For the 2026 tax year, homestead exempts $25,000 of assessed value from all property tax and up to $26,411 more from non-school tax. On a $400,000 home inside Apopka city limits (16.0079 mills) the bill is about $5,748 instead of $6,403. Under Amendment 3 the non-school exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, an estimated $4,795 and $3,828 at 2026 rates. People who become Florida residents after 2026 start at $50,000. File with the Orange County Property Appraiser by March 1.
What homestead is worth in 2026
Homestead is for the home you own and live in as your permanent residence on January 1. For the 2026 tax year (bills mailed in November 2026) it has two parts:
- The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from every levy, school tax included.
- Assessed value above $50,000 gets an additional exemption of up to $26,411, from non-school levies only. The cap on this part was $25,722 for 2025.
Apopka's 2026 final millage is 16.0079: 6.3430 mills for schools and 9.6649 for everything else (Orange County 4.4347, City of Apopka 4.6761, library 0.3748, St. Johns River Water Management District 0.1793). So the exemption is worth $25,000 x 16.0079 / 1,000 = $400, plus $26,411 x 9.6649 / 1,000 = $255. That is about $655 a year.
In unincorporated Orange County the base total is 15.9798 mills, with 9.6368 non-school. The property tax estimator runs either one.
Save Our Homes: the cap on assessed value
The larger benefit over time is the cap. Once a home has homestead, its assessed value can rise each year by no more than 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The cap was 2.9% for 2025 and 2.7% for 2026. The 2027 figure is published in January.
The cap starts the year after your first homestead year. If your home is assessed at $400,000 in year one, the most it can be assessed at in year two is $412,000, whatever the market did. Over time a long-time owner's assessed value can sit far below market value. A buyer does not inherit that gap.
Property without homestead, such as a rental or second home, has a weaker cap: 10% a year through 2026, on non-school levies only. Amendment 3 lowers that to 5% from 2027.
The buyer's tax reset
When a home sells, the cap comes off. The assessed value resets to market value on January 1 of the year after the sale, and the new owner starts over.
Example at 2026 Apopka rates. A seller has owned for years, and the home is assessed at $230,000 though it is worth $400,000.
- Seller's tax: ($230,000 - $25,000) x 6.3430 / 1,000 = $1,300, plus ($205,000 - $26,411) x 9.6649 / 1,000 = $1,726. Total about $3,026.
- Buyer's tax the next year at $400,000 with homestead: about $5,748.
- Buyer's tax if no homestead is in place: $400,000 x 16.0079 / 1,000 = $6,403.
The same house costs the buyer about $2,721 a year more than it cost the seller.
An exemption on the property record when you buy belongs to the previous owner and lasts through that tax year only. File your own application by March 1, or the next bill is figured with no homestead at all.
Portability: taking the cap with you
If you already have a homesteaded home in Florida, you can move the Save Our Homes difference to the next one. The limits: up to $500,000 of difference, and the new homestead must be established within three years of January 1 of the year you gave up the old one.
Moving up. Your old home has a market value of $350,000 and an assessed value of $230,000, a difference of $120,000. You buy for $400,000. The new assessed value is $400,000 - $120,000 = $280,000. At 2026 rates the tax is about $3,827 instead of $5,748. The saving is $120,000 x 16.0079 / 1,000 = $1,921 a year, and the cap then runs from $280,000.
Moving down. The benefit transfers in proportion. Old home: market value $500,000, assessed $300,000, a ratio of 60%. New home: $400,000 x 60% = $240,000 assessed.
It is not automatic. File Form DR-501T with your homestead application by March 1. If you do not ask for it when you apply, you can lose the savings built up on your former home.
Amendment 3: what changes in 2027 and 2028
Florida voters approved Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026 with about 62% in favor (60% was required). The result is unofficial until certified, and the Legislature has not yet passed the law that implements it. Treat everything below as an estimate.
- January 1, 2027: the homestead exemption from non-school levies becomes $150,000.
- January 1, 2028: it becomes $250,000, indexed to inflation from January 1, 2029.
- School levies: the exemption stays at $25,000.
- New Florida residents: a person who was not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026 gets a non-school exemption of up to $50,000 and reaches the full amount in the fifth year of homestead.
- Portability keeps its $500,000 limit and three-year window.
| Scenario | School taxable value | School tax | Non-school taxable value | Non-school tax | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No homestead, 2026 | $400,000 | $2,537.20 | $400,000 | $3,865.96 | $6,403.16 |
| Homestead, 2026 law | $375,000 | $2,378.63 | $348,589 | $3,369.08 | $5,747.71 |
| Homestead, 2027 estimate | $375,000 | $2,378.63 | $250,000 | $2,416.23 | $4,794.86 |
| Homestead, 2028 estimate | $375,000 | $2,378.63 | $150,000 | $1,449.74 | $3,828.37 |
| New Florida resident, 2027 estimate | $375,000 | $2,378.63 | $350,000 | $3,382.72 | $5,761.35 |
School taxable value is $400,000 - $25,000 in every homestead row. Non-school taxable value is $375,000 - $26,411 = $348,589 under 2026 law, then $400,000 - $150,000, $400,000 - $250,000 and, for a new resident, $400,000 - $50,000. Multiply each by its millage and divide by 1,000.
