Property tax in Hernando County, Florida
In Hernando County, the property tax bill comes from the Hernando County Tax Collector. The 2026 bill is due March 31, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Hernando County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Hernando County, Florida is $1,858 a year, which is about 0.67% of the county's median home value of $276,000. That effective rate is lower than the typical Florida county (0.72%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Hernando County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Hernando County Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Hernando County Property Appraiser, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
Two offices handle your tax: the Property Appraiser sets the value and grants exemptions, and the Tax Collector mails the bill and takes payment. The bill combines taxes set by the County Commission, the School District and other taxing bodies, plus special assessments from nearly 100 municipal service benefit units for things like street lighting, road paving and fire protection. The value-appeal window closes in September, before the bill arrives, so a disagreement with the value has to be raised from the TRIM notice mailed in August; a Value Adjustment Board petition costs $50, with no fee for a homestead exemption denial. Online e-check payments are free; card payments carry a fee of $2.75 or 2.5%. Mailed payments go to 20 North Main Street, Room 112, Brooksville.
When are property taxes due in Hernando County?
For the 2026 bill, Hernando County has one due date: March 31, 2027. Tax bills are mailed on the last weekday of October, and collection begins November 1, 2026. Paying early earns a discount: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February, with no discount in March; the full amount is due by March 31. Discounts go by postmark. January 31 and February 28, 2027 fall on Sundays; the Tax Collector says a discount period ending on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday is extended to the next working day if payment is delivered to a collection office. Owners not on the installment plan may apply to make up to five partial payments, giving up all discounts, with the balance due by March 31. Owners on the quarterly installment plan (apply by April 30) instead pay by June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31, with discounts set by state law of 6%, 4.5%, 3% and none. The Tax Collector says the first installment must be paid by June 30; state law requires it to accept a late first installment through July 31, without its discount. Unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1, 2027. Under state law, delinquent taxes carry a minimum charge of 3% if paid before a tax certificate is sold. Delinquent payments are posted by the date received, not the postmark, and no discounts apply. Parcels not paid in full are put on the tax certificate sale list, which is advertised for three consecutive weeks; a certificate holder can seek a tax deed sale once the certificate is two years old.
From Hernando County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Hernando County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Hernando County's average effective rate of 0.67% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $1,849 / year
Property tax in Hernando County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $1,858 |
| Median home value | $276,000 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.67% |
| Typical Florida county rate | 0.72% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Hernando County compare in Florida?
Among Florida's 67 counties, Hernando County has the 41st highest effective property-tax rate: 40 rank higher and 26 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Florida. Nationally, it ranks 1982nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Florida county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Hernando County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Hernando County's 68,075 owner-occupied homes, 23.3% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 42.3% pay at least $2,000, and 10.7% pay under $800. Another 6.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 7,290 | 10.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 16,784 | 24.7% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 10,910 | 16% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 12,933 | 19% |
| $3,000 or more | 15,864 | 23.3% |
| No property tax paid | 4,294 | 6.3% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,036 and owners without one pay $1,609. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Hernando County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $1,858 is about 2.6% of the median income of Hernando County homeowner households, $70,288 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.5% of Hernando County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Hernando County?
Yes. The median bill went from $1,186 in 2015-2019 to $1,858 in 2020-2024, a 56.7% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 93.7%, from $142,500 to $276,000. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Hernando County
Hernando County borders 3 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County, FL | 0.78% | $3,014 | $385,400 |
| Pasco County, FL | 0.73% | $2,206 | $300,900 |
| Hernando County, FL (this county) | 0.67% | $1,858 | $276,000 |
| Citrus County, FL | 0.58% | $1,430 | $245,500 |
How is a home assessed in Hernando County?
Florida assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Hernando County included. How Florida assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Hernando County?
Yes. Florida exempts up to $50,000 of a permanent resident's home: the first $25,000 from all taxes and a further $25,000 from everything except school levies. Apply with the county property appraiser by March 1. That is the Florida rule, and it applies in Hernando County. Florida's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Florida programs, Hernando County runs its own:
- Low income senior exemption: Hernando County grants an extra $50,000 homestead exemption from county taxes (including its dependent special districts and municipal service taxing units, but not school or city taxes) to an owner aged 65 or older whose household adjusted gross income is no more than $38,686 (the 2026 limit, adjusted every year). Apply by March 1 every year; the county ordinance allows income documents until June 1, though the Property Appraiser asks for them with the application. Apply by March 1.
- Long-term resident senior exemption (25 years): An owner aged 65 or older who has lived in the home as a permanent residence for at least 25 years, whose home had a just value under $250,000 when first qualifying, and whose household adjusted gross income is no more than $38,686 (the 2026 limit, adjusted every year) is exempt from Hernando County taxes on the home's full assessed value. It is in addition to the $50,000 senior exemption, and the application must be filed every year. Apply by March 1.
How to appeal your Hernando County property assessment
In Hernando County you appeal to the Hernando County Value Adjustment Board (petitions filed with the Clerk to the Value Adjustment Board). The deadline: Within 25 days after the Property Appraiser mails the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice of proposed taxes; the exact deadline is printed on the notice. The petition and the filing fee must be received in the Clerk's office by the deadline, and postmarks are not considered. A petition over a denied exemption is due within 30 days of the denial. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Florida's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Florida rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Florida page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Hernando County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Florida income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Florida actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Hernando County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Hernando County, Florida: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.