Property taxes in Polk County after you buy a home, what you'll pay

Why the seller's bill isn't yours

In Florida, a homesteaded home's assessed value can't rise more than 3% a year (or less, if inflation was lower). That cap is called Save Our Homes. If the seller lived in the home for many years, their assessed value may be far below market value.

That savings does not pass to the buyer. The law says that after a change of ownership the home is assessed at just value on January 1 of the following year. That's why your first full bill can be much higher than the one you saw in the listing.

Simple example: if the seller paid tax on an assessed value of $150,000 and the home is worth $300,000, you'll pay on nearly twice as much.

How the bill is figured

The formula is: taxable value × total rate (in mills) ÷ 1,000.

• Taxable value is assessed value minus exemptions. With homestead, $25,000 comes off for all taxes and, in 2026, another $26,411 for non-school taxes.
• Total rate depends on where the home is: county, schools, water district and, inside a city, the city.

2026 final total rates in Polk (mills), from the Property Appraiser:

• Unincorporated county (tax code 90): 12.8971
• Auburndale: 16.3274
• Lakeland: 17.5082
• Bartow: 18.1839
• Winter Haven: 18.6659
• Davenport (inside city limits): 19.3259
• Haines City: 19.4154
• Lake Wales: 20.1221

Some cities have more than one code with slightly different rates. Look up the home's exact code on the Property Appraiser's site.

Example: a $300,000 home with homestead

Of those rates, 5.258 mills are school taxes (the same countywide).

In Winter Haven:

• School: $275,000 × 5.258 ÷ 1,000 = about $1,446
• Non-school: $248,589 × 13.4079 ÷ 1,000 = about $3,333
• Total: about $4,779 a year

In unincorporated Polk (code 90):

• School: about $1,446
• Non-school: $248,589 × 7.6391 ÷ 1,000 = about $1,899
• Total: about $3,345 a year

Without homestead (a rental, for example), the same home would pay about $5,600 in Winter Haven and about $3,869 in unincorporated Polk.

On top of that come the flat charges (non-ad valorem assessments) the county or city bills for services, and in many newer communities a CDD charge. See HOA and CDD.

This example uses 2026 rates. Your actual bill depends on the value the Property Appraiser sets and each year's rates.

Estimate it before you make an offer

The Polk Property Appraiser has a new home tax estimator. You enter the price, the parcel number, whether you'll have homestead and any portability. With a parcel number it includes the flat charges. Because it uses the price you type, it gives a high estimate: the Property Appraiser normally adjusts market value down a little.

The same state rules apply in Osceola. Look up the rates on the Osceola Property Appraiser's or Tax Collector's site.

The yearly calendar

• January 1: ownership, value and exemptions are set.
• March 1: deadline to apply for homestead. See the homestead exemption guide.
• August: the TRIM notice arrives with the value and proposed taxes. In 2025 it started arriving August 18.
• 25 days after the TRIM notice: deadline to petition the Value Adjustment Board if you disagree. You can talk to the Property Appraiser's office first.
• November: the bill arrives. Pay in November for a 4% discount, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February.
• March 31: last day to pay. On April 1 the tax is delinquent.

The purchase year and the second year

At closing, the seller credits you for the taxes for the days they owned the home that year, and you (or your mortgage) pay that November's bill. That bill still uses the seller's value and exemptions.

If your mortgage has an escrow account, the servicer sets your monthly payment from the old bill. When the new, higher bill arrives, the account comes up short and your monthly payment goes up. Ask your lender what tax amount they used.

On the November 3, 2026 ballot

Voters decide an amendment that would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes. I'll update this guide and the homestead guide with the result.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, check with the Property Appraiser or a tax professional.