Before you start

An SSN or ITIN
Form W-4 with your employer for federal withholding
Records of foreign income and foreign financial accounts
For homeowners, the county property appraiser's homestead application in the first year

Step-by-step

1
Complete the federal W-4 on day one — and that is the only income tax form
There is no Florida state withholding certificate because there is no state income tax, and no municipal one either. Newcomers from a local-tax state like Pennsylvania or Kentucky routinely look for the second form; there is not one.
Via employerWho: YouFirst week of employment
2
Determine your US tax residency
The substantial presence test counts weighted days across three years to decide whether the US taxes your worldwide income or only US-source income. Your visa category does not decide this.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check for an applicable tax treaty
The US has treaties with around 70 countries that can reduce or exempt tax on particular income. With no state income tax in Florida, a federal treaty position is the whole story here rather than only half of it.
OnlineWho: You
4
Check Hillsborough's current sales surtax rate
Florida charges 6% state sales tax and each county sets its own discretionary surtax on top; Hillsborough's total has been among the higher rates in the state. The county surtax applies only to the first $5,000 of a single item of tangible personal property, which matters on a car or a sofa. The Department of Revenue publishes the current rates for every county in form DR-15DSS each year.
OnlineWho: You
5
If you buy, apply for the homestead exemption in the first year
The homestead exemption reduces the taxable value of a permanent residence and, more consequentially, activates the Save Our Homes cap limiting the annual increase in assessed value to 3% or the change in the consumer price index, whichever is lower. It has to be applied for with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser by the statutory deadline — it does not come with the deed.
OnlineWho: You
6
Use portability if you move within Florida
Once you have a homestead, the difference between market value and the capped assessed value is an accrued benefit you can transfer to your next Florida home, up to a statutory ceiling and within a limited number of tax years. It is a separate application filed alongside the new homestead one, and forgetting it is expensive.
OnlineWho: You
7
Watch the November 2026 property tax question
The legislature placed a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would substantially raise the homestead exemption against NON-SCHOOL property taxes in stages from 2027, with inflation indexing afterwards. It needs 60% approval to pass and school taxes would be unaffected. If you are modelling a purchase across 2027, treat the current exemption as the base case and this as an upside, not the other way round.
OnlineWho: You
8
File an FBAR if foreign accounts exceed $10,000
Aggregate foreign account balances over $10,000 at any point in the year trigger a FinCEN filing, separate from your tax return and with its own penalties.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Form W-2 from each employer, issued by 31 January
Form 1099s for freelance, interest and investment income
Passport and travel history for the substantial presence day count
Proof of permanent residence for the homestead application
Foreign account statements for FBAR reporting

Things most newcomers don’t know

An unincorporated address has no city property tax line at all.

Because Hillsborough has only three incorporated cities, most of the metro pays county and school millage but no municipal rate. That is a real annual difference between an otherwise identical house in Tampa and one in Brandon or Carrollwood — and it comes with county rather than city services. Compare the actual millage for the actual parcel on the property appraiser's site.

Source: Hillsborough County

Hillsborough's sales tax history is a warning about voter-approved taxes here.

Voters passed a 1% transportation surtax in 2018; the Florida Supreme Court struck the charter amendment down in February 2021 because its spending directives conflicted with the county commission's statutory authority, and a large refund settlement followed. It is a reminder to check the CURRENT rate in the Department of Revenue's DR-15DSS rather than a figure quoted in an older article.

Source: Florida Supreme Court — Hillsborough transportation surtax, February 2021

Save Our Homes is worth more than the exemption itself.

The exemption knocks a fixed amount off taxable value; the 3%-or-CPI assessment cap compounds every year you stay. After a decade in a rising market the cap is usually the far larger benefit — and it is why a long-term neighbour's tax bill can be a fraction of a new buyer's on an identical house.

Source: Florida Statutes s.193.155

Portability is a separate application, and people forget it.

Moving within Florida lets you carry the accrued Save Our Homes differential to the new home, subject to a statutory cap and a time limit. It is not automatic and it is not part of the homestead form. Missing it resets a decade of accrued benefit to zero.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue

Your visa does not determine your tax residency.

The substantial presence test — a weighted day count across three years — decides whether the US taxes your worldwide income. Someone on a temporary visa can be a US tax resident; someone on a long visa can fail the test. Do the count rather than assuming.

Source: IRS — substantial presence test

Common mistakes to avoid

Comparing a Florida salary to a high-tax state's without putting property insurance in the comparison.
Using a sales tax rate from an older article rather than the current DR-15DSS.
Assuming the homestead exemption is automatic — it is applied for, with a first-year deadline.
Moving within Florida and failing to file for portability of the Save Our Homes benefit.
Budgeting from a seller's current tax bill, which reflects their capped assessment and not yours.
Missing the FBAR because a home-country account did not feel 'foreign'.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.