Filing a Florida property tax appeal for the first time? This complete beginner guide covers TRIM notices, VAB petitions, deadlines, evidence, and exactly what to expect. TaxAppeal USA files for $89 flat.
Every August, your county property appraiser mails a Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice to every property owner in Florida. This is not your tax bill — it is a proposed assessment. It shows your property's just value (the appraiser's estimate of market value), your assessed value (which may be lower if Save Our Homes applies), your exemptions, and your estimated tax bill. The moment it arrives, find the deadline printed on the notice — that is your filing deadline.
Appeal if comparable homes in your neighborhood have sold recently for less than your just (market) value. If three or more similar properties sold for 5% or more below your assessed just value in the past year, you have a reasonable case. Do not appeal if your just value appears to match or fall below recent sales — the evidence simply will not support it. Also check whether Save Our Homes is already protecting you: if your assessed value is already significantly below your just value, reducing just value further may not affect your tax bill.
The formal appeal document is called a DR-486 petition. You file it with your county Value Adjustment Board (VAB) within 25 days of the TRIM mailing date. The petition includes your property information, the value you believe is correct, and a brief statement of your grounds. You must also pay the county VAB filing fee (typically $15-$50) when you submit. The petition must be physically received by the VAB by the deadline — a postmark is not sufficient.
After your petition is filed, you will receive a hearing date from your county VAB. The hearing is conducted by a special magistrate — a licensed real estate professional or attorney appointed by the board. You present your comparable sales evidence — the evidence package TaxAppeal prepared and filed with your petition is already on the record, but TaxAppeal cannot appear for you and is not your representative. The property appraiser may also present their evidence supporting the original value. The magistrate then makes a recommendation, which the VAB adopts or modifies.
TaxAppeal USA was designed specifically for homeowners filing for the first time. Enter your property address, complete the 4-minute process, and pay $89. We pull your property data from your county appraiser, identify the strongest comparable sales in your neighborhood, generate a complete DR-486 petition with comparable sales analysis, pay your county's VAB filing fee, and mail everything via tracked USPS First Class mail at least 7 days before your deadline. You receive your USPS tracking number and a complete copy of your petition by email. No forms to fill out yourself — you read and sign the finished petition. No office visits required.
$89 flat fee. You sign it, we file it. You keep 100% of your savings.
TaxAppeal USA is a self-service document-preparation and mail filing service. In every state we serve, including Florida, we are not property tax consultants, agents, or representatives, we do not provide tax or legal advice, and we do not represent customers before any appraisal district, board of equalization, value adjustment board, or review board. Every protest and petition is prepared for the property owner, signed by the owner, and filed in the owner’s name. In Florida we also pay your county’s Value Adjustment Board filing fee on your behalf and mail your petition to the Clerk of the Value Adjustment Board. Your petition is signed by you as the property owner under section 194.011(3), Florida Statutes. TaxAppeal USA does not sign as your representative, does not appear before the Board, and does not present evidence or argument at a hearing.