Florida closing-cost calculator
Estimate buyer and seller costs using the purchase price, financing, county, title custom, statutory taxes, and editable lender fees.
Excludes prepaids (first-year insurance, escrow deposits, prorated property taxes, per-diem interest), survey, inspections, and HOA fees. Down payment not included.
Calculator results are estimates for education, not a quote, prequalification, or approval. Verify every figure with your loan officer before making decisions.
In short
Key takeaways
- Three state taxes do most of the damage: deed stamps (price), note stamps (loan), and intangible tax (loan). On a $400,000 purchase with 20% down outside Miami-Dade, they total $4,560.
- Title premiums are promulgated: $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000, then $5.00 per $1,000 to $1 million, the same at every title agency (Rule 69O-186.003).
- The customary title payer is county-specific: buyer in Miami-Dade and Broward, seller in most of the rest of the state. Custom, not law.
- Financing adds its own taxes: a cash buyer on the same $400,000 deal skips about $1,785 in note stamps, intangible tax, and lender's title.
Written and reviewed by the Intel Loans, Inc. lending team · NMLS #2858705Updated July 2026
The methodology
How the math works, statute by statute
Deed documentary stamps (Fla. Stat. §201.02)
Florida taxes the transfer of real estate at $0.70 per $100 of the full purchase price, rounded up to the next $100, in 66 of 67 counties. Miami-Dade charges $0.60 per $100 and adds a $0.45 per $100 surtax on transfers of property other than a single-family residence; under the county's rules an individually deeded condo unit counts as a single-family residence and skips the surtax, while multi-unit deals, commercial property, and vacant land pay it. Sellers customarily pay deed stamps statewide.
Note stamps and the intangible tax (§201.08 and §199.133)
Two separate taxes attach to the mortgage. Documentary stamps on the note run $0.35 per $100 of the amount financed. The nonrecurring intangible tax adds 2 mills, meaning $2 per $1,000 of mortgage, paid once at recording. Together they cost a borrower $5.50 per $1,000 financed, which is why the same house costs measurably more to close with a bigger loan, and why these two lines belong in any honest rent-versus-buy or cash-versus-finance comparison.
Title insurance (Rule 69O-186.003) and recording (§28.24)
Florida promulgates title premiums, so the rate is fixed by regulation: $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000 of coverage and $5.00 per $1,000 from there to $1 million, with a $100 minimum. A lender's policy issued simultaneously with the owner's policy costs $25 plus any endorsements. Recording runs $10 for a document's first page and $8.50 for each additional page; mortgages are long documents, so we estimate about $230 combined for a financed purchase.
Worked example
A $400,000 Tampa purchase, both sides of the ledger
Hypothetical example: 20% down, a $320,000 loan, Hillsborough County custom (seller pays title), $1,995 of lender fees and a $650 settlement fee. Labeled an example because it is one; your figures will differ.
| Line item | Amount | Customarily pays |
|---|---|---|
| Deed doc stamps ($0.70 × 4,000) | $2,800 | Seller |
| Owner's title policy ($575 + $1,500) | $2,075 | Seller |
| Settlement / closing fee | $650 | Seller |
| Note doc stamps ($0.35 × 3,200) | $1,120 | Buyer |
| Intangible tax ($320,000 × 0.002) | $640 | Buyer |
| Lender's title (simultaneous issue) | $25 | Buyer |
| Lender & third-party fees (example input) | $1,995 | Buyer |
| Recording (estimate) | $233 | Buyer |
| Buyer-side total | $4,013 | Buyer |
| Seller-side total | $5,525 | Seller |
Note what is missing: prepaids. At closing a financed buyer also fronts the first year's homeowners insurance, initial escrow deposits, prorated property taxes, and per-diem interest, and in Florida the insurance line is frequently the largest prepaid of all. That is a payment question more than a closing-cost question, and it is covered in depth in our Florida insurance requirements guide. Investors should also see how these costs feed the ratio math on the Florida DSCR page, and condo buyers should budget for the association's estoppel and application fees noted in the condo financing guide.
County custom
Who pays for title, county by county.
Florida has no statewide rule assigning the owner's title policy. Custom decides who pays and who picks the title agent, and custom changes at county lines. The table reflects prevailing practice reported by Florida title agents as of mid-2026; your contract can say anything you negotiate.
| Where | Custom | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | Buyer pays, buyer picks the agent | Budget title on the buyer side; pairs with the county's $0.60 deed rate and $0.45 non-residential surtax. |
| Broward | Buyer pays, buyer picks the agent | Same custom as Miami-Dade with the standard $0.70 deed-stamp rate. |
| Most other counties (Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville, SW FL) | Seller pays, seller picks the agent | The seller's net sheet absorbs the title premium; buyers still pay the lender's policy and loan taxes. |
| A handful of counties (e.g., Sarasota, Collier in some transactions) | Mixed practice | Local practice varies deal to deal; ask the listing agent what is customary and put it in writing. |
Questions we actually get
Who pays closing costs in Florida?
By custom: the seller pays the deed doc stamps and, in most counties, the owner's title policy, while the buyer pays everything tied to the loan, meaning note stamps, intangible tax, lender fees, and recording. In Miami-Dade and Broward the custom flips on title and the buyer pays it. None of this is law. Every line can be reassigned in the purchase contract, and in slower markets seller credits toward buyer costs are routine.
Why is Miami-Dade County different?
Two reasons. Its deed stamp rate is $0.60 per $100 instead of the statewide $0.70, but it adds a $0.45 per $100 surtax on transfers of anything other than a single-family residence, which under the county's rules includes an individually deeded condo unit. And by local custom the buyer, not the seller, pays for the owner's title policy and picks the title agent. Broward shares the buyer-pays-title custom but uses the standard $0.70 deed rate.
Do cash buyers pay doc stamps?
The deed stamps still apply because they tax the transfer itself, and by custom the seller pays them. What a cash purchase eliminates is everything attached to a mortgage: the $0.35 per $100 note stamps, the 2-mill intangible tax, the lender's title policy, and lender fees. On a $400,000 purchase with 20% down, that is roughly $1,800 of state taxes alone that a cash buyer never sees.
Is title insurance cheaper if I shop around?
The premium itself is promulgated, meaning Florida sets the rate by rule (69O-186.003) and it is the same at every agency: $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000 of coverage and $5.00 per $1,000 up to $1 million. What varies between title companies is everything around the premium: search fees, settlement fees, and endorsement charges. Shop those. Also ask about the reissue credit if the seller bought recently and can produce their policy; it can cut the premium meaningfully.
What about new construction?
Builder contracts play by their own rules. Many Florida builders write the contract so the buyer pays the deed stamps and title, reversing the usual custom, sometimes in exchange for incentives if you use the builder's affiliated lender and title company. It is all disclosed, and all negotiable, but read the cost-allocation section of a builder contract carefully because the customary defaults do not apply.
Want these numbers on a real Loan Estimate?
Tell us the property and the price. You'll get the full itemization for your county and program, in writing, before you commit to anything.
This is not a commitment to lend or an offer of credit. All loan approvals are subject to credit review, underwriting, and property evaluation. Programs, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice.
Intel Loans, Inc., NMLS #2858705. Licensed in Florida. Verify our licensing at nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Calculator results are estimates for education, not a quote, prequalification, or approval. Verify every figure with your loan officer before making decisions.
Statutory tax rates and promulgated title premiums verified against floridarevenue.com and Fla. Admin. Code Rule 69O-186.003 in July 2026. Recording fees are estimates that depend on document length; county customs describe prevailing practice, not a legal requirement, and any cost can be reallocated by contract.