155(1), Florida Statutes). For 2026 the CPI change, and therefore the cap, is 2.7% (Martin County Property Appraiser, “Save Our Homes & Portability 2026,” April 2026). The Save Our Homes benefit is the gap between a homestead’s just value and its capped assessed value. A home bought years ago in Port St. Lucie or Palm Beach County, in a period when market values rose faster than the cap, usually carries a large benefit, because the assessment climbed by a few percent a year while the market value climbed faster.
The Florida Department of Revenue describes the benefit the same way: the accumulated difference between the assessed value and the just (market) value is the SOH benefit (Florida Department of Revenue, PT-112, R. 08/24). That benefit is the thing portability moves.
What the sale does to the old house
A sale is a change of ownership, and a change of ownership ends the cap for that house. Florida law says the property “shall be assessed at just value as of January 1 of the year following a change of ownership” (s. 193.155(3), Florida Statutes). The Department of Revenue’s brochure lists a sale, a foreclosure and any transfer of legal or beneficial title as changes of ownership, and notes a few exceptions, such as transfers between spouses and certain transfers at death (PT‑112).
In practice, a seller who closes in 2026 keeps the homestead exemption and the capped assessment on the old house for the 2026 tax year. Florida’s homestead rental rule confirms that leaving after January 1 does not take away that year’s exemption: abandonment after January 1 does not affect the exemption for that year unless the property is rented for more than 30 days per calendar year for 2 consecutive years (s. 196.061, Florida Statutes). The buyer then inherits a reassessment on January 1, 2027, and you inherit the right to port.
Portability is a Florida-to-Florida benefit
Portability works only when both the old homestead and the new homestead are in Florida. The Department of Revenue frames it as a move “from a previous Florida homestead to a new homestead in Florida” (PT-112). A homeowner selling in St. Lucie County and buying in Palm Beach County can port; a homeowner selling in Port St. Lucie and moving to Georgia cannot, and the benefit ends with the sale. Moving from one Florida county to another is allowed, and Palm Beach County’s property appraiser describes the benefit as transferable “to a new home within the state” (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, “Portability — You can take it with you!”, accessed October 2026).
How much of your Save Our Homes benefit can you transfer?
You can transfer up to $500,000. If your new homestead’s just value is equal to or higher than the old one’s, the full difference transfers, up to that limit. If the new home’s just value is lower, a proportional share transfers, calculated by a formula written into the statute.
Upsizing: the full difference, up to $500,000
When the new home’s just value is greater than or equal to the prior homestead’s just value as of January 1 of the year you left it, the new home’s assessed value is its just value minus the lesser of $500,000 or the prior home’s just-minus-assessed difference (s. 193.155(8)(a), Florida Statutes). Upsizing is a subtraction: the benefit comes off the top of the new home’s value.
Downsizing: a proportional share
When the new home’s just value is less than the prior homestead’s just value, the new assessed value equals the new just value divided by the prior just value, multiplied by the prior assessed value (s. 193.155(8)(b), Florida Statutes). Downsizing is a ratio: the new home keeps the same proportion of assessed value to market value that the old home had. If that calculation would create a difference larger than $500,000, the assessed value is raised until the difference equals $500,000.
The values that count are January 1 values
Both formulas use the prior homestead’s just value and assessed value “as of January 1 of the year in which the prior homestead was abandoned,” in the wording carried in the Florida Constitution and repeated in the 2026 joint resolution (Art. VII, s. 4(d)(8), Fla. Const.; enrolled CS/HJR 1F, 2026). For a seller who closes in 2026, the portable amount is fixed by the property appraiser’s 2026 roll, the same figures printed on the Notice of Proposed Property Taxes mailed in August 2026. The sale price you negotiate does not change the portable amount. A TRIM notice is that Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, the annual “truth in millage” statement showing just value, assessed value, exemptions and proposed taxes.
Four worked scenarios from the statutory formulas
The table applies the statutory formulas to illustrative values. The values are examples chosen to show the arithmetic, not market figures for any community. Your own numbers come from your property appraiser’s record.
| Scenario | Prior home: just / assessed (Jan 1 of year left) | Difference | New home just value | Rule applied | New home assessed value | Benefit carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Move up | $450,000 / $260,000 | $190,000 | $600,000 | (8)(a): $600,000 − $190,000 | $410,000 | $190,000 |
| B. Same value | $450,000 / $260,000 | $190,000 | $450,000 | (8)(a): $450,000 − $190,000 | $260,000 | $190,000 |
| C. Downsize | $450,000 / $260,000 | $190,000 | $300,000 | (8)(b): $300,000 ÷ $450,000 × $260,000 | $173,333 | $126,667 |
| D. Downsize past the limit | $2,000,000 / $800,000 | $1,200,000 | $1,000,000 | (8)(b) gives $400,000, a $600,000 gap, so it is raised to cap the gap at $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
Scenario C shows the effect sellers miss most often. A downsizer does not lose the benefit; the benefit shrinks in proportion to the drop in value. Scenario D shows the $500,000 limit at work, which matters to owners of long-held waterfront and estate homes in Palm Beach County, Jupiter or Stuart, where the gap between market value and assessed value can exceed the limit.
