Here's a costly surprise that catches Florida movers: you sell your homesteaded house, buy a new one across town, and your new tax bill is way higher — even for a similar home. That's because buying a new home normally resets your assessed value to full market value. Homestead portability is the fix. It lets you carry your accumulated tax savings from the old home to the new one, and it can be worth thousands of dollars a year. But you have to claim it.
What portability actually transfers
When a home is homesteaded, Save Our Homes caps its assessed value increase at 3% a year. Over time that creates a gap — sometimes a large one — between the home's market value and its lower assessed value. That gap is your accumulated tax benefit.
Portability lets you move that benefit — up to $500,000 of it — from your old Florida homestead to your new one, so you don't start over at full market value. It works between any two Florida counties, not just within the same one.
Upsizing vs. downsizing
How much you can transfer depends on whether you trade up or down:
- Upsizing (new home's market value is equal to or greater than the old one): you transfer the full Save Our Homes benefit, up to the $500,000 cap.
- Downsizing (new home is worth less): you transfer a proportional share — the new assessed value is figured so you keep the same percentage of savings you had before.
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How to claim portability, step by step
Portability isn't automatic — it's a separate form you file along with your new homestead application.
- Establish homestead on your new Florida home first. File the standard homestead exemption application (Form DR-501) with the new county's Property Appraiser. (New to homestead? See our how-to-file homestead guide.)
- File the portability transfer form, DR-501T — "Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference" — at the same time, with the same property appraiser. This is the form that actually moves your Save Our Homes benefit to the new home.
- Meet the deadline and the window. Like homestead, the filing deadline is March 1. You must establish your new homestead within three tax years of January 1 of the last year your old home had the exemption. Wait too long and the benefit is lost.
- You must have had homestead on the old home. Portability transfers a benefit you already earned — if the home you sold wasn't homesteaded, there's nothing to port.
- Keep proof of the old homestead. The new county coordinates with the old one to verify your prior assessed and market values, but having your old parcel details handy speeds it up.
That's it — two forms (DR-501 + DR-501T) at your new county property appraiser, by March 1, within the three-year window.
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Why this matters when you close
Portability is easy to overlook in the rush of moving — and forgetting it can quietly cost you thousands every year you own the new home. If you're selling one Florida homestead and buying another, put "file DR-501 + DR-501T" on your after-closing checklist right next to changing your address. We handle the closing that transfers the home; porting your Save Our Homes savings is how you keep the tax benefit you already built. Curious what your new bill might look like? Try our Florida property tax estimator, and see all our Florida real estate calculators.
The bottom line
Moving within Florida? Don't leave your tax savings behind. Portability lets you transfer up to $500,000 of Save Our Homes benefit to your new homestead — file Form DR-501T with your new homestead application (DR-501) at the new county property appraiser, by March 1, within three tax years of leaving your old home.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my Save Our Homes savings can I transfer?
Up to $500,000 of the difference between your old home's market value and its lower assessed value can be ported to your new Florida homestead.
Is there a deadline to file for portability?
Yes. You file by March 1, and you must establish your new homestead within three tax years of January 1 of the last year your previous home had the homestead exemption.
What form do I file for portability?
Form DR-501T, 'Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference,' filed together with your new homestead exemption application (Form DR-501) at your new county's property appraiser.
Does portability work between different Florida counties?
Yes. You can transfer your Save Our Homes benefit between any two Florida counties — the new county coordinates with your old county to verify the amount.
What happens if I downsize to a less expensive home?
You transfer a proportional share of your benefit rather than the full dollar amount, so you keep the same percentage of savings you had on the old home.
Do I qualify for portability if my old home wasn't homesteaded?
No. Portability moves a Save Our Homes benefit you already accumulated. If the home you sold didn't have the homestead exemption, there's no benefit to transfer.
