Your First Property Tax Bill in Miami-Dade

If you closed on a home in Miami-Dade this year, an envelope from the Property Appraiser arrived in late August. It is not a bill. It is the notice that explains the bill, and for most first-year owners it is the moment the number stops being abstract. This is what it shows, why it is probably higher than what the seller paid, and what to do about it.

What the TRIM notice is

TRIM stands for Truth in Millage. The Property Appraiser mails the Notice of Proposed Property Taxes to every owner by August 24, and the office describes it plainly: it “reflects what your property taxes are likely to be on your November property tax bill.”

The notice has two halves. The taxing-authority section lists the ad valorem taxes, the ones based on your property’s value, proposed by the county, the school board, your city and the special districts, along with the dates of their budget hearings. It also lists non-ad valorem charges, the flat fees for services like garbage, fire and lighting. The Property Appraiser’s section shows your market, assessed and taxable values as of January 1, and any exemptions or assessment limits applied.

If the values look wrong, you have 25 days from the mailing to file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board. Read the notice the week it arrives, not in November.

Why the seller’s bill was lower

This is the question we hear most, and the answer is Save Our Homes. Once an owner has a homestead exemption, the annual increase in assessed value is capped at 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower; for 2025 the cap was 2.9%. A seller who lived in the home for a decade was paying tax on a value that drifted far below the market.

When the property sells, that protection does not travel to you. The Property Appraiser’s own estimator warns that the seller’s assessed value “may be artificially low,” and that after a sale “the property is appraised at market value for the next tax year,” which “may result in a significant increase in taxes.” In the year you buy, you may still see the seller’s exemption on the roll. The following year it comes off, your assessed value resets to market, and your own cap begins from that new base.

Nothing went wrong. The listing’s “current taxes” line was simply the seller’s number, not yours.

File for homestead by March 1

The reset is unavoidable. Paying more than you must is not. If the home is your permanent residence as of January 1, file for the homestead exemption with the Property Appraiser. Applications and documents are due by March 1.

The exemption removes up to $50,000 from your taxable value. The first $25,000 applies to every taxing authority; the second portion does not apply to school taxes and, starting with the 2025 tax year, is adjusted for inflation. More important than the deduction is that filing starts your Save Our Homes base year, so the cap begins protecting you.

Missed March 1? The office accepts late applications from March 2 until the date printed on your TRIM notice, which falls on or before September 20, and a $15 Value Adjustment Board petition fee may apply. Our homestead guide walks through the paperwork and portability if you sold a prior Florida homestead.

The November bill and the early-payment discounts

The Tax Collector opens payment on November 1. Florida law then rewards paying early: 4% off in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, and no discount from March. Taxes become delinquent on April 1.

Watch the non-ad valorem lines

Several charges on the bill are not based on value at all. Community Development Districts, special assessment districts and PACE financing all appear as non-ad valorem assessments on both the TRIM notice and the bill. The Property Appraiser notes that when you buy a home with these assessments, “the sales price of the property typically does not include the financial obligation.” Ask for the current CDD and district amounts before you write an offer, not after.

How to estimate before you buy

Use the Property Appraiser’s Tax Estimator. Enter the purchase price as the market value, select the homestead exemption if you will live there, and read the result as your second-year number, since the first year may still carry the seller’s cap. The office states that it does not warrant the estimate’s accuracy, so treat it as a planning figure. Then add the non-ad valorem charges from the seller’s most recent bill and put the total into our mortgage calculator so the monthly payment reflects your taxes, not the seller’s.

Buyers who do this before offering are rarely surprised in August. Buyers who skip it usually call us in September.

Sources

• Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Notice of Proposed Property Taxes (TRIM Notice): https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/property_trim_notice.asp
• Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Homestead Exemption: https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/exemption/homestead.page
• Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Save Our Homes: https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/benefit/save-our-homes.page
• Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Tax Estimator: https://apps.miamidadepa.gov/paonlinetools/taxes/taxestimator.aspx
• Miami-Dade Property Appraiser — Non-Ad Valorem Assessments: https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/property-assessments/non-ad-valorem.page
• Florida Statutes §197.162 — Discounts for early payment: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/197.162
• Miami-Dade County — Tax Collector announces 4% discount on property tax bills starting November 1: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/release.page?Mduid_release=rel1698254914204997