Florida closing costs: who pays what

The usual split

These are Florida customs and the rates behind them. Your purchase contract can move any line from one side to the other, and the contract wins.

What the seller usually pays

Documentary stamp tax on the deed

$0.70 per $100 of the price

In Miami-Dade County

$0.60 per $100, plus $0.45 surtax if not a single-family home

Owner's title policy

Most counties (not Miami-Dade or Broward)

HOA or condo estoppel certificate

Fee capped by state law

Payoff of the seller's mortgage and any liens

From the sale proceeds

Property taxes from January 1 to closing

Credited to the buyer

Seller's closing fee at Beycome Title

$499 ($99 if prepaid)

What the buyer usually pays

Documentary stamp tax on the note

$0.35 per $100 of the loan

Intangible tax on the mortgage

0.2% of the loan

Lender's title policy

$25 when issued with the owner's policy

Lender's policy endorsements

Set by the lender's requirements

Recording the deed and the mortgage

Per page, at the county clerk

Owner's title policy

In Miami-Dade and Broward, by custom

Buyer's closing fee at Beycome Title

$499

A cash buyer skips every loan line: no note stamps, no intangible tax, no lender's policy, no mortgage recording.

The taxes, and where the rates come from

Deed stamps. Florida taxes every deed at 70 cents per $100 of the price (Fla. Stat. 201.02). On a $250,000 home that is $1,750. Miami-Dade is the one exception: 60 cents per $100, plus a 45-cent surtax on deeds that transfer anything other than a single-family home, such as a duplex or a commercial building (Fla. Stat. 201.031). The Florida Department of Revenue notes that every party to the deed is legally liable for the tax, whoever agrees to pay it, which is why the contract spells it out.

Note stamps and intangible tax. When the buyer borrows, Florida taxes the mortgage twice: 35 cents per $100 of the note (Fla. Stat. 201.08) and a 2-mill intangible tax, or 0.2% of the loan (Fla. Stat. 199.133). On a $200,000 loan that is $700 plus $400. A cash purchase pays neither.

Title insurance. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation sets title premiums, so the owner's policy costs the same at every title company: $1,325 on a $250,000 home. When the lender's policy is issued at the same time and the loan doesn't exceed the owner's policy amount, it costs a flat $25. What does differ between title companies is the closing fee and the smaller service charges. More on who pays the owner's policy in each county in our owner's title insurance guide.

Recording. The county clerk charges by the page. On our recent Florida files a three-page deed recorded for $27 and a 21-page mortgage for $180, so treat those as estimates: the lender's document set decides the mortgage's page count.

Property taxes and HOA dues

Florida property taxes cover the calendar year and are paid at the end of it. The tax collector mails the bill in November, with a 4% discount for paying that month, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February (Fla. Stat. 197.162). Since nobody has paid the current year at closing, the seller credits the buyer for the days the seller owned the home, and the buyer pays the full bill later. If the closing happens before the year's bill is out, the proration uses the prior year's figure, and the contract says whether to adjust it later.

In an HOA or a condo, the association issues an estoppel certificate showing what the seller owes in dues and assessments. Florida law caps what it can charge for one and requires it within 10 business days of the request (Fla. Stat. 720.30851 for HOAs, 718.116 for condos). Any unpaid balance comes out of the seller's proceeds, and the buyer's share of the current period is prorated like the taxes.

A worked example: $250,000 home, $200,000 loan

A home outside Miami-Dade and Broward, where the seller pays the owner's policy. These are the title and tax lines only, using our current Florida fee schedule.

Seller

Documentary stamp tax on the deed ($0.70 per $100)

$1,750

Owner's title insurance (promulgated premium)

$1,325

Beycome Title closing fee

$499

Title exam fee

$100

Total

$3,674

If the seller prepaid the title fee at checkout when listing on beycome.com, the closing fee is $99 and the total drops to $3,274. Our quote also shows estimates for a municipal lien search and, for HOA homes, the estoppel certificate.

Buyer

Documentary stamp tax on the note ($0.35 per $100 of the loan)

$700

Intangible tax (0.2% of the loan)

$400

Lender's title policy, issued with the owner's policy

$25

ALTA 8.1 endorsement (lender's policy)

$25

ALTA 9 endorsement (lender's policy)

$135

Recording the deed (3 pages, estimate)

$27

Recording the mortgage (21 pages, estimate)

$180

E-recording fee

$10

Beycome Title closing fee

$499

Total

$2,001

The lender adds its own costs on top: origination, appraisal, credit report, and the prepaid interest, insurance and escrow deposits listed on your Loan Estimate. Those don't go through the title company's fee schedule, so they aren't here.

For your own address, price and loan, the 2-minute quote runs the same math with your county's stamp rate. Sellers can also see their bottom line with the home sale profit calculator.

What isn't a title cost

The real estate commission is usually the largest seller cost, and it's set by the listing agreement, not by Florida law. Some sellers hire a full-service agent; others list on the MLS themselves with a flat fee MLS listing and pay a fixed price instead. Either way, the commission shows on the closing statement next to the lines above.

Selling in Texas instead? There's no transfer tax there at all; see our Texas title page.

Closing in Florida with Beycome Title

Beycome Title of Florida LLC (license G142689) closes sales across Florida from 5701 Sunset Drive, Suite 101, South Miami, FL 33143. Our closing fee is $499 per side, or $99 for sellers who prepay at checkout when they list on beycome.com. Details on our Florida title page.

Questions

Sources

Florida Statutes 201.02, 201.031 and 201.08 (documentary stamp tax), 199.133 (intangible tax), 197.162 (property tax discounts), 720.30851 and 718.116 (estoppel certificates); Florida Department of Revenue, documentary stamp tax; Florida Office of Insurance Regulation promulgated title rates (Fla. Admin. Code 69O-186.003); Beycome Title's Florida fee schedule. Rates checked October 30, 2026.

More in our glossary: closing costs, documentary stamps, proration, transfer tax.