Last updated 2026-07-09
TL;DR
Florida's homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 from the assessed value of your Broward County primary residence. The first $25,000 hits all tax levies; the second $25,000 hits non-school taxes only. File with the Broward County Property Appraiser by March 1. Approval also locks in Save Our Homes assessment caps and lets you carry accrued savings to your next home.
What is the Broward County homestead exemption and what does it actually do?
The Broward County homestead exemption is a Florida constitutional benefit that shrinks the taxable assessed value of your primary residence. It does not knock a flat dollar amount off your bill. It shrinks the value your tax rate gets applied to, so the dollar savings ride on where you live and your combined millage rate.
There are two layers under Florida law [1].
The first $25,000 applies to every taxing authority, school board included. The second $25,000 applies only to non-school levies, and only to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000. Say your home is assessed at $200,000 with the full exemption. You pay school taxes on $175,000 and everything else on $150,000.
Broward's combined millage rate in 2023 ran roughly 18 to 21 mills depending on your city [2]. At 20 mills, the first $25,000 saves you about $500 a year. The second $25,000 saves another $375 on non-school taxes. Call it $875 total, though the exact number shifts every year as millage rates move.
The exemption is not retroactive. Miss the March 1 deadline and you wait a full year. That is $875 or more gone for nothing but a missed form. File the day you close.
Who qualifies for the homestead exemption in Broward County?
Florida sets the qualifying rules at the state level, and Broward applies them [1][8]. You must meet all of these as of January 1 of the tax year you are applying for:
1. You own the property. Fee simple, life estate, trust, or certain cooperative interests all count. 2. The property is your permanent primary residence as of January 1. 3. You are a Florida permanent resident. A Florida driver's license or ID, Florida vehicle registration, and Florida voter registration all help prove it, though none is individually required. 4. You claim no residency-based tax benefit in any other state.
You do not have to be a U.S. citizen. Permanent resident aliens (green card holders) qualify [8]. Undocumented immigrants do not.
Own the property through an LLC or corporation and you almost certainly do not qualify. The property has to be owned by a natural person or a qualifying trust. Florida courts have held that line for decades.
Married couples where only one spouse is on the deed still qualify, as long as the applying spouse meets the conditions above. Same-sex married couples have been eligible statewide since the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Here is the one that trips people up. If you rent out your home for more than 30 days in a calendar year on more than three occasions, you can lose the exemption under Florida Statute 196.061 [3]. Short-term rental income is the single most common reason Broward homeowners get their exemption pulled after an audit.
What is the deadline to file for the Broward homestead exemption?
March 1 of the tax year. That is the hard statutory deadline under Florida Statute 196.011 [3]. January 1 is the qualifying date, so you are essentially applying for a benefit that already started on the first of the year.
Bought your home in October 2024? You needed to file by March 1, 2025 to get the exemption on your 2025 bill (paid in November 2025). Miss that, and the earliest you see the benefit is the 2026 tax year, filing by March 1, 2026.
Broward does allow late filing under narrow circumstances. The window runs March 2 through the last day of September, and you have to prove your failure to file on time came from extenuating circumstances. The appraiser can still deny it [4]. Do not count on it.
Once approved, you never refile. The exemption renews automatically as long as your eligibility holds. You get an annual renewal receipt in the mail. Move, sell, or change your primary residence, and you must tell the appraiser's office or you risk back-taxes and penalties for claiming an exemption you no longer earn.
| Event | Deadline |
|---|---|
| New homestead application | March 1 |
| Late filing (extenuating circumstances) | September 30 |
| Portability application (see below) | March 1 |
| Notify appraiser after losing eligibility | Promptly (statute requires it) |
| Assessment appeal (VAB) | 25 days after TRIM notice (typically September) |
How do you file for the homestead exemption in Broward County?
The Broward County Property Appraiser handles every exemption. The office sits at 115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 111, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 [4]. You can file online, in person, or by mail.
Online is the fastest. Go to bcpa.net and open the homestead filing portal. You need your property's folio number, which is on any prior tax bill or on the appraiser's website. The portal is typically open January 1 through March 1.