Against the 2026 homestead bill, the estimated saving is $953 in 2027 and $1,919 in 2028. A new Florida resident starts at about $5,761, slightly more than a 2026 homestead bill, because $50,000 is less than the $51,411 total exemption available in 2026.
The table holds millage at 2026 rates. Local governments set millage every year and may respond to a smaller tax base. School tax is unchanged by the amendment. Non-ad valorem assessments such as solid waste, stormwater and CDD charges are not reduced by any exemption.
The amendment also directs the Legislature to create a procedure that lets counties and cities raise the exemption further, up to all remaining assessed value. That procedure does not exist yet.
Who files, where and by when
Qualify on January 1
You hold title recorded in Orange County, live in the home, are a permanent Florida resident, and are a U.S. citizen or hold a permanent resident card.
Gather documents
A Florida driver license or ID for each owner applying, plus at least one of: Florida vehicle registration, Florida voter registration card, or a recorded Declaration of Domicile. Social Security numbers for applying owners and their spouses.
File by March 1
File with the Orange County Property Appraiser online, by mail or in person at 200 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 1700, Orlando (407-836-5044).
Add portability if it applies
Form DR-501T goes in with the application.
Keep it current
The exemption renews automatically each January while title and residency stay the same. Any change to the deed, including moving the home into a trust, requires a new application.
Close in 2026, live there on January 1, 2027, file by March 1, 2027, and homestead is on the 2027 bill. Miss March 1 and the exemption is waived for that year. If you later move out or rent the home, tell the Property Appraiser: an exemption left in place improperly can bring a lien with a 50% penalty and 15% annual interest.
Other exemptions
- $5,000 exemptions for a widow or widower, a blind person, a totally and permanently disabled person, and a veteran with a service-connected disability of 10% or more. Each saves about $80 a year at 16.0079 mills.
- Veterans with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability: full exemption on the homestead.
- Low-income seniors: a local-option additional exemption of up to $50,000 for seniors under a household income limit ($38,686 for 2026). It applies only where a county or city has adopted it. Ask the Property Appraiser what Orange County and Apopka have adopted.
Paying the bill
Florida property tax is paid in arrears. The Orange County Tax Collector mails bills by November 1. Paying early earns a discount: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. The tax is delinquent on April 1. On the $5,748 example, paying in November saves about $230.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice.
Questions about homestead and Amendment 3
How much does the homestead exemption save in Apopka?
About $655 a year for the 2026 tax year on a home assessed above $76,411 inside city limits: $25,000 exempt at the full 16.0079 mills ($400) plus $26,411 exempt at the 9.6649 non-school mills ($255).
What is the deadline to file for homestead in Orange County, Florida?
March 1 of the tax year, for a home you owned and lived in on January 1. File with the Orange County Property Appraiser online, by mail or in person. Failing to file by March 1 waives the exemption for that year.
Did Florida Amendment 3 pass in 2026?
Yes. Voters approved it on November 3, 2026 with about 62% in favor, above the 60% required. As of November 11, 2026 the result is unofficial until certified and the Legislature has not passed implementing law, so the 2027 and 2028 effects are estimates.
How much will Amendment 3 save on a $400,000 home in Apopka?
At 2026 millage, an estimated $953 in 2027 and $1,919 in 2028 compared with the 2026 homestead bill of about $5,748. The estimated bills are $4,795 and $3,828. People who become Florida residents after 2026 start with a $50,000 non-school exemption, an estimated $5,761 in 2027. Actual savings depend on the implementing law and on the millage rates local governments set.
Does Amendment 3 eliminate property tax in Florida?
No. As approved, and pending certification and implementing law, it raises the homestead exemption from non-school levies to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. School levies still apply to assessed value above $25,000, and homes without homestead, such as rentals and second homes, get no exemption. Non-ad valorem assessments are unaffected.
I am moving to Florida from another state. What exemption do I get?
The $25,000 exemption from school levies, the same as everyone. Under Amendment 3, a person who was not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026 gets up to $50,000 from non-school levies at first and reaches the full amount in the fifth year of homestead. On a $400,000 Apopka home that is an estimated $5,761 in 2027.
Sources: Orange County Property Appraiser, 2026 final millage rates, Orange County Property Appraiser, homestead FAQ, s. 193.155, Florida Statutes, Florida Dept. of Revenue, Save Our Homes, Florida Dept. of Revenue, portability (PT-112), Florida Dept. of Revenue, exemptions (PT-109), Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3, Ballotpedia, Florida Amendment 3 (2026). Checked November 2026.
