If you are buying or selling in South Florida, documentary stamp tax can move the closing number by thousands of dollars. On a $1,000,000 deed, Florida’s statewide doc stamp tax is $7,000, while a Miami-Dade deed is $11,500 because of the extra county surtax. If there is a mortgage, the intangible tax adds more. This florida documentary stamp tax calculator guide shows the exact math so you can budget before you sign.
Documentary stamp tax is a recording tax tied to certain real estate documents. In a Florida closing, the two numbers that matter most are the tax on the deed and the tax on the mortgage. The deed tax applies when title is transferred. The mortgage intangible tax applies when a mortgage is recorded.
For most South Florida buyers and sellers, the math is simple once you know which document you are pricing. The deed uses the documentary stamp rate. The mortgage uses the intangible tax rate. In Miami-Dade, deeds get an extra surtax, so the total deed rate is higher there than in the rest of Florida.
Bottom line: The deed tax and mortgage tax are separate. If you finance the purchase, you may owe both.
The formula is straightforward. Start with the taxable amount, divide by 100, and multiply by the correct rate. The key is using the right rate for the right document.
| Document | Rate | Formula | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida deed | $0.70 per $100 | (Taxable amount ÷ 100) × 0.70 | Statewide deed recording |
| Miami-Dade deed | $1.15 per $100 | (Taxable amount ÷ 100) × 1.15 | Deeds recorded in Miami-Dade |
| Mortgage intangible tax | $0.20 per $100 | (Mortgage amount ÷ 100) × 0.20 | Recorded mortgages statewide |
Formula you can use at closing: Tax = (Taxable amount ÷ 100) × rate.
In many Florida residential closings, the seller typically pays the deed documentary stamp tax, while the borrower typically pays the mortgage intangible tax. That said, the purchase contract controls the final allocation, so the parties can agree to something different.
| Tax | Typical Payer | Important Note |
|---|---|---|
| Deed documentary stamp tax | Seller in many closings | Contract terms can shift the cost |
| Miami-Dade deed surtax | Usually handled with the deed tax | Applies only to deeds recorded in Miami-Dade |
| Mortgage intangible tax | Borrower | Based on the mortgage amount recorded |
For neighborhood-level price context in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach, see brokerone.io/neighborhoods.
The table below shows the exact documentary stamp tax at $200,000 through $2,000,000 in $100,000 increments. The mortgage intangible column assumes the mortgage amount equals the purchase price. If your actual loan amount is different, use that loan amount in the same formula.
| Purchase Price | Florida Deed Doc Stamps | Miami-Dade Deed Doc Stamps | Mortgage Intangible Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | $1,400 | $2,300 | $400 |
| $300,000 | $2,100 | $3,450 | $600 |
| $400,000 | $2,800 | $4,600 | $800 |
| $500,000 | $3,500 | $5,750 | $1,000 |
| $600,000 | $4,200 | $6,900 | $1,200 |
| $700,000 | $4,900 | $8,050 | $1,400 |
| $800,000 | $5,600 | $9,200 | $1,600 |
| $900,000 | $6,300 | $10,350 | $1,800 |
| $1,000,000 | $7,000 | $11,500 | $2,000 |
| $1,100,000 | $7,700 | $12,650 | $2,200 |
| $1,200,000 | $8,400 | $13,800 | $2,400 |
| $1,300,000 | $9,100 | $14,950 | $2,600 |
| $1,400,000 | $9,800 | $16,100 | $2,800 |
| $1,500,000 | $10,500 | $17,250 | $3,000 |
| $1,600,000 | $11,200 | $18,400 | $3,200 |
| $1,700,000 | $11,900 | $19,550 | $3,400 |
| $1,800,000 | $12,600 | $20,700 | $3,600 |
| $1,900,000 | $13,300 | $21,850 | $3,800 |
| $2,000,000 | $14,000 | $23,000 | $4,000 |
That table shows why South Florida buyers should never guess. At $500,000, the deed tax is $3,500 statewide and $5,750 in Miami-Dade. At $1,500,000, the difference is even more noticeable: $10,500 statewide versus $17,250 in Miami-Dade.
Bottom line: The Miami-Dade surtax adds $0.45 per $100 to deeds, which means every $100,000 of purchase price adds $450 more than the statewide deed rate.
At a $500,000 purchase price, Florida deed doc stamps are $3,500 statewide. In Miami-Dade, the same deed is $5,750 because of the county surtax. That is a $2,250 difference before you even look at financing costs.
If you are buying a $900,000 home in Broward or Palm Beach and using the statewide deed rate, the deed tax is $6,300. If your mortgage amount is also $900,000, the mortgage intangible tax is $1,800. That separate mortgage line item is easy to miss if you only focus on the deed.
At $1,500,000, the Miami-Dade deed tax is $17,250. The statewide deed tax on the same price would be $10,500. That gap is exactly why South Florida closings need a proper tax estimate early in the deal.
Exemptions are fact-specific. The deed type, the transfer structure, and whether the transaction is a sale or a non-sale transfer can all affect the result. Before recording, confirm whether the instrument is taxable and whether any exemption applies.
| Situation to Verify | Why It Matters | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Estate or probate transfer | The taxable amount may not be handled the same way as a standard sale | Ask the title company to confirm the deed treatment before recording |
| Non-sale transfer | The taxable consideration may differ from a market-price sale | Verify the amount that is actually taxable |
| Recorded mortgage | The intangible tax is separate from the deed tax | Use the actual loan amount, not the purchase price |
Bottom line: On a South Florida closing, the biggest mistakes are usually simple math mistakes. A missed surcharge or an unpriced mortgage tax can throw off the cash-to-close number fast.
For deeds, Florida’s statewide documentary stamp tax rate is $0.70 per $100. In Miami-Dade, deeds also have an extra $0.45 per $100 surtax, making the total deed rate $1.15 per $100. Mortgages are taxed separately at $0.20 per $100.
Take the taxable amount, divide by 100, and multiply by the correct rate. Use $0.70 per $100 for a Florida deed, $1.15 per $100 for a Miami-Dade deed, and $0.20 per $100 for a mortgage. For example, a $700,000 Florida deed is $4,900 in doc stamps.
The formula is: Tax = (Taxable amount ÷ 100) × rate. For a statewide deed, the rate is 0.70. For a Miami-Dade deed, the rate is 1.15. For a mortgage, the rate is 0.20.
Documentary stamp tax is not the same as the federal estate tax. If you are transferring property from an estate, compute the doc stamp tax on the deed or mortgage amount that is actually recorded, then confirm whether the transfer qualifies for any exemption. If the transfer is exempt, the documentary stamp tax may be zero. Because estate-related facts can change the result, the title company should verify the treatment before recording.
In many Florida residential closings, the seller typically pays the deed documentary stamp tax and the borrower typically pays the mortgage intangible tax. However, the contract can allocate costs differently, so the purchase contract controls.
Need a closing estimate for Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach? Contact Broker One and compare local market context at brokerone.io/neighborhoods.
Broker One Research is the data-journalism arm of Broker One. Every post under this byline is backed by an original SQL analysis across our proprietary datasets: 2M Florida parcels from county appraisers, 4.6M active and historical MLS listings, 6.9M Florida business entities from Sunbiz, FEMA flood zones, building permits, code violations, and Census ACS demographics. We publish our methodology — row counts, filters, date ranges — so readers can evaluate the rigor of every finding. We use median-based metrics rather than means to keep MLS data-entry outliers out of headline numbers. If you're a journalist or researcher who wants to cite our work, email research@mybrokerone.com.
