Polk County Property Tax Rates (2025)
Homeowners in Polk County, Florida pay a median $1,769 in property tax each year, or 0.74% of a median home value of $240,000. That rate is 6% lower than the Florida median and 25% lower than the national median of 0.98%.
Updated October 2026 · 2025 millage from the Florida Department of Revenue; medians from the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey
Look up, pay or appeal your Polk County property tax
This site estimates taxes; your actual bill, payments and appeals are handled by these official county offices.
- Tax collector — Look up and pay your tax bill: polktaxes.com
- Property appraiser — Look up your property: property search, values and exemptions: polkflpa.gov/default.aspx?cookie_test=true
- Value adjustment board — File a petition if you disagree with your value: polkcountyclerk.net/196/Value-Adjustment-Board
Source: Florida Department of Revenue: find a county official.
Polk County property tax calculator
![Polk County, FL — Bartow, Florida: Polk County Courthouse, completed in 1987[1]](/photos/12105-1200.webp)
Key property tax dates in Polk County
- January 1Property is assessed as of this date.
- March 1Deadline to file for the homestead exemption with the property appraiser.
- AugustProposed tax (TRIM) notices are mailed; petitions to the value adjustment board are due within 25 days.
- November 1Tax bills go out — pay in November for a 4% discount (3% Dec, 2% Jan, 1% Feb).
- March 31Last day to pay before taxes become delinquent on April 1.
Statewide deadlines; if a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday it moves to the next business day. Check the county office for local hearing dates.
Worked example: a median-value home in Polk County
Take a homesteaded home assessed at $240,000, the county's median value. School taxes apply after the first $25,000 exemption; all other millage after both exemptions ($50,722 in total).
| Levy | Millage | Taxable value | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| School board millage | 5.2900 mills | $215,000 | $1,137 |
| County, city and district millage (county average) | 10.1478 mills | $189,278 | $1,921 |
| Total | $3,058 |
That is $255 a month — what a lender would typically collect in escrow with each mortgage payment.
Property tax at different home values in Polk County
| Home value | Primary residence | Not a homestead | Monthly (primary residence) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | $897 | $1,544 | $75 |
| $150,000 | $1,669 | $2,316 | $139 |
| $200,000 | $2,441 | $3,088 | $203 |
| $250,000 | $3,212 | $3,859 | $268 |
| $300,000 | $3,984 | $4,631 | $332 |
| $400,000 | $5,528 | $6,175 | $461 |
| $500,000 | $7,072 | $7,719 | $589 |
Based on 2025 county-average millage. Homestead figures apply the state's two homestead exemptions but not the Save Our Homes cap.
Where a Polk County property tax bill goes
For a $240,000 primary residence, the $3,058 bill splits like this; the largest share goes to County government. Because city and MSTU millage is averaged across the county, the city line is lower here than inside a city, and zero in unincorporated areas.
| Taxing body | Tax | Share | Share of bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| School board | $1,137 | 37% | |
| County government | $1,256 | 41% | |
| Cities and MSTUs (county-wide average) | $600 | 20% | |
| Independent special districts | $65 | 2% |
Polk County millage rates (2025)
Taken together, property in Polk County carried 15.4378 mills on average in 2025 — $15 per $1,000 of taxable value. County-wide levies, which every owner pays, add up to 11.9248 mills. All taxing authorities levied $1,164,227,751, 8.9% more than in 2024.
| Levy | Mills | On $200,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|
| County government — operating | 6.6348 | $1,327 |
| School board — operating | 5.2900 | $1,058 |
| Levies in only part of the county (cities, MSTUs, local districts), county-wide equivalent | 3.5130 | $703 |
| Total | 15.4378 | $3,088 |
Source: 2025 millage rates, Florida Department of Revenue (data extract November 2025). Levies charged in only part of the county are shown as their county-wide equivalent, so the total is an average: inside a city or MSTU your millage is higher, elsewhere lower.
