Quick answer: Florida splits closing costs by local custom, not by statute. The seller customarily pays the deed documentary stamp tax at $0.70 per $100. The buyer customarily pays the note stamps at 35 cents per 100 and the intangible tax at 2 mills on the mortgage. The item that actually moves between counties is title insurance: most of Florida has the seller buy the owner’s policy, and Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier and Sarasota do the opposite.
The three state taxes, and who customarily pays each
| Tax | Rate | Customarily paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Documentary stamp tax on the deed | $0.70 per $100 of consideration | seller |
| Documentary stamp tax on the note | $0.35 per $100 financed | buyer |
| Nonrecurring intangible tax on the mortgage | 2 mills, 0.002 per dollar | buyer |
Miami-Dade is the exception on the first line. There the deed rate is $0.60 per $100 on a single-family residence, with a surtax of $0.45 per $100 added on other property types. On a condominium or a multi-family property in Miami-Dade the surtax applies and the combined figure exceeds the statewide rate.
The word doing the work in that table is customarily. None of these allocations is fixed by Florida statute. The contract can assign any of them to either party, and in a slow market sellers regularly take on buyer-side items as a concession. Custom matters because it is the default that a standard contract is drafted from, and because departing from it is a negotiating position rather than a neutral act.
A worked example at 500,000 dollars
Outside Miami-Dade, a $500,000 purchase with a $400,000 mortgage:
| Item | Calculation | Amount | Customarily |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deed stamps | 500,000 divided by 100, times 0.70 | $3,500 | seller |
| Note stamps | 400,000 divided by 100, times 0.35 | $1,400 | buyer |
| Intangible tax | 400,000 times 0.002 | $800 | buyer |
| State taxes total | $5,700 |
The same purchase inside Miami-Dade, as a single-family residence:
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Deed stamps | 500,000 divided by 100, times 0.60 | $3,000 |
| Note stamps and intangible tax | unchanged | $2,200 |
And as a condominium in Miami-Dade, the 0.45 surtax adds $2,250 to the deed line, taking it to 5,250 dollars.
That last comparison is worth holding on to. The same price, the same county, and a condominium costs more to transfer than a house, because the surtax attaches to property that is not a single-family residence.
Cash removes two of the three
A cash purchase has no promissory note and no mortgage, so the note stamps and the intangible tax simply do not arise.
On the $400,000 loan above that is $2,200 of state tax a cash buyer never pays, before considering lender fees, appraisal and the lender’s title policy. It is one of the quieter advantages of a cash offer in Florida and it is rarely priced into the comparison.
Title insurance is where the county matters
This is the item that actually varies, and it is the reason a buyer moving between Florida markets gets a surprise.
| Who customarily pays the owner’s policy | Counties |
|---|---|
| The seller | most Florida counties |
| The buyer | Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Sarasota |
The lender’s policy is always the buyer’s, where there is a loan.
Nothing in the Florida Statutes assigns this. It is county custom, and it is always negotiable in the contract. But the practical effect on a buyer’s cash to close is real: purchasing in Miami-Dade or Broward means budgeting for an owner’s policy that a buyer in most of the state would not pay for.
Coastal insurance is a separate budget line again, and it has repriced every year since 2022: see the Florida property insurance guide and, on a condominium, the condominium safety guide for the reserve and inspection position that sits behind the dues.
Title insurance premiums in Florida are set on a promulgated scale rather than freely priced, so the figure follows the purchase price. Ask the closing agent for the actual premium for your price, not a percentage rule of thumb.
What else lands on the settlement statement
The three state taxes and title insurance are the large, predictable lines. Around them:
| Item | Typically |
|---|---|
| Recording fees | buyer, on the deed and mortgage |
| Title search and settlement fee | follows the title insurance custom |
| Survey | buyer, where a lender requires one |
| Inspection | buyer |
| Lender fees, appraisal, credit | buyer, where financed |
| Prorated property taxes | apportioned to the closing date |
| Association estoppel fee | seller, in most contracts |
| HOA or condominium transfer fee | varies by declaration |
Two of these deserve attention on a condominium purchase. The estoppel fee, which the association charges to certify what the seller owes, is capped by Florida statute rather than left open. And any transfer or capital contribution fee in the declaration, alongside the letting rules covered in the HOA restrictions checklist, which can be a meaningful sum and is set by the building rather than by custom.
