Florida Documentary Stamp Tax on Deeds and Mortgages Guide

Every residential closing in Palm Beach County involves a Florida documentary stamp tax charge on the deed and, if the buyer is financing, a separate documentary stamp charge plus intangible tax on the mortgage. Those line items surprise buyers who did not build them into their cash-to-close budget. This page explains what the tax is, what the rates actually are, and where to verify them, using the Florida Department of Revenue as the primary source.

Direct answer: Documentary stamp tax is an excise tax imposed under Chapter 201, Florida Statutes. On a Florida deed outside Miami-Dade, the rate is 70 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the total consideration paid. On a promissory note or other written obligation to pay money signed or delivered in Florida, the rate is 35 cents for each $100 or portion thereof, with a maximum tax of $2,450. On a mortgage or other evidence of indebtedness filed or recorded in Florida, the rate is 35 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the amount secured, and there is no cap.

For expert guidance on Jupiter FL luxury real estate, contact Kyle Camerlinck at 561-371-5143.

Statutory basis

The tax is imposed under Chapter 201, Florida Statutes. The Florida Department of Revenue's documentary stamp tax page states: 'Documentary stamp tax is an excise tax imposed on certain documents executed, delivered, or recorded in Florida.' The specific sections that matter most on a residential real estate transaction are Section 201.02, F.S. (deeds and transfers of interest in real property) and Section 201.08, F.S. (promissory notes, other written obligations to pay money, and mortgages). Related administrative rules live in Rule Chapter 12B-4 of the Florida Administrative Code.

Payment mechanics are simple. Tax is paid to the county clerk of court or a recording official when the document is recorded. On a normal Palm Beach County closing, that means the title agent collects the tax at closing and remits it through the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

The deed rate

The Florida Department of Revenue publishes the deed rate in two places that agree with each other: the department's documentary stamp tax web page at floridarevenue.com/taxes/taxesfees/Pages/doc_stamp.aspx and its taxpayer information Form GT-800014.

The rates are:

All Florida counties except Miami-Dade. 70 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the total consideration paid, or to be paid, for the transfer. Palm Beach County uses this rate.
Miami-Dade County. 60 cents for each $100 or portion thereof, plus a 45 cent per $100 discretionary surtax that does not apply when the document transfers only a single-family dwelling.

The rate is applied to the total consideration and does so in $100 slices, rounding a partial slice up to a full $100. On a $1,000,000 deed in Palm Beach County, the doc stamp charge is $1,000,000 divided by $100 = 10,000 slices, times $0.70 per slice = $7,000. Every whole-dollar sale price yields a whole-dollar tax, but odd sale prices can round up. The department's own materials call this the '70 cents per $100 or portion thereof' rule for a reason: the 'or portion thereof' phrase is what triggers the rounding.

The note and mortgage rates

A financed Palm Beach County purchase triggers two additional charges at recording. Both come from the same statute chapter but have different mechanics.

Promissory note or other written obligation to pay money. Per the Florida Department of Revenue, the rate is 35 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the obligation evidenced by the document. The DOR page states that 'the maximum amount of documentary stamp tax due on unsecured notes or other written obligations to pay money is $2,450.'
Mortgage or other evidence of indebtedness filed or recorded in Florida. Per the DOR, the rate is 35 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the amount secured. The DOR is explicit: 'The cap does not apply to mortgages, liens, security agreements, and other evidences of indebtedness.' There is no cap on recorded-mortgage doc stamp tax.

The distinction matters. A $2,000,000 mortgage recorded in Palm Beach County generates a documentary stamp charge on the mortgage of $2,000,000 divided by $100 = 20,000 slices, times $0.35 per slice = $7,000. Because there is no cap, that number scales linearly with loan size on jumbo purchases.

A separate intangible personal property tax also applies to recorded mortgages in Florida under a different Florida statute chapter; the Florida DOR handles that tax separately. On a residential closing statement in Palm Beach County, buyers will typically see three separate lines: doc stamps on deed, doc stamps on note, and intangible tax on the mortgage.

Exempt parties

Per Florida DOR Form GT-800014, documentary stamp tax does not apply to documents transferring an interest to certain governmental entities. The form lists as exempt: United States government agencies, Florida government agencies, Florida counties, municipalities, and political subdivisions of Florida. A sale to or from a private buyer or seller is not exempt.

Typical Palm Beach County closing charge examples

Below are illustrative calculations using the published Florida DOR rates for a Palm Beach County transaction. These are examples of the statutory calculation, not full closing cost estimates.

Scenario	Statute calculation	Doc stamp result
$1,000,000 cash purchase, deed only	$1,000,000 / $100 = 10,000 slices x $0.70	$7,000 on the deed
$2,000,000 purchase with $1,500,000 mortgage	Deed: $2M / $100 x $0.70 = $14,000. Note and mortgage: $1.5M / $100 x $0.35 = $5,250 (no cap on recorded mortgage).	$14,000 on the deed plus $5,250 on the mortgage side
$5,000,000 purchase with $3,000,000 mortgage	Deed: $5M / $100 x $0.70 = $35,000. Mortgage: $3M / $100 x $0.35 = $10,500 (no cap on recorded mortgage).	$35,000 on the deed plus $10,500 on the mortgage side

The intangible personal property tax on the mortgage is separate and adds to the total mortgage-side charge at closing.

Who pays

By local custom in Palm Beach County, the seller typically pays the documentary stamp tax on the deed and the buyer typically pays the documentary stamp tax and intangible tax on the mortgage. That is a customary allocation, not a statutory one. The AS IS Residential Contract lets the parties allocate charges by contract, so read Paragraph 9 on your specific transaction. See the Palm Beach County closing costs page for the full customary breakdown, and closing costs exposed for the broader budget picture.

FAQ

What is Florida documentary stamp tax?

Documentary stamp tax is an excise tax imposed under Chapter 201, Florida Statutes, on certain documents executed, delivered, or recorded in Florida. It applies to deeds, promissory notes and other written obligations to pay money, and mortgages, liens, and other evidences of indebtedness.

What is the doc stamp rate on a Florida deed?

Documents transferring an interest in Florida real property in all Florida counties except Miami-Dade are taxed at 70 cents for each $100 or portion thereof of the total consideration paid, per the Florida Department of Revenue. Miami-Dade County is taxed at 60 cents for each $100 or portion thereof.

What is the doc stamp rate on a mortgage in Florida?

Mortgages, liens, security agreements, and other evidences of indebtedness filed and recorded in Florida are taxed at 35 cents for each $100 or portion thereof, based on the full amount of indebtedness secured, per the Florida Department of Revenue. There is no cap on the tax due on a recorded mortgage.

Is there a cap on doc stamp tax for a promissory note?

Yes. The Florida Department of Revenue states the maximum tax on unsecured notes or other written obligations to pay money is $2,450. The Department also notes the cap does not apply to mortgages, liens, security agreements, and other evidences of indebtedness.

Talk to Kyle Camerlinck about your Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens move

Kyle Camerlinck is a Jupiter based luxury broker at Taiter Realty. Direct: Call Kyle: 561-371-5143. Office: 1090 Jupiter Park Drive, Suite 101, Jupiter, FL 33458.