File Your Homestead Exemption From Deployment — Next of Kin Can Do It
Fla. Stat. 196.071 lets a member of the armed forces who is eligible for the homestead exemption but cannot file in person because of service have the application made by next of kin, or by someone with written authorisation. It preserves the 1 March filing date for someone who is not in the country to meet it.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
Fla. Stat. 196.071 lets a member of the armed forces who is eligible for the homestead exemption but cannot file in person because of service have the application made by next of kin, or by someone with written authorisation. It preserves the 1 March filing date for someone who is not in the country to meet it.
What it's worth: The homestead application made by next of kin, or by written authorisation
- It applies to any member of the armed forces who is eligible for the homestead exemption and cannot file in person by reason of service.
- The application may be made by NEXT OF KIN, or by anyone holding written authorisation.
- Its effect is to preserve the 1 March filing date, which is otherwise unforgiving.
- It protects the whole homestead exemption and everything stacked on it — including the veterans exemptions — so what is at stake is thousands a year, not a filing fee.
- It is a procedural accommodation rather than a benefit in itself.
Who is entitled to it
- You are currently on active duty.
- You own and live in your home in this county.
- Your property is in Florida.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: March 1- 1Arrange this BEFORE 1 March. The accommodation preserves the deadline; it does not create a new one.
- 2Give written authorisation to whoever will file, or have next of kin file — the statute allows both.
- 3Tell the county property appraiser that the application is being made under Fla. Stat. 196.071, so it is not treated as an ordinary third-party filing.
- 4Check what is stacked on the homestead. The veterans exemptions ride on it, so losing the homestead loses them too.
- Form
- Homestead exemption application, filed by proxy
- File with
- Your county property appraiser
- Renew annually
Sources
- authority · statuteFla. Stat. 196.071
- operating · published policyFlorida Department of Revenue — property tax
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.