Without portability, the new home starts at full value
A new homestead without a transfer is assessed at its just value in its first year, and the Save Our Homes cap applies only from the following year. In scenario A, the difference is $190,000 of assessed value. How much tax that removes depends on the millage where the new home sits, which section 9 explains.
Property tax math for a specific home and closing date is worth confirming with a Florida CPA or with the property appraiser’s office before you sign a purchase contract.
How long do you have to use homestead portability after you sell?
You have until January 1 of the third year after the year you abandon the old homestead. The window is measured from January 1 of the year you leave, not from the closing date, so a December sale leaves much less time than a January sale.
The rule in the statute and in the Department of Revenue’s words
The statute says a new homestead is assessed at less than just value when the owner “has received a homestead exemption as of January 1 of any of the 3 immediately preceding years” (s. 193.155(8), Florida Statutes). The Florida Department of Revenue translates that into one sentence: you must establish a homestead exemption for the new home “within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old homestead (not three years after the sale)” (PT-112, R. 08/24). Palm Beach County’s property appraiser puts it the same way: establish the new residence “on or before January 1 of the third year after abandoning your previous homestead.”
The window used to be shorter. Until the 2021 tax roll, an owner had to establish the new homestead within two years of January 1 of the year of abandonment. CS/SB 148 (2020), the implementing bill for a constitutional amendment on the November 2020 ballot, extended the period by one year starting with the 2021 roll, and the statute now reads three years (Florida Senate bill analysis, CS/SB 148, 2020; s. 193.155(8), Florida Statutes). Older articles and calculators that still say two years are out of date.
The common belief, tested
Many web pages say the new home must be bought “within three years of selling.” That shortcut is wrong in a way that costs money. Because the window starts on January 1 of the year of abandonment, the calendar month of your sale decides how much time you really have. Abandonment usually happens when you stop using the home as your permanent residence, which for most sellers is the move-out date around the sale.
| You stop living in the old homestead | Year of abandonment | New homestead must exist by | Real time available after move‑out | Filing deadline for that first year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 20, 2026 | 2026 | January 1, 2029 | About 2 years, 11 months | March 1, 2029 |
| June 30, 2026 | 2026 | January 1, 2029 | About 2 years, 6 months | March 1, 2029 |
| December 15, 2026 | 2026 | January 1, 2029 | About 2 years, 2 weeks | March 1, 2029 |
| January 5, 2027 | 2027 | January 1, 2030 | About 2 years, 12 months | March 1, 2030 |
The table is calculated from the rule in PT-112 and s. 193.155(8). Two sellers who move out three weeks apart, on December 15, 2026 and January 5, 2027, end up with deadlines a full year apart. The January 2027 seller also keeps the homestead exemption on the old house for the 2027 tax year, and the portable amount is then measured from the January 1, 2027 values instead of the 2026 values.
“Establishing” the new homestead means January 1 occupancy
A homestead exists for tax purposes when the owner holds title and makes the property a permanent residence on January 1. Buying a lot, signing a builder’s contract or closing on a house in February does not establish a homestead for that year. If your deadline is January 1, 2029, you need to own the new home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1, 2029 at the latest, then file by March 1, 2029.
For sellers who plan to rent for a while, build new construction or wait for a better purchase, the practical planning date is therefore the last December 31 before the deadline, not a date three years after the closing. Section 4 turns that into a calendar.
Should you sell first or buy first? The January 1 calendar for portability
Either order works for portability, because the law looks at where you live on January 1, not at which closing happens first. What changes is the tax bill on the old house and the deadline you are working against, so the order should be chosen with the calendar in view.
Florida allows one homestead exemption per person and per dwelling (s. 196.031, Florida Statutes, as summarized in the Florida House analysis of CS/HJR 1F). Every sell-and-buy plan has to fit that rule on each January 1 it crosses.
Path 1: Sell first, then buy (the cleanest sequence)
A seller who closes the sale, rents or stays with relatives, then buys keeps the old exemption for the year of the sale and starts the clock on January 1 of that year. The risk is the one shown in section 3: a late-year sale shortens the real window, and a seller who waits for the perfect purchase can run past it. A seller rent-back, a short agreement that lets the seller stay in the sold house after closing as the buyer’s occupant, can bridge a few weeks; our guide to how a seller rent-back after closing works covers the agreement itself.
Path 2: Buy first, move in, then sell
A homeowner who buys the next home first and moves in abandons the old homestead on the move-out date. If the move happens in 2026, the new home can be claimed as homestead on January 1, 2027, with portability based on the old home’s January 1, 2026 values. The catch is the old house. If it has not sold by January 1, 2027, it is no longer your permanent residence on that date and cannot keep the exemption. The Department of Revenue warns that “a loss or removal of homestead will trigger a reassessment and removal of the SOH benefit” and asks owners to notify the property appraiser when homestead status changes (PT-112). For 2027, the unsold old house is then taxed as non-homestead property at just value, while you carry two mortgages.
That carrying cost belongs in the decision. Our article on buying and selling at the same time on the Treasure Coast covers bridge financing and contingencies; the tax piece is simply that each January 1 the old house is unsold after you move out is a year at non-homestead rates.
Path 3: Both closings in the same year
Closing the sale and the purchase in the same calendar year, and moving in before December 31, is the simplest outcome. The old home keeps its exemption for that year, the new home becomes your homestead on the next January 1, and you file DR-501 and DR-501T between January 1 and March 1. In this path the portable amount comes from the old home’s values for the year of the sale.