Have these ready:
- Florida driver's license or state ID showing the property address.
- Florida vehicle registration showing the property address.
- Florida voter registration card (if you have one).
- Social Security numbers for all owners.
- Declaration of Domicile, if your ID does not yet show the property address.
- Permanent Resident Card (green card), if you are a permanent resident alien.
- A copy of the trust agreement showing you as the qualified beneficiary, if the property is held in trust.
Broward charges no filing fee. Any service that bills you to file the standard homestead exemption is selling you something you can do yourself for free in about 15 minutes.
After you file, the appraiser mails a receipt. Your exemption shows up on the TRIM notice you get in August and on your November tax bill.
What other Broward County exemptions can you stack on top of homestead?
The base $50,000 is just the start. Florida law authorizes several more exemptions, and Broward honors all of them [3][5]. Some stack, which means your taxable value can drop hard.
Senior Citizens (Low-Income): Broward's Board of County Commissioners adopted an added exemption of up to $50,000 for homesteaded property owned by someone 65 or older with household income at or below the limit the Florida Department of Revenue sets each year (roughly $35,167 for 2025, adjusted for inflation) [5]. This hits the county levy only, not city or school levies unless those authorities adopted it separately. Some Broward cities opted in. Check with the appraiser's office.
Total and Permanent Disability: If you are totally and permanently disabled, you may owe no ad valorem taxes at all on your homesteaded property. Quadriplegics qualify automatically. Others must show total and permanent disability through physicians' certification [3].
Surviving Spouse of First Responder: If your spouse died in the line of duty as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or military member, you may qualify for a total tax exemption on your homesteaded property under Florida Statute 196.081 [9].
Veterans' Exemptions: Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 10% or more get an added $5,000 exemption. Veterans with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability owe no property taxes [3][9]. Combat-injured veterans may also get a discount equal to their disability rating percentage.
Widow/Widower Exemption: A $500 added exemption for widows and widowers who have not remarried. Small, but it is free money.
Each added exemption takes its own documentation submitted to the Broward County Property Appraiser. Plenty of Broward homeowners leave thousands behind simply because nobody told them these stacking exemptions existed.
For how other states structure their exemptions, the Florida homestead exemption overview covers the full state picture, and the Georgia homestead exemption article shows how a neighbor state handles the same idea.
What is Save Our Homes and how does it protect Broward homeowners?
Save Our Homes (SOH) is worth more than the exemption itself over time, and most new homeowners miss that entirely.
Once you have homestead exemption, Florida's Save Our Homes amendment (Article VII, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution) caps the annual increase in your assessed value at 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower [1]. In a hot market like South Florida, where market values have jumped 10%, 15%, even 20% in a single year, SOH keeps your taxable value from chasing those spikes.
For 2023, 2024, and 2025 the SOH cap was 3.0%, because CPI ran above 3% each year [6]. Through the boom of 2021 and 2022, the cap held many Broward homeowners' assessed values steady while their market values raced ahead.
The gap between your market value and your SOH-capped assessed value is the SOH benefit (some call it the SOH differential). That gap is real money. A homeowner who bought in 2010 for $250,000 in a neighborhood now worth $700,000 might carry an assessed value of only $350,000 because of the cap. That $350,000 difference gets taxed at zero.
Here is the catch. Sell and buy a new home, and you lose your built-up SOH benefit and restart at market value. That is exactly why portability exists.
What is homestead portability and how do you claim it in Broward?
Portability lets you transfer up to $500,000 of your built-up SOH benefit to your new Florida homestead [1][10]. It matters a lot in Broward, where long-time owners often sit on hundreds of thousands in accrued benefit.
The rules. You must have held a homestead exemption in Florida (any county) within the two years before you set up the new homestead. You apply for portability at the same time as your new homestead exemption, using Form DR-501T. The deadline matches: March 1.
If your new home is worth more than your old one, you transfer 100% of your SOH benefit. If it is worth less, the benefit gets prorated. The formula: (new home market value / old home market value) x SOH differential = portable amount.
Say you sold a Broward home with a $300,000 SOH differential and bought a new one at a market value of $400,000. Because the new home is worth less than the implied just value of the old one, your portable benefit gets prorated. Run the math with the appraiser's office, or use the portability estimator on bcpa.net [4].
