Free Kit · Florida Homestead Portability
See how much of your Save Our Homes tax break you can carry to your next Florida home — and the one step that keeps you from leaving thousands behind. Up to $500,000 of your benefit can move with you.
with Chad Gibson · Dreamtown Homes Team · "If waiting is the smarter move, I'll tell you that too."
Fill in what you know. The math runs right here on your screen — nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to unlock your full breakdown.
See the itemized math — your benefit, upsize/downsize handling, your new home's starting taxable value, and an estimated annual savings. It all shows up right here, and you can save or print a copy.
| Your current home’s market value | $0 |
| Less: assessed (taxable) value | $0 |
| = Your Save Our Homes benefit | $0 |
| Benefit you carry to your next home | $0 |
| Your next home’s price | $0 |
| Less: benefit you carry | $0 |
| Your new home starts out taxed on about | $0 |
No obligation. On the call we pull your real values off the property appraiser's record and map the move around them.
Educational estimate only — not tax, legal, or financial advice, and not a guarantee. Figures are estimates based on the values you entered and general assumptions; portability rules and exemption amounts change. Consult the county property appraiser and a tax professional. Chad Gibson, LLC · SL3471542 · Dreamtown Homes Team · LPT Realty · Licensed in Florida. Equal Housing Opportunity. · Book a call: calendly.com/chad-dthomesteam/30min
One idea does most of the work. Here it is.
Save Our Homes caps how fast your assessed (taxable) value can grow — at 3% a year or CPI, whichever is lower. Over the years, that opens a gap between what your home is worth and what you're taxed on. That gap is your benefit — and portability lets you take it with you, up to $500,000.
If your next home costs the same or more than your current one, you transfer your entire Save Our Homes benefit (up to the $500,000 cap) straight onto the new home’s taxable value. This is where most move-up sellers land.
If your next home costs less, you carry a share — your benefit times (new market ÷ old market). You keep less than a full upsize, but you’re still moving real tax savings with you rather than starting from scratch.
Your ported benefit is only as big as the market value the county has on record for your old home the year you leave it. If that number is understated, so is your benefit — and nobody sends you a note about it.
Re-file homestead on the new home (applications are due by March 1), and Save Our Homes starts protecting your new assessed value all over again. Amendment 5 (effective Jan 1, 2025) inflation-adjusts the second exemption piece.
If the county’s market value on your old home looks understated — or the appraiser miscalculates the benefit you’re transferring — here’s the do-it-yourself path to fix it. Most cases resolve at step 1, without a hearing.
Call your county property appraiser and ask for an informal conference about your market value or portability. Bring evidence: your recent sale or purchase contract, 3–5 comparable sales, an independent appraisal, and photos. Many corrections happen right here — no fee, no hearing. (Property appraiser: Orange County — ocpafl.org; Seminole County — scpafl.org · 407-665-7506.)
If you go formal, you must file within 25 days of the date your TRIM notice was mailed — the exact deadline is printed on the notice (usually mid-September). Miss it and you generally lose the right to petition for that year.
File DR-486 to dispute your property’s value, or DR-486PORT specifically for a portability (transfer of homestead assessment difference) dispute. Both are free to download from floridarevenue.com and your county VAB page.
You file with your county’s VAB office (not the property appraiser), and pay the filing fee — about $15 per parcel for portability petitions (confirm the current amount).
Orange County (Comptroller’s VAB): file online at occompt.com, or 109 E. Church St., Suite 450, Orlando · 407-836-5447 · vab@occompt.com.
Seminole County (Clerk of Court & Comptroller): file online at seminoleclerk.org (Value Adjustment Board), or mail to PO Box 8099, Sanford, FL 32772 · 407-665-7663 · VAB@seminoleclerk.org.
State law requires you to make the required partial payment of your taxes by the delinquency date, or the VAB will automatically deny your petition. Don’t skip this step.
At least 15 days before your hearing, submit your evidence and witness list to the VAB — and you can request the property appraiser’s evidence in return (they respond within about a week). Lead with your actual sale or contract; it’s the strongest proof of true market value.
A special magistrate (a licensed appraiser or attorney) hears both sides and recommends a decision; the VAB mails you the final written decision. If you still disagree, you can appeal to the circuit court (generally within 60 days).
Reality check: most value corrections happen in that informal step-1 call, backed by your real sale — the formal petition is your safety net if the county won’t budge. I’m a real estate agent, not an attorney or tax advisor, so treat this as a roadmap, not legal advice — and I’ll point you to the right pro when it counts.
A live calculator plus a two-page cheat sheet — the four things a portability move turns on, and the do-it-yourself path if the county has your value low.
The calculator above: enter your old market value, old assessed value, and next-home price — it shows your portable benefit with upsize/downsize handling, capped at $500,000.
Establish your new homestead within 3 tax years; file DR-501 + DR-501T; homestead due March 1.
An accurate market value on your old home — your TRIM notice, plus a step-by-step Value Adjustment Board petition if the county’s number is off.
Re-file homestead, the ~$50,722 exemption value for 2025, and how Save Our Homes resets to protect your new assessed value going forward.
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"Chad Gibson is my realtor. Very professional and knowledgeable. He works well in stressful situations between sellers and buyers. Will get back to you as soon as he can. Keeps the client updated. He works with you to find solutions. Highly recommended. Overall A+"
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Portability is one of the most valuable and most misunderstood pieces of a Florida move. Most people either think they’ll lose their low taxes if they move, or assume it’s too complicated to bother with. Neither is true — and this calculator shows you a real number in about two minutes.
So your estimate sits in context:
Figures and rules change — confirm current details with the county property appraiser and a tax professional. Sources: Florida Statutes §193.155; FL Dept. of Revenue PTO forms & bulletins; Orange County and multiple Florida county property appraisers; Ballotpedia (Amendment 5). Orlando context for framing only.
Thirty minutes, zero pressure. We pull your real values off the property appraiser’s record and map the move — the sale, the purchase, and the 3-year window — around them, together.
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