Ask the closing agent for a draft settlement statement as early as possible, not at the table. That document is where custom becomes a number, and it is the only reliable answer to what a specific transaction costs.
Prorated taxes catch buyers arriving from other states
Florida property tax is billed in arrears, with bills issued in November and payable by 31 March. At closing the tax year is apportioned between seller and buyer to the closing date, and the seller’s share is credited to the buyer.
That proration is calculated from the current tax bill, which on a homesteaded seller’s property may be far below what the property will be assessed at once it changes hands. The credit you receive at closing therefore has nothing to do with the bill you will get the following November.
Model your own tax separately, on the basis that will apply to you. A second home or investment property receives neither the homestead exemption nor the Save Our Homes cap, and the assessment resets on the change of ownership. See Florida property tax for non-residents and the documentary stamp tax definition.
What a foreign seller adds to the closing
Where the seller is a foreign person, FIRPTA requires withholding on the disposition of US real property, generally 15% of the amount realised, collected at closing rather than assessed later. It is withheld from the seller’s proceeds, and it is calculated on the price rather than on the gain, so it can apply even on a sale at a loss.
Exceptions and reduced rates exist, and a withholding certificate may be applied for in advance. The application takes time, so it belongs in the listing timetable rather than in the closing week. See the FIRPTA guide and, if the plan is to reinvest, the 1031 exchange guide.
For overseas buyers more generally, see Florida property for foreign buyers.
Before you sign a contract
- Ask which county the property is in and what the local title insurance custom is.
- Get a draft settlement statement from the closing agent, itemised, before signing.
- Confirm whether Miami-Dade’s surtax applies, which turns on the property type.
- If financing, add the note stamps and intangible tax to your cash to close.
- If paying cash, take credit for the 2 mills and 0.35 per 100 you avoid.
- On a condominium, ask for the estoppel fee and any transfer or capital contribution fee.
- Treat the tax proration credit as unrelated to your future tax bill.
- Where the seller is a foreign person, raise FIRPTA at listing, not at closing.
The short version
The state taxes are fixed and calculable to the dollar before you make an offer. The custom around them is not fixed at all, it varies by county, and title insurance is where that variation costs real money.
If you take one thing from this page, take the county question. A buyer in Sarasota and a buyer in Pinellas, at the same price, do not bring the same cash to the table, and neither of them is being treated unusually. For the wider purchase picture see the Florida homes hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is split by custom rather than by statute, and the custom varies by county. The seller customarily pays the documentary stamp tax on the deed. The buyer customarily pays the documentary stamp tax on the note and the intangible tax on the mortgage. Title insurance is the item that moves: in most counties the seller pays for the owner's policy, but in Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier and Sarasota the buyer customarily does.
$0.70 per $100 of consideration in every county except Miami-Dade, where it is $0.60 per $100 on a single-family residence with a surtax of $0.45 per $100 added on other property types. On a $500,000 sale outside Miami-Dade that is $3,500.
Two separate state taxes. Documentary stamp tax on the promissory note at $0.35 per $100 financed, and nonrecurring intangible tax on the mortgage at 2 mills, which is 0.002 per dollar. On a $400,000 loan that is $1,400 and $800 respectively.
All of it. None of these allocations is set by Florida statute; they are local custom that the purchase contract can override. Custom matters because it is the default the contract is drafted from, and because departing from it in a competitive market is a concession you are making.
Yes, and by a specific amount. A cash purchase carries no promissory note and no mortgage, so both the note stamps and the intangible tax fall away. On a $400,000 loan that is $2,200 of state tax a cash buyer simply does not pay.
Recording fees, the title search and settlement fee, a survey, an inspection, lender fees where there is a loan, prorated property taxes and any association estoppel fee. Ask the closing agent for a draft settlement statement early rather than at the table, because that is the document where custom becomes a number.
Get an itemised closing cost estimate before you offer
Tell us the county, the price and whether you are financing. We will come back with the deed, note and intangible tax to the dollar, the local title insurance custom and who it puts the owner's policy on, the condominium fees that apply, and what your first November tax bill is likely to look like.