Renting out the old house instead of selling
Some owners move into a new home and keep the old one as a rental. Florida treats the rental of all or substantially all of a former homestead as abandonment of the homestead (s. 196.061, Florida Statutes). The old house loses the exemption and the cap, and the owner can still port its benefit to the new homestead, because abandonment, not sale, is the trigger. Owners weighing that choice can compare the numbers in our guide to whether to sell or rent a house in Port St. Lucie.
What happens if you keep the exemption on a house you no longer live in
Keeping a homestead exemption you are no longer entitled to is expensive. When a property appraiser finds an improper exemption, Florida law allows the county to collect the unpaid taxes for up to 10 prior years, plus a penalty of 50% of the unpaid taxes for each year and 15% interest per year (s. 196.161(1)(b), Florida Statutes). The exemption renews automatically in most counties, and Florida law places the duty on the owner to notify the property appraiser promptly when the use or status of the property changes (s. 196.011(10)(a), Florida Statutes).
The closing date around January 1
Sellers with flexible dates sometimes ask whether to close in late December or early January. A closing on January 2 instead of December 30 means you still owned and lived in the home on January 1, so you keep the exemption for the new tax year, the portability window starts one year later, and the portable amount is measured from the newer January 1 values. Whether that helps depends on your purchase plans and on whether the old home’s just value went up or down on the new roll. Under Standard K of the current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS contract (form ASIS-7x, updated in 2026), real estate taxes are prorated as of the day prior to the closing date and “shall be prorated based on current year’s tax,” with “due allowance” for “applicable homestead and other exemptions”; a proration based on an estimate is readjusted on either party’s request when the current year’s tax bill arrives. The closing date therefore also shifts who pays which share of the year’s bill.
The tax result of a specific closing date or rental plan is a question for a Florida CPA or real estate attorney, who can review your filings and title before you commit.
How do you apply for homestead portability in Florida, step by step?
You apply for portability by filing two forms with the property appraiser in the county of your new home: the homestead exemption application (Form DR-501) and the Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference (Form DR-501T), by March 1 of the first year you claim the new home. Portability is not automatic; the Department of Revenue states that you must file the DR-501T with the DR-501 (PT‑112).
Form DR-501T is the Florida Department of Revenue form a new homestead owner files to transfer the Save Our Homes difference from a prior Florida homestead. Florida law says that form, attached to the homestead application, “shall be considered sufficient documentation for applying for assessment under this subsection” (s. 193.155(8)(h), Florida Statutes).
Read your current record before you list (seller with listing agent, about 1 day)
Look up your home on the county property appraiser’s website. Write down this year’s just value, assessed value and exemptions. The difference between the first two is your current Save Our Homes benefit. Keep your latest TRIM notice from August; it shows the same figures.
Set your move-out and closing dates against January 1 (seller, listing agent and title company, during contract negotiation)
Decide which year will be your year of abandonment and write down the deadline it creates, using the table in section 3. If you plan to buy new construction, compare the builder’s estimated completion date with the last December 31 inside your window.
Close on the new home and move in before December 31 (you, your lender and your title agent)
To claim the new homestead on January 1, you must hold title and live there as your permanent residence on that date. The closing statement and the recorded deed become your proof of ownership.
Update your residency documents (you, within the weeks after the move)
Property appraisers may consider a Florida driver license or ID card with the new address, vehicle registration, voter registration, the address on federal tax returns, bank records and utility payments when deciding permanent residency (s. 196.015, Florida Statutes). Updating them early prevents delays at the counter.
File DR-501 and DR-501T between January 1 and March 1 (you, with the new county’s property appraiser)
File online or in person. List the prior homestead’s address and county on the DR-501T. Missing March 1 is a waiver of the exemption for that year unless a late application is accepted (s. 196.011(1)(a), Florida Statutes).
The new county confirms the prior values (property appraisers, spring)
When the old and new homes are in different counties, the new county’s property appraiser obtains the prior homestead’s January 1 just and assessed values from the previous county before applying the transfer.
Check the August TRIM notice (you)
The Notice of Proposed Property Taxes for the first year at the new home should show the reduced assessed value. If it does not, call the property appraiser first. If the transfer is denied, the Department of Revenue notes you may petition the county value adjustment board (PT‑112).
Late filing and the value adjustment board
A value adjustment board is the county board that hears property owners’ petitions about assessments and exemptions. If you miss March 1, Florida law allows a late application for portability, and a petition to the value adjustment board on or before the 25th day following the mailing of the TRIM notice, with a nonrefundable $15 fee and a showing of “particular extenuating circumstances” (s. 193.155(8)(j), Florida Statutes; s. 196.011(9), Florida Statutes). The board may grant the transfer; it is not required to.
No refunds for missed years
The statute is direct on this point: the reduction is applied “in the year the transfer is first approved, and refunds of tax may not be made for previous years” (s. 193.155(8)(k), Florida Statutes). A seller who forgets to file the first year and remembers the second year has not lost portability if still inside the window, but the first year’s higher bill stays paid.
For questions about a denied application or a value adjustment board petition, a Florida real estate attorney or a CPA who handles property tax matters can advise on your specific facts.