Do not forget to apply. Portability is not automatic. You file Form DR-501T separately, and if you miss March 1, you lose the transfer for that year, period.
What happens if your assessed value is still too high even after the exemption?
The exemption cuts your taxable value. It does not touch your assessed value. If the Broward County Property Appraiser pegged your home well above what it would actually sell for, an appeal does more than an exemption ever could.
Your annual TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice arrives in August [2]. It shows your proposed assessed value, your exemptions, and your estimated tax bill. You get 25 days from the mailing date to file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board [7]. Miss that window and you wait another year.
The VAB petition fee in Broward is $15 for residential property [7]. You can represent yourself. The hearing is informal. Bring comparable sales (homes like yours that sold near January 1 of the tax year at prices below your assessed value), photos, a licensed appraisal if you have one, or any other proof of value. The hearing officer applies Florida's burden of proof rules: the appraiser's value carries a presumption of correctness, and you have to bring enough evidence to overcome it.
If you want to do this yourself instead of handing 30% to 40% of your reduction to a contingency firm, a structured approach to pulling comps and filling out the VAB petition is exactly what TaxFightBack's appeal kit walks you through. You keep every dollar of the reduction.
For how a neighboring county runs the same process, the homestead exemption Miami article covers Miami-Dade, which uses the same VAB system with a different appraiser's office.
How does the Broward exemption compare to what homeowners get in other states?
Florida's program ranks among the more generous in the country once you count the exemption and the SOH cap together. The verdict depends on what you measure.
| State / County | Exemption amount | Assessment cap | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Broward) | Up to $50,000 off assessed value | 3% or CPI, lower | Plus portability up to $500,000 |
| Georgia (DeKalb County) | $10,000 off assessed value (state); additional local | None statewide | DeKalb homestead exemption varies by city |
| Texas (Dallas County) | $100,000 off market value (school), plus more for seniors 65+ | 10% annual cap (homestead only) | No state income tax changes the math |
| California | $7,000 off assessed value (minimal) | 2% annual cap (Prop 13) | Prop 13 cap is the real savings |
| Pennsylvania | Varies by county (Homestead Act) | None statewide | School district dependent |
| Ohio | Elderly/disabled only; $25,000 reduction | None | Very narrow eligibility |
A meaningful dollar exemption plus a strict annual cap plus portability puts Florida ahead of most states on paper. Georgia sits at the other end. The DeKalb County homestead exemption offers a smaller dollar amount and no statewide assessment cap, so DeKalb homeowners feel market-value jumps in full on their bills.
For detailed comparisons: Georgia homestead exemption, homestead exemption california, homestead exemption pa, and homestead exemption ohio.
What are the most common reasons Broward homestead applications get denied?
The Broward County Property Appraiser reviews every application, and denials happen. These are the situations that cause trouble most often.
ID not updated to the property address. Your Florida driver's license or ID has to show the property address. Filed a change of address with the DMV but the new card has not landed yet? Bring a Declaration of Domicile sworn before a notary. You can get the form at the appraiser's office.
Claiming residency-based benefits elsewhere. Hold a homestead, homeowner's exemption, or primary-residence discount on a property in another state and you do not qualify for Florida homestead. The appraiser cross-checks this. People with vacation homes in states that hand out automatic residency credits get caught regularly.
Applying for a rented property. Move out and rent to tenants, even for a stretch, and you lose eligibility. The property has to be your actual primary residence.
Ownership in an LLC or corporation. As noted, business-entity ownership disqualifies the property.
Filing after March 1 with no valid late-filing reason. Forgetting does not count. The appraiser has discretion, but missing the deadline because you did not know it existed is the weakest argument you can bring.
Trust language that does not qualify. Irrevocable trusts where the applicant is not the qualified beneficiary under Florida Statute 196.041 get denied [3].
Denied? You can appeal the denial itself to the Value Adjustment Board. The petition fee is $15 [7]. You have 30 days from the date of the denial notice to file.
What should you do after you receive your TRIM notice each August?
