Hillsborough County property taxes: rates, due dates, appeals

Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Facts on this page come from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector and the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. Updated when the 2026 rates are certified and bills go out.

Property taxes in Tampa are handled by three separate offices. The Property Appraiser sets your home’s value and grants exemptions. The city, the county, the School Board and several special districts each set a tax rate. The Tax Collector mails the bill in November and collects the money.

Who to call

• Your bill, payments, payment plans: Hillsborough County Tax Collector, 813-635-5200, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday
• Your value, homestead and other exemptions: Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, 813-272-6100, 15th floor, County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
• Value Adjustment Board appeals: Clerk of the Circuit Court, 813-276-8100, ext. 4354
• City of Tampa tax rate questions: 813-274-8552
• Pay online: county-taxes.net/hillsborough

When the bill is due

The Tax Collector mails bills in November, and payment is due on or before March 31. Paying early earns a discount:

You can pay online by eCheck with no fee or by card with a convenience fee, by mail to Nancy C. Millan, Tax Collector, P.O. Box 30012, Tampa, FL 33630-3012, at a branch drop box (check or money order only) or in person at a branch. The office also runs an installment plan and a partial payment plan for owners who qualify. If your mortgage company pays from escrow, the bill still comes to you for your records.

The rate in Tampa

Florida rates are in mills: one mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. The Property Appraiser’s final 2025 millage table puts the total for the City of Tampa tax district at 19.8428 mills.

Tampa property does not pay the county’s unincorporated-area MSTU, which covers services the city provides itself. The 2026 rates were proposed on the TRIM notices mailed from Aug. 13; the Property Appraiser lists October as the month the rolls are certified for collection, and we will add the final 2026 figures then.

The chart: where the money goes

How to estimate your bill

Multiply your taxable value (assessed value minus exemptions) by the total millage and divide by 1,000. A Tampa homestead with $250,000 of taxable value would owe about $4,961 at the 2025 rate, before any non-ad valorem charges such as stormwater. The Property Appraiser’s Tax Estimator does the math for a specific property.

Homestead exemption and Save Our Homes

If you own your home and it is your permanent residence on Jan. 1, you can claim a homestead exemption, which today takes up to $50,000 off the value taxed for non-school purposes. The Property Appraiser’s important dates set March 1 as the filing deadline for all real estate exemptions. File online through Homestead E-file.

Once you have homestead, the “Save Our Homes” cap limits yearly increases in your assessed value to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. When a home sells, it is reassessed at market value the next year, so a buyer’s bill can be much higher than the seller’s.

How to appeal your value

The Property Appraiser’s appeal process has two steps:

1. Informal review. Call 813-272-6100, visit an office or use the online Property Value Review Request form. Have your folio number ready. The office says an appraiser aims to call back within five business days.
2. Value Adjustment Board. If you still disagree, petition the board through the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Owners have 25 days from the mailing of the TRIM notice to file. Special masters decide only whether the value is above market value as of Jan. 1, or whether an exemption was wrongly denied.

After the board, or instead of it, an owner can file a civil action in circuit court.

Amendment 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot

The Tax Collector has a guide to Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional change on the Nov. 3 ballot. It needs 60% of the vote. According to the guide, it would raise the homestead exemption from non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and lower the yearly cap on non-homestead assessment increases from 10% to 5%. School taxes and non-ad valorem charges would not change, and the November 2026 bill is not affected either way. For how to vote, see our voting guide.

What this means for you

• Pay in November to save 4%.
• New owners: file for homestead by March 1.
• Check your TRIM notice each August; that is the window to challenge your value.
• Questions about value go to the Property Appraiser; questions about the bill go to the Tax Collector.

Related: moving to Tampa, Tampa home prices and who to call at City Hall.

Frequently asked questions

When are Hillsborough County property taxes due?

The Tax Collector mails bills in November, and payment is due on or before March 31 of the next year. Paying early earns a discount of 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February.

What is the property tax rate in Tampa?

The total final 2025 rate for the City of Tampa tax district was 19.8428 mills, or $19.84 for every $1,000 of taxable value. The city’s own share was 6.2076 mills.

When is the homestead exemption deadline in Hillsborough County?

March 1. You must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on Jan. 1 of the tax year, then file with the Property Appraiser by March 1.

How do I appeal my property value in Hillsborough County?

Call the Property Appraiser at 813-272-6100 for an informal review first. If you still disagree, petition the Value Adjustment Board through the Clerk of the Circuit Court within 25 days of the TRIM notice mailing.

Will Amendment 3 change my November 2026 tax bill?

No. The Tax Collector says the November 2026 bill covers the 2026 tax year and is not affected by the Nov. 3 vote. If voters approve it, the first effects start with the 2027 tax year.