Quick Answer
If you own your Southwest Florida home and it's your permanent residence on January 1, you can claim the homestead exemption by filing with the Lee or Collier County Property Appraiser by March 1. With Amendment 3, it takes $25,000 off your school taxes and $150,000 (2027) or $250,000 (2028) off county, city and district taxes, as long as you were a Florida resident by December 31, 2026. Seniors with limited income, veterans with a service-connected disability, widows and widowers, first responders and people with disabilities can add more exemptions on top, and some are worth the entire tax bill.
Who qualifies for the Florida homestead exemption?
You need to own the home and make it your permanent residence as of January 1. The property appraiser looks for proof that Florida is truly home, like a Florida driver's license, vehicle registration and voter registration at the address. You file once, and it renews automatically each year as long as you keep living there. Homestead is also what turns on Save Our Homes, the cap that limits how much your assessed value can rise each year.
How does Amendment 3 change the homestead exemption?
For homeowners who were permanent Florida residents by December 31, 2026, the exemption on non-school taxes rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. School taxes keep the $25,000 exemption. If you become a Florida resident on or after January 1, 2027, you start with a $50,000 exemption on non-school taxes, and the larger amount begins in your fifth year of homestead. That's why the timing of a move matters more now than it used to. Our property tax & Amendment 3 calculator shows the year-by-year math.
What other exemptions can I add on top of homestead?
Florida has a handful that stack with homestead. Widows, widowers, legally blind residents and anyone totally and permanently disabled get $5,000 each. A veteran with a service-connected disability of 10% or more gets $5,000, and a total and permanent service-connected disability can mean no property tax at all on the homestead. Seniors 65 and older with household income under the yearly limit can get up to $50,000 more off county taxes in both Lee and Collier County, plus city exemptions in places like Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Long-time seniors in a lower-value home may qualify for even more.
When do I file, and what happens if I miss March 1?
March 1 is the deadline for homestead and nearly every other exemption. If you closed on your home and moved in during 2026, you file by March 1, 2027. Miss it, and you may still be able to file late with a good reason, but you risk paying a full year of taxes without the exemption. On a $550,000 home in Lee County, the exemption is worth roughly $1,700 in 2027 alone, and the Save Our Homes cap starts a year later too.
I'm buying near the end of the year. Does my closing date matter?
It can matter a lot. Homestead depends on owning and living in the home on January 1, and Amendment 3's larger exemption depends on when you became a Florida resident. A closing on December 20 and one on January 5 can lead to very different tax bills for years. If you're weighing a purchase or a move across Lee and Collier County, it's worth talking through timing before you write an offer. Since 2005, Mark and Dawn have helped buyers and sellers in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers and Cape Coral plan around exactly these details.
What if I sell one Florida home and buy another?
You'll need to file for homestead on the new home, and you can also apply for portability, which carries up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit to the new home. Read our guide to Save Our Homes portability, or see your numbers in the property tax calculator.