Florida Real Estate Transfer Taxes: An In-Depth Guide (2024 Update)

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By Jon Stubbs Updated March 12, 2024

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Who pays transfer taxes? | When are transfer taxes paid? | Methodology

Florida's current transfer tax rate is $0.70 per $100. So, for a house worth $388,454 — the median home price in the state — the transfer tax due will be $2,719.

Individual cities within the state may charge an additional fee on top of the standard rate, which can cause your total dues to increase. For example, Miami-Dade County's taxes are slightly less than the rest of the state, at 60 cents for every $100.

Exactly who pays the transfer tax in Florida can be negotiated, but usually, the seller is responsible.

Clever Real Estate can help you cut costs here — our concierge team will partner you with an experienced agent who can help you negotiate a good deal with your buyer on transfer taxes. Not to mention, you'll save big by paying only 1.5% in commission.

💰 Find an agent who can negotiate your transfer taxes

You can't change transfer tax rates. But, an experienced Clever Real Estate agent can help you win the negotiation battle so you aren't stuck paying all of the transfer taxes on your own.

When you choose Clever, you'll work with a full-service realtor with transfer tax expertise in your local market.

Clever's service is totally free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time.

What taxes will you have to pay on your real estate transaction in Florida? Let's take a closer look at how Florida real estate transfer taxes work and how much you can expect to pay.

Who pays transfer taxes in Florida: The buyer or the seller?

In most Florida home sales, the seller is responsible for paying the doc stamps. However, responsibility for the transfer taxes can be transferred during closing negotiations. The final payee will be outlined in the contract.

How much are transfer taxes in Florida?

In Florida, transfer taxes aren't necessarily charged on every transfer of property. For instance, let's say you're adding a spouse to the deed as an owner — there won't be any need for doc stamps in that case.

Additionally, if you're transferring property between two people and the deed is simply being changed, even if a spouse isn't involved, you won't have to pay the transfer tax. Certain actions, like adding an executor or adding an owner to the deed, wouldn't be considered a transfer, so no transfer tax would be assessed.

If an actual transfer takes place, such as during a sale, then transfer taxes will be assessed. Those taxes are paid to individual counties, which then send them on to the State Department of Revenue. Florida transfer taxes are the same in every county with the exception of Miami-Dade.

Outside of Miami-Dade County

Outside of Miami-Dade County, the current tax rate is $0.70 per $100 or 0.70% of the home sale value. So, for the median home price of $388,454, the property transfer tax will be $2,719.

Within Miami-Dade County

If you live in Miami-Dade County, or you're transferring property here, you're in a bit of luck. The rate in this county is lower than it is in other counties in Florida. In Miami-Dade County, your rate is 60 cents per $100.

This just goes to show how dramatically different Florida transfer taxes can be based solely on where the transfer of property is taking place.

Usually, the seller's agent will obtain a check from the seller that covers the amount of the doc stamps before the deed is recorded. However, just because you're a buyer doesn't mean you're off the hook. In some cases, the buyer is responsible.

This is why it's important to talk to your real estate agent and obtain expert guidance throughout the home buying and home selling process.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to change the transfer tax requirement, but you can cut overall costs by working with a discount real estate broker like Clever.

We’ll partner you with a local real estate agent who knows how to deal with the state’s tax and helps negotiate a deal in your favor. What’s more, our agents charge only a 1.5% listing fee compared to the national average of 2.83%! The money you'll save can more than offset the cost of the transfer taxes.

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Can you deduct transfer taxes?

Usually, you can't deduct transfer taxes when it comes time to file your tax return. However, there are two potential situations in which you can still capture some tax savings.

Firstly, if you're using the property in question as a rental home or investment property, you can sometimes write it off as a business expense. If that's not possible, you can wrap those taxes into the cost basis of the property.

The cost basis of the property is basically what you had to pay in order to acquire the property, and is used to arrive at the amount of capital gains taxes you'll owe. Your capital gains are arrived by deducting the cost basis of your property from the total price, so including the cost of the doc stamps can be helpful in lowering these taxes.

When do you pay transfer taxes in Florida?

Regardless of who pays the transfer taxes (or doc stamps), they're always paid at closing. On residential sales, the amount will be included on the HUD-1 settlement forms.

Real estate transactions are subject to federal and state taxes, as well, such as the capital gains tax mentioned above. If you have to pay capital gains taxes, those will be due at filing.

Florida transfer taxes summary

Although Florida’s transfer tax fees are fairly straightforward, there’s a lot to keep in mind when buying and selling a house. To ensure that you don’t get shortchanged, it's best to work with an expert in your area.

Only an experienced agent can help you understand the fees and taxes that apply to your location, advocate for you through the process, and help you obtain the best outcome. Knowing what's ahead can help you plan accordingly so you don't run into any surprises that could be financially detrimental, especially in a state like Florida, where tax fees can be steep.

Not only will you receive expert advice from your Clever agent, but they'll also work for just 1.5% (compared to the average 2.83%). The money you save working with Clever Partner Agents can help you recoup closing costs and doc stamp fees.

» SAVE: Learn more about how a Clever agent can help you navigate Florida transfer taxes

Methodology

  • Transfer tax amounts are based on government website information as of February 2024.
  • We gathered our listing commission rate data from a December 2023 survey of 630 of our partner agents.
  • Home values, list prices, and sale prices are based on Zillow data as of January 2024.

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