The Closing Itself
When Do You Apply for the Florida Homestead Exemption After Closing?
Direct answer
The Florida homestead exemption is not created by the closing. The recorded deed does not file it. If the house will be your permanent residence, you apply with the property appraiser for the county where the land sits. Under § 196.011, a person who on January 1 has legal title to property entitled to an exemption files that application on or before March 1. Permanent residence, under § 196.012, is your true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment, and the place you intend to return to. You may have only one. A second home or a rental is not homestead. Time to Close Title closes the purchase and submits the deed for recording after good funds. We do not file the exemption, we do not decide residency, and we do not calculate the tax savings. Hernando's property appraiser is in Brooksville. Our office at 3087 Anderson Snow Road in Spring Hill is not the property appraiser and not the clerk.
Key takeaways
- The closing does not create the homestead exemption. The recorded deed does not file it.
- If the house will be your permanent residence, you apply with the county property appraiser by March 1 under § 196.011.
- You need title and permanent residence on January 1 of that tax year. A later closing is the next year's application.
- A second home or a rental is not homestead. You may have only one permanent residence.
- Time to Close Title does not file the exemption, decide residency, or calculate the tax savings.
Does the closing file the Florida homestead exemption?
The exemption is not created by the closing. The recorded deed does not file it. If the house will be your permanent residence, you apply with the property appraiser for the county where the land sits.
On a sale we close, we submit the deed for recording after good funds. The clerk records the deed. Spring Hill title and recording is that split. Our office at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609 is not the clerk. It is also not the property appraiser.
Section 196.031 says the deed or instrument shall be recorded in the official records before the exemption may be granted. Recording is a condition. It is not the application. A first-time Florida buyer still files after the purchase. We close the purchase. We do not file the exemption.
Hernando's property appraiser is in Brooksville. A Hernando purchase is covered in closing in Hernando County. We do not publish the appraiser's street address, phone number, or a drive time. Use the property appraiser for the county where the land sits. Contact the office about the closing, not about the exemption amount.
| Job | Who does it | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Closing the purchase | Time to Close Title submits the deed for recording after good funds | The exemption application |
| Recording the deed | The clerk of the county where the land sits | A filing with the property appraiser |
| Homestead application | You file with that county's property appraiser by March 1 | A form the title company files |
| Permanent residence | The property appraiser decides under § 196.012 | A decision we make at the closing table |
| Second home or rental | Not homestead | An automatic tax reduction |
When is the Florida homestead application due?
Under § 196.011, every person who on January 1 has legal title to real property that is entitled to an exemption files an application with the county property appraiser on or before March 1 of that year. The Department of Revenue prescribes the form. The original homestead application is Form DR-501. Failure to apply by March 1, when an application is required, waives the exemption for that year. The late paths in § 196.011(8) and § 196.011(9) are narrow. A documented postal error goes to the value adjustment board. A late file is due by the 25th day after the property appraiser mails the notice under § 194.011(1), and only if that office finds sufficient evidence. We do not decide that.
If a timely and otherwise complete application leaves out Social Security numbers, § 196.011(1)(b) lets the applicant complete it by April 1 after the property appraiser makes contact. April 1 is not the ordinary deadline. Do not send a Social Security number to Time to Close Title. We do not file the form.
Section 196.031 looks at January 1. You need legal title, or beneficial title in equity, and you must in good faith make the property your permanent residence, or the permanent residence of someone legally or naturally dependent on you. A closing after January 1 does not create that year's exemption. You apply for the next tax year, once the house is your permanent residence on that next January 1. Under § 196.011(11), a property appraiser may accept an original application for the succeeding year after March 1. That is the appraiser's option. Ask that office. We do not pick the year.
Permanent residence is defined in § 196.012. It is the place where you have your true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment, and to which you intend to return whenever you are absent. A person may have only one permanent residence at a time. Once a permanent residence is established in another state or country, it is presumed to continue until the person shows a change. The property appraiser decides. We do not.
Once an original application is granted, § 196.011(7) says the property appraiser mails a renewal on or before February 1. A sale is different. The buyer files a new application. The seller's exemption does not ride over on the deed. Even in a county that waived annual renewals, § 196.011(10) requires a new filing when the property is sold.
Portability under § 193.155(8) is a separate filing. It applies when the person who establishes a new homestead received a Florida homestead exemption as of January 1 of any of the three immediately preceding years. We do not transfer an assessment difference, and we do not state a dollar figure. The year after an exemption is granted, Save Our Homes limits the annual reassessment to the lower of 3 percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, under § 193.155. We do not quote a year's CPI. We do not calculate the tax savings.
January 1
You need title and permanent residence on this date for that tax year. Closing day does not replace it.
March 1
The application deadline in § 196.011 when an application is required. Missing it waives that year, aside from the statute's late paths.