Your TRIM notice is not a bill, but it is one of the more important tax documents you will get all year. The Florida Department of Revenue requires appraiser offices to mail TRIM notices in August, and it is your one shot to challenge that year's assessment [6].
Check three things the moment it lands.
First, confirm your exemptions show correctly. If you filed for homestead and it is not on the notice, call the appraiser's office that day. Same for any added exemptions (senior, veteran, disability). Errors happen.
Second, compare your proposed assessed value against your market value estimate. Broward shows both. The assessed value (after the SOH cap) is what your taxes ride on. The just/market value is what the appraiser thinks your home would sell for.
Third, decide whether to appeal. If the just/market value looks high against what similar homes actually sold for near January 1 of this year, you have 25 days to file a VAB petition [7]. Do not wait to gather evidence. Start pulling comparable sales the same day.
The 25-day clock starts from the postmark on the TRIM notice, not from when you open it. Traveling in August? Check your mail. The Broward VAB takes petitions online through its portal.
After your appeal, if you want to see how a neighboring county runs the same drill, the homestead exemption miami article covers Miami-Dade's parallel system.
Can renters or condo owners qualify for the Broward homestead exemption?
Renters cannot claim homestead exemption because they do not own the property. The benefit belongs to the owner. Landlords who rent out their property do not qualify either, since the home has to be the owner's primary residence.
Condo owners qualify without question. Owning a condo unit in Broward County is fee-simple ownership, and the homestead exemption applies in full if you meet the eligibility rules and the condo is your primary residence. Broward condo owners in Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, and Fort Lauderdale use this all the time.
Mobile home owners can qualify too, if they own both the home and the land under it, or if the mobile home is classified as real property. Own the home but rent the lot and it gets more complicated. Check with the Broward County Property Appraiser directly [4].
Cooperative apartment (co-op) owners may qualify under Florida Statute 196.041, which extends homestead rights to "proprietary lessees" in co-ops. The co-op has to be structured correctly and you have to occupy the unit as your primary residence [3].
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Broward homestead exemption actually save you per year?
It depends on your millage rate. At Broward's combined rate of roughly 18 to 21 mills, the full $50,000 exemption saves most homeowners between $700 and $1,000 a year. School taxes drop only by the first $25,000 of exemption, so the savings split across levies. Use the tax estimator on bcpa.net for a precise figure at your address.
What is the deadline for the homestead exemption in Broward County?
March 1 of the tax year you want the exemption applied to. Eligibility is set as of January 1 of that same year, so if you moved in on December 31, you can still qualify if you meet the other requirements. Late filing runs March 2 through September 30 and works only with documented extenuating circumstances, and even then it is not guaranteed.
How do I file for the homestead exemption in Broward County online?
Go to bcpa.net and use the online homestead portal, which opens January 1 each year. You need your property folio number, Social Security number, Florida driver's license or ID number, and Florida vehicle registration. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes. There is no fee. You get a confirmation email and a mailed receipt.
What is the income limit for the Broward senior additional exemption?
For 2025, the household adjusted gross income limit is about $35,167, adjusted each year by the Florida Department of Revenue. You must be 65 or older, already hold a homestead exemption, and apply by March 1. The added exemption is up to $50,000 off the county portion of your assessed value. Some Broward municipalities opted in separately.
What is homestead portability and do I need to apply for it separately?
Portability transfers up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit from your old Florida homestead to your new one. Yes, you apply separately using Form DR-501T, filed with the Broward County Property Appraiser by March 1 of the year you claim your new homestead. It is not automatic, and missing the deadline means losing the transfer permanently for that year.
Do I have to renew the homestead exemption every year in Broward?
No. Once approved, it renews automatically every year as long as your eligibility holds. You get an annual receipt confirming it. If you sell, move, divorce, or otherwise change your primary residence situation, Florida law requires you to notify the Broward County Property Appraiser promptly, or you risk back-taxes and a penalty.
Can I get the homestead exemption if I just bought my Broward home late in the year?
Yes, as long as the property was your permanent primary residence on January 1 of the tax year you are applying for. Close on December 15, 2024 and move in right away, and you qualify for the 2025 exemption if you file by March 1, 2025. Closing that late and establishing residency is tight but doable if you update your Florida ID and vehicle registration fast.