Who gets the portability benefit when there are spouses, co-owners, a divorce or an estate?
When more than one owner held the prior homestead, the benefit is split among the owners who received the exemption, equally unless the deed states other shares. Spouses can designate shares, and an owner who moves into a new home alone takes only his or her share.
The default split
Florida law divides the transferable reduction “by the number of owners of the prior homestead who received a homestead exemption, unless the title of the property contains specific ownership shares, in which case the share of reduction” is proportionate to the ownership share (s. 193.155(8)(d), Florida Statutes). Two siblings who both lived in and claimed a home split its benefit in half unless the deed says otherwise.
Married owners
Married owners who move together to a new homestead carry the whole benefit to it. Married owners who separate can, under the statute, designate the share attributed to each spouse following a procedure set in paragraph (f) of the same subsection (s. 193.155(8)(d) and (f), Florida Statutes). Palm Beach County’s property appraiser links a separate form for this, the Designation of Ownership Shares (Form DR-501TS), alongside the DR-501T (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, accessed October 2026).
Divorce
In a divorce, the marital home sale often creates two new homesteads where there was one. Each spouse can carry a share of the benefit to his or her new home if each establishes a new Florida homestead inside the window. How the shares are designated, and how the settlement agreement treats the home, are legal questions; our guide to selling a house during a divorce in Florida covers the sale process, and a family law attorney should review the designation before either spouse files.
A co-owner who never claimed the exemption
Only an owner who received the homestead exemption on the prior home can transfer its benefit. A new spouse or partner who joins you on the deed of the next home does not bring a benefit from a home that was not his or her homestead, and the statute counts only exempt owners when it divides the reduction.
Heirs and estates
Heirs who inherit a parent’s home do not inherit the parent’s portability. The benefit belongs to the person who held the homestead and lived there. Some transfers at death do not trigger reassessment, according to the Department of Revenue’s brochure, but those exceptions are narrow and depend on who lives in the home afterward (PT-112). Estate sales follow their own process, covered in our guide to how probate home sales work in Florida.
Ownership shares, divorce designations and estate questions turn on title and family law; a Florida real estate or family law attorney should confirm the split before the forms are filed.
What does homestead portability not reduce?
Portability lowers only the assessed value used for ad valorem property taxes on your new Florida homestead. It does not reduce CDD assessments, HOA dues, solid waste or other non-ad valorem charges, it does not cross state lines, and it does not lower the tax bill your buyer will pay on the house you sold.
Non-ad valorem assessments, CDD assessments and HOA dues
Non-ad valorem assessments are charges on the property tax bill that are based on a benefit or a unit count rather than on value. A CDD (Community Development District) assessment is one of them: a charge levied by a special district that financed roads, drainage or utilities in a community, collected on the tax bill. The Florida Constitution exempts homestead property from taxation “except assessments for special benefits” (Art. VII, s. 6(a), Fla. Const., as printed in enrolled CS/HJR 1F, 2026). A lower assessed value therefore does nothing to a CDD line. HOA dues are not on the tax bill at all; they are private association charges.
That distinction matters for sellers moving into master-planned communities in Port St. Lucie such as Tradition, where CDD assessments appear on the tax bill. A buyer comparing two homes should add the CDD and HOA lines to the ported property tax estimate; our guide to HOA and CDD fees in Tradition explains those charges, and sellers listing there can read about selling a home in Tradition, Port St. Lucie.
Second homes, rentals and investment property
Portability moves a homestead benefit to a homestead. A seller who sells a homestead and buys a second home or a rental property gets no transfer on that property. Non-homestead residential property has its own cap, 10% a year for non-school levies under current law, and is reassessed at just value after a change of ownership (Florida House Final Bill Analysis, CS/HJR 1F, June 16, 2026).
Other exemptions
Portability transfers the Save Our Homes difference, not the exemptions. The homestead exemption itself, and any other exemption you held, such as a local senior exemption or a disability or veteran exemption, must be applied for at the new home under its own rules and with its own documents.
Other states
A Florida seller moving out of state leaves the benefit behind. There is no mechanism to carry a Florida Save Our Homes benefit to another state, and another state’s cap or exemption cannot be ported into Florida. Sellers leaving Florida can turn instead to our guide on selling a Florida home from out of state.
Your buyer’s taxes
The buyer of your home starts over at just value on the January 1 after closing. Florida requires that buyers receive a property tax disclosure summary at or before signing the contract, which begins: “BUYER SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SELLER’S CURRENT PROPERTY TAXES AS THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT THE BUYER MAY BE OBLIGATED TO PAY IN THE YEAR SUBSEQUENT TO PURCHASE” (s. 689.261, Florida Statutes). Your low tax bill is a fact about your ownership, not about the house, and a well-prepared listing presents it that way.
Capital gains
Portability is a property tax rule and has nothing to do with federal income tax on the sale. The federal exclusion for gain on a main home is covered in our guide to capital gains tax when selling a home in Florida.
A Florida CPA can confirm which exemptions you may claim at the new home and how the sale fits your income tax return.
How could Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot change homestead portability?