One home
§ 196.012 allows only one permanent residence at a time. A second home or a rental is not that home.
Who files, and what is not homestead?
You file with the property appraiser. We do not. A second home is not homestead. Read buying a Florida second home from out of state. A rental is not homestead. Read investment property versus homestead. A nonhomestead residential property can fall under the 10 percent cap in § 193.1554 for levies other than school district levies. That cap is not this exemption.
Section 196.012 presumes that property rented for more than 6 months is used for commercial purposes. Section 196.031(6) says a person who is receiving or claiming a residency-based ad valorem exemption or tax credit in another state is not entitled to this homestead exemption. A narrow exception covers the permanent residence of a dependent. The property appraiser applies those rules. We do not.
Homestead joinder is a different article. If you are married and the house will be your permanent residence, your spouse generally must sign the deed. Read why both spouses must sign. Signing the deed does not file the tax exemption. The application form has a space for the spouse's Social Security number. That is still the property appraiser's form.
A quitclaim we only prepare is recorded by the client. That recording still does not file the exemption. On a sale we close, we submit the deed for recording after good funds. Wire instructions for those closing funds are confirmed by calling (352) 792-1214. Do not use an account number that arrived only by email. Florida title premiums follow Rule 69O-186.003. We do not reprint a rate on this page.
Call (352) 792-1214 or toll-free 888-228-0555. Email info@TimetoCloseTitle.com. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The office is at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609.
Close the purchase before you apply
On a sale we close, we submit the deed for recording after good funds. The recorded deed does not file the homestead exemption. Time to Close Title does not file the application.
Confirm this house is your only permanent residence
Under section 196.012, permanent residence is your true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment, and the place you intend to return to. You may have only one. A second home or a rental is not homestead. We do not decide residency.
Use January 1 and March 1, not closing day
Section 196.031 looks at title and permanent residence on January 1. Section 196.011 requires the application with the county property appraiser on or before March 1. A closing after January 1 does not create that year's exemption. We do not set the tax year.
File with the property appraiser where the land sits
You file. We do not. Hernando's property appraiser is in Brooksville. The Spring Hill office at 3087 Anderson Snow Road is not the property appraiser and not the clerk. Do not send the application or a Social Security number to the title company.
Leave portability and the tax bill with the property appraiser
Portability under section 193.155(8) is a separate filing if you had a Florida homestead exemption as of January 1 of any of the three immediately preceding years. We do not transfer an assessment difference and we do not state a dollar figure. We do not calculate the tax savings.
Frequently asked questions
Does closing day file the Florida homestead exemption?
No. The recorded deed does not file it. You apply with the property appraiser for the county where the land sits. On a sale we close, Time to Close Title submits the deed for recording after good funds. We do not file the exemption. A first-time Florida purchase still has this step after the keys.
When is the Florida homestead application due?
On or before March 1 under § 196.011, for a person who on January 1 has legal title to property entitled to the exemption. Missing that date waives the exemption for that year, except the late paths in subsections (8) and (9). The property appraiser or the value adjustment board decides those paths. We do not. If a timely and otherwise complete application omits Social Security numbers, § 196.011(1)(b) gives until April 1 to complete it. April 1 is not the ordinary deadline.
I closed after January 1. Can I get this year's exemption?
Not from that closing alone. Section 196.031 looks at title and permanent residence on January 1. If you bought later, you apply for the next tax year, once the house is your permanent residence on that next January 1. Under § 196.011(11), a property appraiser may accept an original application for the succeeding year after March 1. That is the appraiser's option. We do not pick the year.
What does permanent residence mean in Florida?
Section 196.012 defines it as the place where you have your true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment, and to which you intend to return whenever you are absent. You may have only one permanent residence at a time. A permanent residence established in another state or country is presumed to continue until you show a change. The property appraiser decides. We do not.
Is a second home or a rental homestead?
No. A second home is not your only permanent residence. A rental is not homestead. Read buying a Florida second home from out of state and investment property versus homestead. A person claiming a residency-based exemption or credit in another state is generally not entitled to this exemption under § 196.031(6). We do not decide which house qualifies.
Is a spouse's signature on the deed the same as the tax exemption?
No. Homestead joinder is a different rule. Read why both spouses must sign. The tax exemption is a separate application with the property appraiser. The form has a space for the spouse's Social Security number under § 196.011(1)(b). Signing the deed does not file the exemption. We do not file it.
Where do I file in Hernando County, and will you file it?
File with the Hernando County property appraiser in Brooksville. We do not publish that office's street address or phone number. Our office at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609 is not the property appraiser and not the clerk. Call (352) 792-1214 about the closing. Toll-free is 888-228-0555. Email info@TimetoCloseTitle.com. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We do not file the exemption, decide residency, or calculate the tax savings. If you are still wiring closing funds, confirm the instructions by calling (352) 792-1214. Contact the office for the closing file.