Florida Homestead Portability: How to Take Your Tax Savings to a New Home
In this article
Florida homestead portability lets you move part or all of the Save Our Homes savings from your old Florida homestead to a new one, up to $500,000. You have to set up the new homestead within three tax years of leaving the old one and file for it with your county property appraiser, usually by March 1. If you are moving from one Florida home to a newly built one, portability can keep your new property tax bill much lower than it would be from scratch.
What is Florida homestead portability?
Florida's Save Our Homes rule caps how fast the assessed value of a homestead can rise. State law says the yearly increase cannot be more than the lower of 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index.
Over the years, that cap opens a gap between your home's market value (Florida calls it ""just value"") and its assessed value. That gap is your Save Our Homes benefit. The Florida Department of Revenue calls it your ""assessment difference.""
When you sell and move, the cap normally starts over on the new home. Portability is the rule that lets you bring that saved gap with you.
How much can you transfer?
Up to $500,000. The St. Lucie County Property Appraiser puts it simply: ""The maximum transfer amount is $500,000."" The Miami-Dade and Lee County property appraisers say the same.
How much of your benefit moves depends on whether the new home is worth more or less than the old one. Florida Statute 193.155(8) sets the math:
Upsizing (the new home's just value is the same or higher): your new assessed value is the new home's just value minus your full benefit, up to $500,000.
Downsizing (the new home's just value is lower): you move a share of the benefit. The law says the new assessed value equals the new just value divided by the old just value, multiplied by the old assessed value.
How is portability calculated? An example
This is a clearly labelled EXAMPLE using made-up values, not a real home. It follows the formula in Florida Statute 193.155(8). Your property appraiser sets the real values.
EXAMPLE | Just (market) value | Assessed value | Save Our Homes benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
Old homestead | $450,000 | $280,000 | $170,000 |
New build, upsizing | $600,000 | $430,000 | $170,000 moves in full |
New build, downsizing | $360,000 | $224,000 | $136,000 (80% share) |
In the downsizing row, the new home is worth 80% of the old one ($360,000 ÷ $450,000), so 80% of the $170,000 benefit moves over.
The homestead exemption is then taken off the assessed value. The Department of Revenue's homestead brochure says the exemption can be up to $50,000. The first $25,000 applies to all property taxes, and the second applies to value over $50,000 for non-school taxes only.
How long do you have to use portability?
Three tax years. The Department of Revenue says you must establish the new homestead ""within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old homestead."" It adds that the clock runs from that January 1, not from your sale date.
The Lee County Property Appraiser gives an example: a home sold on November 15, 2025, needs a new homestead by January 1, 2028.
How do you apply for portability?
You apply with the property appraiser in the county where your new home is.
Form DR-501 is the homestead exemption application.
Form DR-501T is the portability (transfer) application. The Department of Revenue says you file it with the homestead application.
Form DR-501TS is for spouses or former spouses who owned the old home together and want to split the benefit. The St. Lucie County Property Appraiser says to file it before the portability application.
Deadline: the Department of Revenue says the deadline to file these forms is March 1.
Missed it? The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser says that if you were granted a homestead exemption but did not apply for portability within the three years, you may apply later. The transfer then starts in the year portability is first approved, and ""property taxes will not be subject to refunds for previous years.""
Does portability work if you move from another state?
Portability only moves a benefit from one Florida homestead to another. The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser says portability is ""eligible anywhere in Florida."" If you are moving to Florida from another state, you start with a new homestead and a fresh Save Our Homes cap. Our guide on how to become a Florida resident covers that path.
Does Amendment 3 change portability?
Florida voters decide Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026. The Hillsborough County Tax Collector's explainer, updated September 28, 2026, says portability rules stay the same and the Save Our Homes cap is unaffected. The amendment needs 60% of the vote to pass. For a neutral walk-through of the official ballot summary, read our Amendment 3 explainer. This blog does not take a side.
What this means for new-construction buyers in Florida
Portability and new construction fit together well, but the dates matter.
January 1 is the key date. The Department of Revenue says the home must be your permanent residence as of January 1 to qualify for that tax year. If your new build closes in February, you file for the following January 1.
Build delays usually fit inside the window. You have three tax years from the January 1 after you leave the old homestead. A few months of construction delay normally does not cost you portability, but check your own dates.
The appraiser sets the new home's just value. It may not match your purchase price. The upsizing or downsizing math uses the appraiser's value.
File both forms together. Turn in DR-501 and DR-501T by March 1, and DR-501TS first if you and a spouse are splitting the benefit.
Our guides to the Florida homestead exemption on new construction and new construction property taxes in Florida cover the rest of the tax picture.
Common Questions
What is Florida homestead portability?
Portability lets you move your Save Our Homes benefit, the gap between your old home's just value and assessed value, to a new Florida homestead. You can transfer up to \$500,000. You apply with the property appraiser in the county where the new home is.
How much Save Our Homes benefit can I transfer?
Up to \$500,000. If the new home is worth the same or more, the full benefit moves, up to that cap. If the new home is worth less, a share moves, based on the new home's value divided by the old home's value.
How long do I have to use portability?
The Florida Department of Revenue says you must set up the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you abandoned the old one. The Lee County Property Appraiser's example is a home sold November 15, 2025, which needs a new homestead by January 1, 2028.
What form do I file for portability?
File Form DR-501T, the transfer application, with Form DR-501, the homestead application, at your new county's property appraiser. The deadline is March 1. Spouses splitting a benefit file Form DR-501TS first.
Can I bring portability from another state?
No. Portability only works between Florida homesteads. If you are moving from another state, your new Florida home starts with a fresh homestead exemption and a new Save Our Homes cap.
What if I forgot to apply for portability?
The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser says you may still apply later if you were granted a homestead exemption. The transfer starts in the year it is first approved, and there are no refunds for earlier years.
Does Amendment 3 change portability?
The Hillsborough County Tax Collector's explainer, updated September 28, 2026, says portability rules stay the same under Amendment 3. Voters decide the amendment on November 3, 2026.
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Related reading: Florida homestead exemption on new construction · How to file for the Florida homestead exemption · New construction property taxes in Florida · Amendment 3 explained
External sources: Florida Statute 193.155 · Florida DOR PT-112 brochure · Florida DOR PT-113 brochure · St. Lucie County Property Appraiser · Miami-Dade Property Appraiser · Lee County Property Appraiser · Hillsborough County Tax Collector
This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures checked October 27, 2026.