What happens if I accidentally keep the homestead exemption after I move out?
Florida Statute 196.011 requires you to notify the appraiser once you no longer qualify. Fail to do it and get audited later, and the appraiser can recover back-taxes for up to 10 years plus a 50% penalty plus interest. That is a serious hit. File a cancellation promptly when you sell or stop using the property as your primary residence.
Does the homestead exemption apply to all my Broward property taxes or just some?
The first $25,000 applies to all taxing authorities, school board included. The second $25,000 applies only to non-school levies. So your school tax bill drops by a smaller amount than your county, city, or special district taxes. This is a Florida constitutional rule, not something specific to Broward.
How is the Broward homestead exemption different from what DeKalb County Georgia offers?
The DeKalb County homestead exemption in Georgia cuts assessed value by $10,000 at the state level plus variable local amounts, and Georgia has no statewide assessment cap like Florida's Save Our Homes. The Broward exemption removes up to $50,000 from taxable value and comes with a 3% annual assessment cap, which usually delivers more long-term savings in a rising market.
Can I appeal my Broward assessment even if I have the homestead exemption?
Yes, and many homeowners should. The exemption cuts taxable value by up to $50,000, but if your assessed market value is inflated by $100,000 or more, the appeal is worth the effort. File a VAB petition within 25 days of your August TRIM notice. The filing fee is $15. You can represent yourself with comparable sales data.
What documents do I need to apply for the Broward County homestead exemption?
Florida driver's license or state ID showing the property address, Florida vehicle registration, Social Security numbers for all owners, and Florida voter registration if you have it. Permanent resident aliens need their green card. Trust ownership requires the trust agreement. If your ID does not yet show the new address, a notarized Declaration of Domicile substitutes while the change processes.
Does the homestead exemption affect my Broward County assessed value or just my taxable value?
Just your taxable value. The Broward County Property Appraiser sets your just (market) value and your assessed value (capped by Save Our Homes once you have homestead). The exemption then reduces the assessed value to arrive at your taxable value. If you think the just value or assessed value is wrong, you need a VAB appeal, not an exemption application.
Sources
- Florida Legislature, Article VII of the Florida Constitution (Homestead Exemption and Save Our Homes): Florida's homestead exemption provides up to $50,000 off assessed value, with the first $25,000 applying to all levies and the second $25,000 applying only to non-school levies; Save Our Homes caps annual assessed value increases at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower
- Florida Statutes, Chapter 196 (Exemption of Property from Taxation): March 1 application deadline (196.011), rental disqualification after 30-day rentals on more than 3 occasions (196.061), disability and veteran exemptions, trust ownership rules (196.041), and notification requirement on loss of eligibility
- Broward County Property Appraiser, Homestead Exemption Information: Online homestead filing portal, late filing extenuating circumstances process, portability estimator, and office address at 115 S. Andrews Avenue Room 111 Fort Lauderdale FL 33301
- Florida Department of Revenue, Property Tax Exemptions and Discounts: Senior low-income additional exemption income threshold (approximately $35,167 for 2025, adjusted annually) and stacking rules for additional exemptions
- Florida Department of Revenue, TRIM Notice Requirements: TRIM notices must be mailed in August; Save Our Homes cap was 3.0% for 2023, 2024, and 2025
- Broward County Value Adjustment Board: VAB petition fee is $15 for residential properties; petition must be filed within 25 days of TRIM notice mailing date
- Florida Statutes, Section 196.031 (Exemption of homesteads): Ownership and permanent residency requirements for homestead exemption qualification, including permanent resident alien eligibility
- Florida Statutes, Section 196.081 (Exemption for certain permanently and totally disabled veterans and surviving spouses): Surviving spouse of first responder or military member killed in line of duty may qualify for total property tax exemption; 100% permanent and total disabled veterans exempt from property taxes
- Florida Department of Revenue, Form DR-501T Portability Application: Portability transfers up to $500,000 of Save Our Homes differential to new Florida homestead; Form DR-501T must be filed by March 1 of the new homestead year