Amendment 3 would not repeal portability. The enrolled joint resolution carries the same three-year window and the same $500,000 portability formula in Article VII, section 4(d)(8), while adding much larger homestead exemptions for non-school taxes starting in 2027. The amendment takes effect only if at least 60% of voters approve it on November 3, 2026 (Florida House Final Bill Analysis, CS/HJR 1F, June 16, 2026).
What Amendment 3 would do
The Florida Legislature passed CS/HJR 1F, titled “Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” in a special session in June 2026. According to the House’s final bill analysis, the joint resolution would:
- Provide a homestead exemption for non-school taxes of the first $150,000 of assessed value in 2027 and the first $250,000 in 2028 and after, indexed to inflation beginning in 2029.
- Give owners who were not permanent Florida residents as of December 31, 2026 a smaller homestead exemption ($25,000 for school levies and $50,000 for non-school levies) for their first five years, after which they receive the full exemption.
- Lower the annual assessment increase limit on non-homestead property from 10% to 5% for non-school levies.
- Limit how counties and cities may use property tax revenue, and take effect January 1, 2027 if approved.
The ballot summary states that it “requires any person who establishes Florida residency after January 1, 2027, to maintain Florida residency for five years prior to receiving the increased homestead exemption” (enrolled CS/HJR 1F, 2026).
Why portability would still matter if it passes
The new exemption would apply to levies other than school district levies. School taxes would still be calculated on assessed value minus the $25,000 school exemption, so a ported Save Our Homes difference would keep lowering the school portion of the bill. For homes whose assessed value is above the new exemption, portability would also keep lowering the non-school portion. The larger the home’s value, the more the two benefits stack.
The synthesis most sellers miss: your buyer pool
A Florida resident who sells and buys again within Florida would, if Amendment 3 passes, carry both the Save Our Homes benefit and the full exemption. A buyer relocating from another state after 2026 would not get the full exemption for five years. For a seller in Port St. Lucie or Palm Beach County whose likely buyer is moving from out of state, that difference would show up in the buyer’s monthly payment estimate. A buyer’s lender usually estimates taxes on the new owner’s own exemption, not the seller’s, so a seller pricing a home in 2027 would want the tax estimate in the listing package to reflect the buyer’s likely status, not the seller’s bill.
What to do before the vote
Until the November 3, 2026 result is certified, the current rules apply: the $25,000 exemption for all levies, the inflation-adjusted second exemption, the Save Our Homes cap and portability exactly as described in sections 1 through 5. Nothing changes for 2026 tax bills. A seller planning a 2026 or 2027 closing can plan with the current portability rules now, and after the vote should check the property appraiser’s website in the county of the new home for any change to forms or filing instructions before filing for 2027.
Projections of a specific future tax bill under a proposed amendment are best reviewed with a Florida CPA once the result and any implementing law are known.
What is homestead portability worth in dollars, and what does your buyer see?
Each $1,000 of assessed value removed by portability saves one dollar for every mill of tax levied on it, every year you own the new home. A mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value, and the total millage for your new address is printed on its TRIM notice.
The arithmetic, mill by mill
Using scenario A from section 2, the transfer removes $190,000 of assessed value. At each mill, that is $190 a year. Because Florida’s levies are spread across the county, the school district, the city and special districts, the total millage on a bill is the sum of several rates. The City of Port St. Lucie notes that it “only controls two line items” on residents’ “overall 15-line tax bill,” and the City Council set its rate at 4.9750 mills for fiscal year 2025–26 (City of Port St. Lucie, September 2025).
| Assessed value removed by portability | Tax saved per 1 mill | Per 10 mills | Per 15 mills | Per 20 mills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50 | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| $126,667 (scenario C) | $127 | $1,267 | $1,900 | $2,533 |
| $190,000 (scenarios A and B) | $190 | $1,900 | $2,850 | $3,800 |
| $500,000 (the limit) | $500 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
The table is arithmetic, not a forecast: the millage columns are round numbers for comparison, and your actual total comes from the TRIM notice for the specific parcel. The savings repeat every year, and because the new home’s assessed value then rises by the Save Our Homes cap rather than with the market, the gap can grow again while you live there. Buyers who want a figure for a particular St. Lucie County address can use the site’s St. Lucie County property tax estimate guide, and the buyer-side article on Port St. Lucie property taxes after you buy explains how a first bill is read.
When the benefit is smaller than expected
The benefit is a gap, so it shrinks when market values fall and the assessed value keeps rising by the cap. The Department of Revenue notes that the assessed value may increase even if the value of the home decreases, though it can never exceed the just value (PT-112). A seller who bought recently, or whose home’s just value has slipped on the latest roll, may find the portable amount smaller than a neighbor’s. That is why step 1 in section 5 is reading the current record before you decide where to buy.
What the buyer of your home sees
Buyers see your current tax bill in the listing and the county records, and they receive the statutory disclosure telling them not to rely on it. A clear listing package states the current taxes, notes that they reflect a homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap, and points buyers to the property appraiser’s estimator for their own figure. That is not only good disclosure practice; it also prevents a late-stage surprise when the buyer’s lender recalculates the escrow on full value and the buyer’s payment rises after the appraisal.
Does portability change your sale price?
Portability does not change what your house is worth to a buyer, because the buyer cannot use your benefit. It changes what your next house costs you to own. In a move-up or move-down decision, the portable amount is part of the comparison between staying and moving, alongside sale costs and net proceeds; our guide to seller net proceeds in Port St. Lucie covers the sale side of that comparison.
