A TRIM notice (Truth in Millage) is mailed every August by your county property appraiser — Lee County sent 2026 notices on August 17. It is not a tax bill; it's a proposed preview of your property taxes based on your home's assessed value and proposed millage rates. New buyers are often shocked because their assessed value resets to their purchase price after closing. You have until September 11, 2026 to petition the Value Adjustment Board if you believe your assessed value is wrong.
Every August, Lee and Collier County property owners receive an envelope from the county property appraiser that looks a lot like a tax bill. It's not. It's your TRIM notice, and it's arguably more important than the actual bill that follows in November.
This is your window to catch errors, understand what your taxes will be, and, if something looks wrong, file an appeal before the numbers become final. For new buyers especially, the TRIM notice can come as a real shock. Here's how to read it, what to watch for, and what to do if the numbers don't make sense.
⚠️ 2026 Deadline Alert: Lee County mailed 2026 TRIM notices on August 17. Property owners have 25 days — until September 11, 2026 — to file a formal petition with the Value Adjustment Board. Collier County follows a similar timeline. Don't let this window pass.
Why new buyers are often blindsided
If you purchased a home in Southwest Florida recently, your TRIM notice can be especially jarring. The reason lies in six things the notice actually contains — walk through each one before you decide whether to appeal.
1. Just Value
This is the county's estimate of your property's full market value. It's what you can formally challenge in a VAB appeal. If it's significantly above what comparable homes in your neighborhood sold for in the first half of 2026, you have grounds to petition.
2. Assessed Value
This starts from Just Value but may be reduced by the Save Our Homes cap. If you're a new buyer who purchased after January 1, 2025, your Assessed Value will almost certainly equal your purchase price — the cap hasn't had time to work in your favor yet. If you're an existing owner who's been homesteaded for years, this number should be lower than your Just Value.
3. Exemptions
Check this carefully. Florida's standard homestead exemption reduces your assessed value by $25,000 automatically for qualified homeowners, and up to $50,000 total on the first $75,000 of value. If you purchased before January 1, 2026, and occupied the home as your primary residence, you should have applied for homestead exemption by March 1, 2026. If it's missing and you're eligible, contact the Lee County Property Appraiser at (239) 533-6100 or Collier County at (239) 252-8141 immediately. Other exemptions — senior, disability, veteran, first responder — also appear here. Make sure everything you're entitled to is showing up.
4. Taxable Value
This is the bottom line for your tax calculation: Assessed Value minus all exemptions. The millage rates get multiplied against this number to produce your total ad valorem tax bill. A lower taxable value means a lower bill, which is why the homestead exemption and portability matter so much.
5. The three tax columns
On the right side of the notice, you'll see three columns: last year's taxes, proposed taxes at the current millage rate, and what your taxes would be at the "rolled-back" rate (the rate that would generate the same total revenue as last year). If your proposed taxes are higher than both other columns, the county is raising its millage rate, not just your value, which affects every property owner regardless of whether your assessment changed.
6. Non-ad valorem assessments
Scroll to the bottom section. This is where things get complicated for Southwest Florida buyers in particular. Non-ad valorem assessments are flat charges that appear on your tax bill but are not based on your property's value. They include fire district fees, mosquito control, stormwater fees, and solid waste.
Critically, for many communities in Bonita Springs, Estero, and the Corkscrew corridor: CDD (Community Development District) debt service and operations & maintenance fees appear here. In communities like Verdana Village, The Place at Corkscrew, and Bella Terra, CDD fees ranging from roughly $1,094 to $3,500 per year will show up in this section. These are separate from your HOA dues and are not something you can challenge through the VAB — they're set by the CDD governing board.
The total of all these charges is what you'll actually owe in November. Make sure you're adding up both the ad valorem tax and the non-ad valorem section to understand your complete annual property tax bill — not just the price, your municipality, your eligibility for exemptions, and the comparable sales in your neighborhood matter. Generic advice only goes so far; you need someone who can pull the actual comps and walk through the numbers with you.