Florida Property Tax Bills 2026: Due Dates and the November 4% Discount

Florida property tax bills for 2026 arrive in November, and Florida law gives you a discount for paying early. Here is when the bill comes, how much you can save, the deadlines that matter, and what happens if a bill goes unpaid.

When the 2026 bill comes

Your county tax collector sends the tax bill, called the Notice of Taxes, on November 1 in a typical year [10]. By law, taxes are due and payable on November 1, or later if the county’s tax roll is certified late [2]. The bill covers the 2026 tax year: the value your property appraiser set as of January 1, 2026, times the tax rates your local governments adopted this fall [10].

The early-payment discount

The earlier you pay, the less you pay. The discount is set by state law, and the bill shows the amount due for each month [1][9]:

A few details from the statute [1]:

• If the bill is sent late, you get the full 4% for 30 days after it is sent.
• If a discount period ends on a weekend or legal holiday, it runs to the next working day for payments delivered to the tax collector’s designated office.
• If you ask for a corrected bill, the discount in effect when you asked holds for 30 days after the corrected bill is sent.

Due dates for a 2026 bill

Penalties and tax certificates

If the bill isn’t paid by March 31, here is what happens:

1. Interest and a minimum charge. Delinquent real property taxes carry interest of 18% a year from April 1, with a minimum charge of 3% if you pay before a tax certificate is sold [4].
2. Advertising. The tax collector advertises the unpaid property once a week for three weeks [5].
3. Tax certificate sale. By June 1 (or 60 days after delinquency, if later), the tax collector sells a tax certificate on the unpaid taxes [5]. Bidders compete by offering the lowest interest rate, up to a maximum of 18% a year [6][4]. A 5% tax collector commission is added to the amount [6].
4. Tax deed. If you still haven’t paid, the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed once two years have passed since April 1 of the year the certificate was issued [7]. The property can then be sold at public auction [7].

If you fall behind, contact your county tax collector right away to find out the full amount owed, including interest and charges, and how to pay it.

The installment payment plan

If your taxes are estimated at more than $100, you can spread the next year’s bill over four payments, each with its own discount [3]:

• Apply by April 30 with your county tax collector for the tax year you want to pay in installments [3][10]. The 2026 bill now arriving can’t be switched to installments; an application filed by April 30, 2027 covers the 2027 tax year.
• The estimate is based on the prior year’s taxes. Any difference from the real bill is split between the third and fourth payments [3].
• The tax collector accepts a late first payment through July 31 [3]. If you miss the first payment entirely, you’re out of the plan for that year [3].
• If you miss a later payment, you stay in the plan for that year, but the overdue amount is figured without a discount [3].
• You don’t reapply every year as long as you keep paying by installments. If you skip a year, you must apply again [3].

How to pay

You pay your county tax collector, not the state. Follow the instructions on the bill [9]. Most tax collectors offer several ways to pay. Pinellas County, for example, takes payments online and in person, charges no fee for an online bank payment (eCheck), and charges a fee for credit and debit cards [11]. Fees and options differ by county, so check your own tax collector’s website before you pay.

What escrow means

Many homeowners with a mortgage pay property taxes through escrow . If your lender pays from escrow, the tax collector sends the bill to the lender and a copy to you, and the lender pays it [9]. In that case don’t pay the bill yourself, or the tax could be paid twice. Do check that the payment was made: look up your parcel on the tax collector’s website after November, and call your lender if it still shows unpaid.