Port St. Lucie and the Treasure Coast: where to look up your benefit and where to file
In Port St. Lucie, your Save Our Homes figures and your next homestead filing both go through the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser, which accepts homestead and portability applications online or at its offices from January 1 to March 1. Homes in Stuart, Palm City and Jensen Beach use the Martin County Property Appraiser, and homes in Vero Beach use the Indian River County Property Appraiser.
St. Lucie County Property Appraiser
The St. Lucie County Property Appraiser’s office states that initial homestead applications are made between January 1 and March 1 and that portability should be filed at the same time as the new homestead application, online or at its offices. The office lists a Fort Pierce office at 2300 Virginia Avenue, Room 107, Fort Pierce, FL 34982, and a St. Lucie West office at 250 NW Country Club Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986, and offers online exemption filing at paslc.gov (St. Lucie County Property Appraiser, accessed October 2026). Check the office hours on the site before you go. The parcel record on the appraiser’s website shows each year’s just value, assessed value and exemptions, which is where a Port St. Lucie seller reads the portable amount.
Martin County and Indian River County
The Martin County Property Appraiser, Jenny Fields, CFA, publishes a 2026 “Save Our Homes & Portability” sheet that states the 2026 CPI change of 2.7% and explains that the cap applies to property value, not to property taxes, and does not apply to new construction such as a new pool (Martin County Property Appraiser, April 2026). Indian River County homes in Vero Beach are filed with the Indian River County Property Appraiser. Portability works between any two of these counties, and between any of them and Palm Beach County.
New construction in Port St. Lucie: watch the January 1 date
Port St. Lucie has a large volume of new construction in communities such as Tradition, Verano, Southern Grove and the St. Lucie West area, and sellers often plan to sell a resale home and move into a new build. Two portability details matter. First, the homestead can be claimed only once you own the finished home and live in it on January 1, so a builder delay from December into January can push your first homestead year back by twelve months. Second, the portability deadline does not move with the builder’s schedule. A seller who abandons the old homestead in 2026 needs to be living in the new home by January 1, 2029. The site’s article on competing with builders as a Port St. Lucie resale seller covers the listing side of that move.
CDD lines on the new bill
Many newer Port St. Lucie communities collect CDD assessments on the property tax bill. As section 7 explains, portability reduces the ad valorem portion only. When a seller compares a ported tax estimate in a CDD community with an older neighborhood without one, the CDD line belongs in the comparison at full amount, taken from the adopted district budget or the prior year’s bill for that lot.
Port St. Lucie sellers who live elsewhere part of the year
Homestead requires permanent residence in Florida. Seasonal owners who claimed homestead on a Port St. Lucie home and are now moving back north will not port anything, because the new home is outside Florida. Owners who split time and are unsure of their status should resolve it with the property appraiser before listing, not after, because a status question can surface during the title search.
For a full view of selling in the city, see the hub on selling a home in Port St. Lucie.
Palm Beach County: portability calculators, cross-county moves and condo sellers
In Palm Beach County, the Property Appraiser’s office, led by Dorothy Jacks, publishes a portability guide, a portability calculator, the DR-501T and a Designation of Ownership Shares form for joint owners, and it accepts e-filing through its homestead exemption portal (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, accessed October 2026). The portability page lists 561-355-2866 as the office’s contact number for questions.
The county’s own example
The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser explains upsizing with a simple example: if the market value of your previous home is $250,000 and its assessed value is $150,000 because of the Save Our Homes cap, the assessed value of your new home “will be reduced by $100,000.” For a lower-value new home, the office notes that “you can transfer a percentage of the difference,” which is the downsizing formula from section 2.
Moving from Palm Beach County to Port St. Lucie
Sellers who move from Palm Beach County to Port St. Lucie often downsize in price while keeping or growing living space, so the downsizing formula applies. A Boca Raton or Jupiter homestead held for many years can carry a benefit near or above the $500,000 limit; when the Port St. Lucie purchase has a lower just value, the transferred amount is proportional, and the new assessed value keeps the same ratio of assessed to just value that the Palm Beach County home had. The St. Lucie County Property Appraiser obtains the prior values from Palm Beach County after you file. The series article on moving from Palm Beach County to Port St. Lucie lays out the rest of that seller’s math.
High-value homes and the $500,000 limit
For long-held waterfront and estate properties in Palm Beach, Manalapan, Jupiter Island or Gulf Stream, the Save Our Homes benefit can exceed $500,000. Only $500,000 ports, and in a downsize the formula is applied first and then limited, as scenario D in section 2 shows. Sellers of these homes can review the site’s guide to the luxury listing process in Palm Beach County for the sale itself.
Condo sellers
Individual condominium owners can each hold a homestead (s. 196.031, Florida Statutes, as summarized in the Florida House analysis of CS/HJR 1F), so a Palm Beach County condo homestead ports exactly like a house. Condo sellers in older buildings in Boca Raton, Delray Beach or West Palm Beach who are selling partly because of rising association costs should note that special assessments and association dues are not property taxes and do not move with portability in either direction. The City of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and other municipalities each set their own millage, so the dollar value of the same ported amount differs by address; the TRIM notice for the new parcel is the source.
