Before you start

An SSN or ITIN
Form W-4 with your employer for federal withholding — there is no Florida equivalent
Records of tips, overtime and second jobs if you are paid hourly
Evidence of Florida domicile if you are leaving an income-tax state
Records of foreign income and foreign financial accounts

Step-by-step

1
Complete the federal W-4 — and note there is no state form
Florida has no personal income tax and therefore no state withholding certificate. Your payslip will show federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare and nothing else on the tax lines. People arriving from California or New York routinely over-budget for the first month and under-budget for everything else.
Via employerWho: YouFirst week of employment
2
Determine your US tax residency
The substantial presence test counts weighted days across three years to decide whether the US taxes your worldwide income or only US-source income. Your visa category does not decide this.
OnlineWho: You
3
If you are leaving an income-tax state, establish Florida domicile deliberately
The state you left may continue to assert residency, particularly if you keep a home or spend substantial time there. File a Declaration of Domicile with the county comptroller, get the Florida licence and vehicle registration, register to vote, and move your professional and banking relationships. Contemporaneous documents from the first month are what settle the question later.
In personWho: YouMonth 1
4
If you buy, file for homestead exemption by 1 March
You must be a permanent Florida resident on 1 January and file with the Orange County Property Appraiser by 1 March. It removes $25,000 of assessed value from all property taxes and another $25,000 of value between $50,000 and $75,000 from non-school taxes — and, far more valuably, it starts the Save Our Homes cap.
OnlineWho: YouBy 1 March
5
Ask about Save Our Homes portability if you already owned in Florida
Since 2008 the accumulated difference between market and assessed value on a homestead — up to $500,000 — can be transferred to a new Florida homestead. You must establish the new homestead by 1 January of the third year after abandoning the old one, and you must apply for it; it does not transfer automatically. For a long-term owner this is frequently worth more than any other single item in a Florida move.
OnlineWho: You
6
Budget property insurance as a tax-equivalent, because that is what it is
Florida premiums are the highest in the country and rose sharply after a wave of insurer insolvencies between 2021 and 2023. Rates have started to come back down as Citizens depopulates and capacity returns, but the level is still high and the structure is punishing: a percentage-based hurricane deductible, flood excluded entirely, and windstorm sometimes excluded separately. Model it as an annual cost of ownership alongside the property tax, not as an afterthought.
OnlineWho: You
7
If you are self-employed, check the tangible personal property tax
Florida levies an annual tax on business equipment and furnishings, with an exemption for the first $25,000 of assessed value — but the return has to be filed with the county property appraiser to claim it. Sole traders and small consultancies moving from states without such a tax often miss the filing entirely, and the exemption is not automatic in the first year.
OnlineWho: YouBy 1 April annually
8
File your federal return by 15 April and an FBAR if foreign accounts exceed $10,000
There is no Florida return to file. Aggregate foreign account balances over $10,000 at any point in the year trigger a FinCEN filing, separate from your tax return and with its own penalties.
OnlineWho: YouBy 15 April annually

Documents you’ll need

Form W-2 from each employer, issued by 31 January
Form 1099s for freelance, interest and investment income
Form W-4 filed with your employer — there is no state equivalent
Tip records, if you work in hospitality
Declaration of Domicile and Florida licence, if you left an income-tax state
Foreign account statements for FBAR reporting

Things most newcomers don’t know

No income tax, and the constitution rather than the legislature guarantees it.

Florida's constitution prohibits a personal income tax, so removing it would require a constitutional amendment rather than an ordinary bill. That is a materially stronger position than a state that has simply chosen not to levy one, and it is the reason the no-income-tax point survives changes of government here. There is also no local income tax anywhere in Florida.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue

Save Our Homes portability is the most valuable thing most movers have never heard of.

The 3%-or-CPI assessment cap compounds: a homesteaded owner of fifteen years may be assessed at a fraction of market value. Since 2008 up to $500,000 of that accumulated difference moves with you to a new Florida homestead — but only if you apply, and only if you establish the new homestead by 1 January of the third year after abandoning the old one. It is the single biggest reason a within-Florida move is financially different from an arrival from out of state.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue — property tax exemptions

The hurricane deductible is a percentage, and that changes the whole calculation.

Ordinary claims run against a flat deductible. Named-storm damage runs against a separate deductible expressed as a percentage of the building's insured value — typically 2%, 5% or 10%. On a $400,000 house, choosing 5% instead of 2% saves premium and creates a $12,000 gap you would have to fund yourself after a storm. Understand which one your policy carries before you need it, not after.

Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation

Florida's insurer of last resort exists because the private market failed, twice.

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a state-created insurer that took on well over a million policies after a wave of Florida carriers became insolvent or withdrew between 2021 and 2023. It has been shedding policies back to private insurers since, and 2026 rate filings have moved downwards for the first time in years. It is a useful barometer: when Citizens is growing, the private market is retreating.

Source: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming no income tax means low total tax, and not pricing insurance and property tax.
Missing the 1 March homestead exemption deadline and losing a year of the Save Our Homes cap.
Assuming Save Our Homes portability transfers automatically. It has to be applied for.
Choosing a 10% hurricane deductible to cut the premium without funding the gap.
Leaving an income-tax state without documenting Florida domicile in the first month.
Missing the FBAR because a home-country account did not feel 'foreign'.

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