Property tax in Sumter County, Florida
In Sumter County, the property tax bill comes from the Sumter 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 Sumter County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Sumter County, Florida is $3,014 a year, which is about 0.78% of the county's median home value of $385,400. That effective rate is higher 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 Sumter County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Sumter County Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Sumter 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 sends the bill and takes payment. The value-appeal window closes in September, before the bill arrives in November, so a disagreement with the value has to be raised from the TRIM notice mailed in August. In The Villages, community development district maintenance and bond assessments appear on the same bill as non-ad valorem assessments, but they are not county taxes. Online e-check payments carry no fee.
When are property taxes due in Sumter County?
For the 2026 bill, Sumter County has one due date: March 31, 2027. Tax bills are mailed by November 1, 2026. Paying early earns a discount: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February; the full amount is due in March, by March 31, 2027. January 31 and February 28, 2027 fall on Sundays; under state law (section 197.162), a discount period that ends on a weekend or legal holiday extends to the next working day if the payment is delivered to a Tax Collector office. Owners already on the quarterly installment plan pay their 2026 taxes in four parts: June 30 and September 30, 2026 (discounts of 6% and 4.5%), then December 31, 2026 (3%) and March 31, 2027 (no discount). To join the plan for 2027 taxes, estimated taxes must be over $100 and the application must reach the Tax Collector before May 1, 2027; you do not need to reapply the following year, and state law (section 197.222) lets a late first installment be paid, without the discount, through July 31. Unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1, 2027, when a 3% penalty is added; if April 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, checks are accepted on the next business day. Delinquent taxes are then advertised and collection costs are added, and on or before June 1 the Tax Collector holds a tax certificate sale, where interest bids start at 18% and go down. Delinquent taxes can be paid only in cash or certified funds.
From Sumter 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 Sumter County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Sumter County's average effective rate of 0.78% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,006 / year
Property tax in Sumter County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,014 |
| Median home value | $385,400 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.78% |
| 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 Sumter County compare in Florida?
Among Florida's 67 counties, Sumter County has the 18th highest effective property-tax rate: 17 rank higher and 49 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Florida. Nationally, it ranks 1633rd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Florida county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Sumter County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Sumter County's 61,604 owner-occupied homes, 48.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 68.4% pay at least $2,000, and 9.9% pay under $800. Another 4.1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 6,104 | 9.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 5,702 | 9.3% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 5,110 | 8.3% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 12,468 | 20.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 29,693 | 48.2% |
| No property tax paid | 2,527 | 4.1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,221 and owners without one pay $2,896. 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 Sumter County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,014 is about 3.7% of the median income of Sumter County homeowner households, $81,977 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 87.6% of Sumter 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 Sumter County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,343 in 2015-2019 to $3,014 in 2020-2024, a 28.6% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 49%, from $258,600 to $385,400. 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 Sumter County
Sumter County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter County, FL (this county) | 0.78% | $3,014 | $385,400 |
| Lake County, FL | 0.76% | $2,433 | $318,400 |
| Marion County, FL | 0.74% | $1,806 | $243,100 |
| Pasco County, FL | 0.73% | $2,206 | $300,900 |
| Polk County, FL | 0.73% | $1,933 | $266,500 |
| Hernando County, FL | 0.67% | $1,858 | $276,000 |
| Citrus County, FL | 0.58% | $1,430 | $245,500 |
How is a home assessed in Sumter County?
Florida assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Sumter County included. How Florida assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Sumter 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 Sumter County. Florida's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Florida programs, Sumter County runs its own:
- Additional homestead exemption for low-income seniors: For a homesteaded owner aged 65 or older whose household income does not exceed the limit the Florida Department of Revenue adjusts each year ($38,686 for 2026 exemptions), a county ordinance grants an extra exemption that applies only to taxes levied by the Board of County Commissioners, not to school or city taxes. The county code set it at $15,000 as of January 2025, and the commission has since considered raising it to the state maximum of $50,000; ask the Property Appraiser which amount applies for 2026. Apply by March 1 (income documents by June 1).
How to appeal your Sumter County property assessment
In Sumter County you appeal to the Sumter County Value Adjustment Board (administered by the Clerk of the Circuit Court). The deadline: Within 25 days after the Property Appraiser mails the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice, which is typically mailed in August. A petition over a denied exemption is due within 30 days after the Property Appraiser mails the denial notice. A value petition costs $50 per parcel. 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 Sumter 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 Sumter County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Sumter 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.