Sellers working through a city-specific plan can also read the Boca Raton seller guide or the West Palm Beach seller guide, and the broader page on home seller representation across the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County.
What should you gather before you list if you plan to buy again in Florida?
Before you list, gather your property appraiser record, your latest TRIM notice, your deed and the names of every owner who claimed the exemption, then write your portability deadline on the same calendar as your list date and both closings. Those four items answer every portability question a lender, title agent or property appraiser will ask later.
The seller’s portability file
- The current parcel record: just value, assessed value and exemptions for this year and last year.
- The most recent TRIM notice (August) and tax bill (November).
- The recorded deed, showing every owner and any stated ownership shares.
- A list of which owners received the homestead exemption, and any marital or estate changes since the deed was recorded.
- The planned move-out date, the resulting year of abandonment and the January 1 deadline it creates.
- For a new build, the builder’s estimated completion date compared with the last December 31 inside the window.
- The county of the next home and the property appraiser’s filing method there.
How the file fits a pre-listing plan
A pre-listing plan is the written sequence of steps, dates and documents a seller and listing agent agree on before a home goes on the market. Portability fits in three places. Pricing: the seller’s net from the sale and the ported tax on the next home are compared side by side. Timing: the list date is set backward from the closing date that suits the January 1 calendar. Disclosure: the listing package explains the current tax bill so the buyer’s lender estimates its own figure early.
Buyers who use assistance programs
Many first-time buyers on the Treasure Coast use down payment assistance such as the Florida Hometown Heroes program, which requires the home to be the buyer’s primary residence. Those buyers will claim their own homestead after closing and pay taxes on a fresh assessment, which is one more reason a seller’s listing package should show the current bill in context. The site’s Florida Hometown Heroes page explains the program for buyers.
When to talk to whom
Bring questions about values, filing and deadlines to the property appraiser’s office. Bring questions about title shares, divorce designations and estate transfers to a Florida real estate or family law attorney. Bring questions about tax planning and income tax to a Florida CPA. Bring the calendar, the pricing and the coordination of both closings to your listing agent.
Jeannie Jacobson, REALTOR® with RE/MAX Gold in Port St. Lucie, Florida, puts the homestead calendar into the written pre-listing plan for any seller who intends to buy again in Florida. She pulls the parcel record from the St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River or Palm Beach County property appraiser, notes the current Save Our Homes difference, and builds the pricing analysis and target closing dates around the January 1 date that decides the seller’s window. When the next home is new construction or a CDD community, she lays out the CDD and HOA lines next to the ported tax estimate so the comparison is complete. Sellers living out of state, or coordinating a sale in one county and a purchase in another, get the same plan by phone, email and video, in English and Spanish, with the property appraiser, title company and attorney questions identified in writing.
What Sellers Say About Working With Jeannie Jacobson
“I have had the privilege of working with her for both a home sale and purchase. As stressful as real estate can be, she made it all a breeze. … She provided me with incredible guidance through the entirety of both processes which left me without a hint of doubt regarding either outcome.”
— Tonia Rossano · 31 May 2025 · Google review
“The process began in Oct 2022 by putting my “childhood” home up for sale that I owned at the time. It finalized with the purchase Jan 2023. Jeannie was an amazing shoulder to cry on and lean on in tough situations. Jeannie is confident and knowledgeable. If she doesn't know the answer, she will find it out for your or point you in the right direction.”
— Jessica Biesok · Vero Beach, FL · February 10, 2023 · Verified review
“Jeannie, I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for your outstanding work in selling our house. Your professionalism, expertise, and dedication throughout the entire process were truly commendable. Your guidance and support made the experience seamless and stress-free for us.”
— Neil · Port Saint Lucie, FL · April 9, 2024 · Verified review
This article is general information about Florida property tax exemptions, the Save Our Homes assessment limitation and homestead portability, current as of October 2026, including a proposed constitutional amendment that had not yet been voted on at that date. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Property tax rules are applied by each county property appraiser to the facts of each owner; confirm your values and deadlines with the property appraiser, and consult a Florida CPA or a Florida real estate attorney about your specific sale, purchase, ownership shares or filings.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not for the year of the sale. Florida grants the exemption based on your status on January 1, so a seller who closes later in the year keeps it on the old house for that tax year. The buyer is reassessed at just value the following January 1. Your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit can move to your next Florida homestead through portability if you file Form DR-501T in time.
You must establish the new homestead by January 1 of the third year after the year you abandoned the old one. The Florida Department of Revenue says the window runs from January 1 of the year you left, not three years after the sale. A seller who moves out in 2026 must own and live in the new home by January 1, 2029, and file by March 1, 2029.
Up to $500,000. If the new home’s just value is equal to or higher than the old home’s, the full difference between the old home’s just value and assessed value transfers, up to $500,000. If the new home is worth less, a proportional share transfers. Both calculations use the old home’s values as of January 1 of the year you left it, shown on that year’s TRIM notice.
Amendment 3, on the November 3, 2026 ballot, keeps the portability formula and three-year window in the enrolled text. If at least 60% of voters approve it, it would add a non-school homestead exemption of $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with a smaller exemption for five years for people who were not Florida residents as of December 31, 2026. School taxes would still reflect portability.
