Before you start

An SSN or ITIN
Form W-4 with your employer for federal withholding — there is no Florida equivalent
Records of foreign income and foreign financial accounts
For owners: proof of permanent Florida residence as of 1 January, for the homestead claim

Step-by-step

1
Complete the federal W-4 on day one
There is no Florida withholding form because there is no Florida income tax. Getting the federal W-4 wrong is the most common cause of an April surprise, and it is the only withholding decision you make here.
Via employerWho: YouFirst week of employment
2
Determine your US tax residency
The substantial presence test counts weighted days over three years to decide whether the US taxes your worldwide income or only US-source income. Your visa type does not decide this.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check for an applicable tax treaty
The US has treaties with around 70 countries that can reduce or exempt tax on particular income. In Florida there is no state layer to worry about at all, so a federal treaty position is the whole answer — unlike California, which ignores treaties on the state return.
OnlineWho: You
4
File the federal return by 15 April — and nothing else
The tax year is the calendar year. There is no Florida individual return to file, which is a genuine simplification and one of the practical reasons people move here.
OnlineWho: YouBy 15 April annually
5
If you buy, file for homestead by 1 March
Form DR-501 with the Duval County Property Appraiser. It gives an exemption on the first $25,000 of assessed value against all taxes, plus a further inflation-indexed exemption on value between $50,000 and $75,000 that does not apply to school taxes — and, crucially, it starts the Save Our Homes 3% assessment cap.
OnlineWho: YouBy 1 March
6
File an FBAR if foreign accounts exceed $10,000
Aggregate foreign account balances over $10,000 at any point in the year trigger a FinCEN filing, separate from your tax return. Living in a no-income-tax state changes nothing about this federal obligation.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Form W-2 from each employer, issued by 31 January
Form 1099s for freelance, interest and investment income
Passport and travel history for the substantial presence day count
Foreign account statements for FBAR reporting
Form DR-501 and proof of Florida permanent residence, for a homestead claim

Things most newcomers don’t know

Save Our Homes is worth far more than the exemption itself.

The exemption knocks a fixed amount off assessed value; the Save Our Homes cap limits how fast that assessed value can rise — to 3% or the CPI change, whichever is lower, which is 2.7% for 2026. Over a decade in a rising market the cap is worth multiples of the exemption. It only starts when you file, so a year's delay is a permanently lower starting point.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue — property tax exemptions

Portability lets you carry the accumulated saving to your next Florida home.

Up to $500,000 of accumulated Save Our Homes benefit can be transferred to a new Florida homestead on Form DR-501T, within three tax years of leaving the old one. It is why long-settled Floridians move house within the state rather than out of it, and why the deadline matters even when you are not planning to move.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue — property tax exemptions

Homestead needs permanent residence, which is a problem on a temporary visa.

The exemption requires you to hold title and to reside on the property as your permanent home. Florida property appraisers generally read that as requiring lawful permanent residence, though a non-citizen parent whose US-citizen minor children live at the property has in practice been able to qualify. If you are on a work visa and buying, ask the Duval County Property Appraiser directly before you budget for the relief.

Source: Duval County Property Appraiser

The 1.5% county surtax stops at $5,000 per item.

Florida's discretionary sales surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of the sale price of a single item of tangible personal property. On a car or a large appliance, the marginal rate above that threshold is the 6% state rate alone — which is why quoted 'Jacksonville sales tax' figures overstate the tax on big purchases.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue — discretionary sales surtax

Common mistakes to avoid

Missing the 1 March homestead deadline and losing a year of the assessment cap.
Buying a home on a temporary visa and assuming the homestead exemption will apply.
Assuming your visa type settles your US tax residency.
Missing the FBAR because a home-country account did not feel 'foreign'.
Believing a filing extension also extends the payment deadline.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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