Miami-Dade County - Property Appraiser

Disclosures

Current or previous year’s taxes may not accurately forecast future property taxes. Property taxes can increase from one year to the next for various reasons. These include:

1. The market value has changed
2. The millage rate (also known as the tax rate) has changed
3. The property has lost an exemption
4. A property that was receiving an Amendment 10 “Save Our Homes” cap on assessed value was removed because it was sold.

The purpose of the Real Property Tax Estimator is to provide an estimate of real property taxes based upon the information you enter; including Homestead Exemption and the Homestead Assessment Difference calculations, if applicable. The estimate is only as accurate as the information entered and it is only an approximation. The estimator will not provide actual taxes.

There are two components, ad valorem taxes and non-ad valorem assessments, which comprise this estimate:

Ad Valorem Taxes – These are property taxes based on the property value. The real property tax estimator will calculate the ad valorem portion of property taxes by multiplying the amount entered in Step 1 times the previous year's adopted millage rates (also known as the tax rate) of the local governments that taxed the property in the previous year. In the appropriate box, you should enter the most accurate estimate of the market value of the property on January 1st of the tax year for which you are estimating taxes. You may obtain this value by referring to a recent appraisal or a recent sales price of the property.

Keep in mind, however, that an appraisal or sales price that takes place months before the statutory assessment date of January 1st may not reflect market value on that date. This could be a problem with pre-construction sales prices, which may need to be adjusted to reflect the increase in value from the date of the contract to the January 1st appraisal date of the tax year for which you seek an estimate. Additionally, prior year assessment values found in the property appraiser’s records should not be used to estimate future taxes.

Non-Ad Valorem Assessments – These are assessments against the property that are not based on market value. They include special assessments and service charges for items such as solid waste districts, lighting districts, landscape districts, guard districts and Community Development Districts (CDD) Please Click here for a detailed listing of CDDs.

These non-ad valorem assessments are included in the estimate only if the local government charging them has arranged for them to be collected by the Miami-Dade Tax Collector as part of the annual real property tax bill.

New subdivisions (or parcels) not currently found in the Property Appraiser’s file after entering the folio number or address may be subject to non-ad valorem assessments that are not reflected in this estimate. Contact the developer or current owner/agent for additional information on applicable non-ad valorem assessments.

Special Considerations

1. Homestead Exemption Timelag

If you purchase a home after January 1st, you may inherit the previous owner’s Homestead Exemption and assessment limitation for that year. The following year, however, the homestead exemption and assessment limitation will be removed resulting in a higher assessed value. If this property is your permanent residence to the exclusion of all others, you will have to file an original exemption application by March 1st. For additional information on deadlines and application forms, please contact the Property Appraisal Department at 786-331-5321.

Obtaining a Homestead Exemption will qualify you for two tax benefits:

(1) A reduction of $50,000 off of your assessed value ($25,000 off of the assessed value for School Board taxes)

(2) Beginning in the 2nd year, your assessed value will not increase more than 3% regardless of the increase in the property’s market value.

Please note that any final determination of eligibility for Homestead Exemption depends on applicable Florida law.

If you are buying a home in which the seller had a homestead exemption, you should be aware that the seller’s assessed value may be artificially low due to the “Save Our Homes” limitation on the increase in assessed value. When the property is sold, this limitation is removed and the property is appraised at market value for the next tax year. This fact may result in a significant increase in taxes.

2. Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference (Also known as PORTABILITY)

Homesteaded property owners can transfer their Homestead Assessment Difference (up to $500,000) to a new homestead property within two years of abandoning their previous homestead. If the market value of the new homestead is more than the previous home's market value, the entire homestead assessment difference can be transferred up to $500,000. If the new homestead has a lower market value, the amount of the accumulated benefit that may be transferred is proportional to the value of the new homestead property. This tax calculator does not include splitting the assessment difference among homestead exemption recipients and multiple owners joining in a new homestead exemption. Homestead assessment difference transfers from other Florida counties are also limited to the same restrictions and final confirmation from the respective county as to values eligible for a transfer

3. Disclaimer of Liability (in addition to County’s Disclaimer and User Agreement)

The accuracy of this estimate is dependent upon the information you enter and the previous year’s millage rates. Millage rates are annually adopted by ordinance usually by October 8th. The Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser and Miami-Dade County expressly decline to warrant the accuracy of the estimates produced by this real property tax estimator. The property appraiser’s office and Miami-Dade County disclaim liability for any errors, either by omission or commission, regarding this real property tax estimator and the estimates produced by its use.

Last year's total taxes (both Ad-Valorem and Non Ad-Valorem) can be viewed on the Tax Collector's Web Site.