How Polk County compares
| Polk County | Florida | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median effective rate | 0.74% | 0.79% | 0.98% |
| Median annual property tax | $1,769 | $2,555 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $240,000 | $325,000 | $303,400 |
| Median owner household income | $72,648 | $84,813 | $97,352 |
| Median tax as share of income | 2.4% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Median tax, homes with a mortgage | $2,111 | $2,789 | — |
| Median tax, homes without a mortgage | $1,291 | $2,172 | — |
33 counties have a higher median effective rate in Florida, and 33 a lower one. Medians come from the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey.
How property tax works in Florida
- Millage: rates are in mills — dollars per $1,000 of taxable value. County government, the school board, cities and special districts each levy their own millage.
- Homestead exemption: a primary residence gets $25,000 off its assessed value for all taxes, and a second exemption of up to $25,722 (2025, adjusted for inflation each year) on value between $50,000 and $75,000 that does not apply to school taxes. File with the county property appraiser by March 1.
- Save Our Homes cap: once homesteaded, assessed value can rise by no more than 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower — so long-time owners are often taxed on far less than market value.
- When it's due: proposed (TRIM) notices arrive in August; bills go out around November 1 with discounts of 4% in November, 3% December, 2% January and 1% February. Unpaid taxes are delinquent on April 1.
How to lower your property tax in Polk County
- File for the homestead exemption with the county property appraiser by March 1. Besides up to $50,722 off assessed value, it starts the Save Our Homes cap on annual increases.
- Move your Save Our Homes benefit when you buy a new Florida homestead: portability lets you transfer the difference between market and assessed value (up to $500,000) to the new home.
- Review your TRIM notice in August. If the value is wrong, talk to the appraiser's office first, then file a petition with the value adjustment board within 25 days of the notice being mailed.
- Pay in November for the full 4% early-payment discount (3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February).
Frequently asked questions
What is the property tax rate in Polk County?
The median effective property tax rate in Polk County, Florida is 0.74%: homeowners pay a median $1,769 a year on homes with a median value of $240,000. Total 2025 millage averaged 15.44 mills ($15.44 per $1,000 of taxable value) across the county.
How does Polk County compare with the rest of Florida?
Its median effective rate is 6% lower than the Florida median of 0.79%, ranking 34th highest of 67 counties with data. The median tax bill of $1,769 is 31% lower than the statewide $2,555.
Do homeowners with a mortgage pay more property tax in Polk County?
Owners with a mortgage pay a median $2,111 a year, against $1,291 for owners without one. The difference mostly reflects home values — newer buyers tend to own more expensive, more recently assessed homes — not a different tax rate.
What share of income do Polk County homeowners spend on property tax?
The median homeowner household in Polk County earns $72,648 a year, so the median property tax bill of $1,769 is about 2.4% of income, against 3.0% across Florida and 3.0% nationally.
When is property tax due in Polk County?
Florida bills are mailed around November 1, with a 4% discount for paying in November (falling to 1% in February); taxes are delinquent on April 1.
What property tax exemptions can Polk County homeowners claim?
A homestead gets $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes and up to $25,722 more (2025) for non-school taxes, and the Save Our Homes cap limits annual increases in assessed value to 3% or inflation.
How do I estimate my Polk County property tax bill?
Multiply your home's taxable value by the combined rate of every taxing unit that covers your address, after subtracting exemptions. The calculator above does this with the official rates for each school district and city. For the exact amount, look up your property with the county's appraisal or assessment office.
Other Florida counties
Similar effective rates
- Clay County — 0.74%
- Pinellas County — 0.73%
- Marion County — 0.75%
- Hernando County — 0.72%
- Sarasota County — 0.76%
- Pasco County — 0.76%
Largest counties
- Miami-Dade County — 0.83%
- Broward County — 0.95%
- Palm Beach County — 0.88%
- Hillsborough County — 0.84%
- Orange County — 0.78%
- Duval County — 0.78%
- Lee County — 0.83%
- Brevard County — 0.70%
- Volusia County — 0.78%
- Seminole County — 0.70%
- Manatee County — 0.79%
- Osceola County — 0.79%
Sources
- Median taxes paid, home values, owner counts and owner household income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates, tables B25103, B25077, B25003 and B25119.
- Millage: Florida Department of Revenue, 2025 millage and taxes levied.
- How the figures are calculated: methodology.