Yes. When the new home’s just value is lower, Florida law sets its assessed value at the new just value divided by the old just value, multiplied by the old assessed value. For example, a $450,000 home assessed at $260,000 followed by a $300,000 purchase gives a new assessed value of about $173,333. The benefit shrinks in proportion to the price drop; it is not lost.
You have to apply. Portability is claimed by filing Form DR-501T, the Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference, together with the homestead application, Form DR-501, with the property appraiser in the county of the new home. The deadline is March 1 of the first year you claim the new home. Property appraisers in St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties accept these filings online or in person.
You may still file late. Florida law allows a late application and a petition to the county value adjustment board on or before the 25th day after the TRIM notice is mailed, with a $15 nonrefundable fee and proof of extenuating circumstances. The board may grant the transfer but does not have to. If the transfer is approved in a later year, taxes for earlier years are not refunded.
Generally no. Florida treats renting all or substantially all of a former homestead as abandonment, so the old house loses the exemption and the cap for the next tax year. You can still port its benefit to a new Florida homestead within the window. Keeping an exemption you no longer qualify for can lead to back taxes for up to 10 years, a 50% penalty and 15% annual interest.
No. Portability lowers the assessed value used for ad valorem property taxes only. CDD assessments are non-ad valorem charges for special benefits, collected on the tax bill but not based on value, and the Florida Constitution’s homestead exemption excludes assessments for special benefits. HOA dues are private association charges and do not appear on the tax bill. Add both at full amount when comparing homes.
No. Portability moves the Save Our Homes benefit only from a Florida homestead to a new Florida homestead. A seller who moves to another state leaves the benefit behind when the Florida home is sold. Moving between Florida counties is allowed, so a seller can port from Palm Beach County to St. Lucie County, or from Martin County to Indian River County, using the same DR-501T form.
Florida law divides the transferable benefit among the owners who received the exemption, equally unless the deed states other shares, and allows spouses to designate each spouse’s share through a separate procedure. Palm Beach County lists Form DR-501TS, Designation of Ownership Shares, for that purpose. Each spouse must establish a new Florida homestead within the window. A family law attorney should review the designation first.
Sell this home and set up the next homestead on one plan
Book a 15-minute call with Jeannie Jacobson to go over your property appraiser record, your target closing dates and the January 1 deadline that decides your portability window, in English or Spanish, before you list.
Jeannie Jacobson, REALTOR® · RE/MAX Gold · (772) 877-0268 · English and Spanish
Sources
- Florida Statutes s. 193.155, Homestead assessments (2026) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0193/Sections/0193.155.html (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, “Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation and Portability Transfer,” brochure PT-112, R. 08/24 — https://floridarevenue.com/property/Documents/pt112.pdf (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, “Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment” (revised January 2026) — https://floridarevenue.com/property/Documents/cpi_homestead_exemption.pdf (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, Property Tax Exemptions for Taxpayers — https://floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/Taxpayers_Exemptions.aspx (accessed October 2026)
- Martin County Property Appraiser, “Save Our Homes & Portability 2026” (April 2026) — https://www.pamartinfl.gov/images/stories/files/SOH-2026.pdf (accessed October 2026)
- Florida House of Representatives, Final Bill Analysis, CS/HJR 1F (2026F), “Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” (June 16, 2026) — https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026F/1F/Analyses/h0001z.SAC.PDF (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Legislature, Enrolled CS/HJR 1F (2026F) — https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026F/1F/BillText/er/PDF (accessed October 2026)
- Orange County, Florida, “Property Tax Amendment 3” — https://www.ocfl.net/OpenGovernment/PropertyTaxAmendment3.aspx (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 196.011, Annual application required for exemption (2026) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.011.html (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 196.061, Rental of homestead to constitute abandonment (2026) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.061.html (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 196.161, Homestead exemptions; lien imposed on property of person claiming exemption although not a permanent resident (2026) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0196/Sections/0196.161.html (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 689.261, Sale of residential property; disclosure of ad valorem taxes to prospective purchaser (2026) — http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0689/Sections/0689.261.html (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Senate, Bill Analysis, SB 148 (2020), homestead assessment difference transfer period — https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/148/Analyses/2020s00148.ft.PDF (accessed October 2026)
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, “Portability — You can take it with you!” — https://pbcpao.gov/portability.htm (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Realtors/Florida Bar, AS IS Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase (FloridaRealtors-FloridaBar-ASIS-7x), February 2026 redline, Standard K — https://www.floridarealtors.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/AS%20IS%20Residential%20Contract%20for%20Sale%20and%20Purchase%20(FloridaRealtors-FloridaBar-ASIS-7x)_Redlined[1].pdf (accessed October 2026)
- St. Lucie County Property Appraiser, office directory — https://www.paslc.gov/Directory.aspx?did=8 (accessed October 2026)
- St. Lucie County Property Appraiser, Homestead Portability and Exemptions — https://www.paslc.gov/214/Homestead-Portability (accessed October 2026)
- City of Port St. Lucie, “Port St. Lucie City Council marks decade of millage rate cuts” (September 2025) — https://www.cityofpsl.com/News/2025/Port-St.-Lucie-City-Council-marks-decade-of-millage-rate-cuts (accessed October 2026)