Seller closing costs in Florida: every line on the closing statement

What a Florida seller pays at closing

Every Florida sale ends with a closing statement. It lists the price at the top and then two kinds of money taken out of it. The first kind is the cost of the sale itself: the tax on the deed, title insurance, the title company's own fees, recording, and papers from the homeowners association. The second kind is debt you already owe on the house: the mortgage, a home equity line, contractor liens, court judgments and unpaid property tax.

Your contract decides who pays each cost of the sale. Florida law fixes the price of some of them, such as the deed tax, the county clerk's recording fee and the most an HOA may charge for its estoppel certificate. The title company quotes the rest. Debts stay with the house until they are paid, so the title company pays each one from your price before you receive the rest.

The table below lists the lines a Florida seller sees most. The middle column says who pays. The last column says where the amount comes from, so you know which lines you can compare between companies and which ones are the same everywhere.

The documentary stamp tax on the deed

Florida charges a tax on every deed that transfers a house. The law calls it the documentary stamp tax, and most title companies call it doc stamps. Section 201.02 sets the rate at 70 cents on each $100 of the price, or part of $100. The Florida Department of Revenue explains that any part of $100 counts as a full $100, so the price is always rounded up to the next $100 before the rate is applied.

Miami-Dade County has its own rate. There the tax is 60 cents per $100. Miami-Dade also adds a surtax of 45 cents per $100, which does not apply to a deed that transfers only a single-family home. So a duplex or a vacant lot in Miami-Dade pays $1.05 per $100 in total.

The price for this tax includes any mortgage on the house that the buyer takes over or that stays on it, says the Department of Revenue. That matters when a house is transferred for little or no cash, for example to a lender in place of a foreclosure. In that case the tax is worked out on the debt that is cancelled.

The tax is paid to the county clerk when the deed is recorded. The closing statement shows it as its own line, and it is paid when your deed is recorded.

Who pays the deed tax in Florida

The Department of Revenue says all parties to the deed are liable for the tax, whichever party agrees to pay it. If one party is exempt, such as a government agency, the other party must pay. The contract only decides which of you hands over the money at closing.

So read the paragraph of your contract that lists closing costs. It should name who pays the documentary stamp tax on the deed. If it says nothing, ask the title company how it will treat the tax before you sign, and ask for the figure in writing.

In a sale to BIMINIO we pay the closing costs, and the closing statement shows them as paid by BIMINIO. Your mortgage, liens and any back taxes are still paid from the price.

See every seller closing cost in Florida and Arizona →

Title insurance in Florida

Title insurance protects an owner against claims on the house that started before the sale, such as an unpaid contractor or old unpaid taxes. In Florida the premium is set by the state. Section 627.782 tells the state to adopt a rule that specifies the premium title insurers charge in Florida, so the premium for the same policy comes from that one rule.

That leaves the other charges from the title company. A settlement fee, a title search fee, a courier fee or a wire fee are separate lines. Ask each title company for a written list of every charge before you choose one.

Who pays for the buyer's owner's policy depends on the contract. BIMINIO's own closing notes record that the seller usually pays it in Hillsborough County and the buyer usually pays it in Miami-Dade County. Those are BIMINIO's notes, so treat them as a starting point and follow the contract you sign.

Read the guide: title insurance when you sell →

Recording fees in Florida

The county clerk records the deed in the public records, and the fee is set by section 28.24 of the Florida Statutes. For a standard page, up to 14 by 8.5 inches, the clerk charges $5 for the first page and $4 for each page after it. The same section adds a $1 charge for the first page and 50 cents for each added page for the public records fund, and a further $4 per page. That makes $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each page after it.

So a three-page deed costs $27 to record: $10, then $8.50 twice. A deed with more than four names in the index costs $1 more for each extra name. The title company records the deed after closing and lists the fee on the statement.

HOA and condo papers in Florida

If the house is in a homeowners association, the title company asks the association for an estoppel certificate. It states what the owner owes the association on the day it is issued. Under the 2026 text of section 720.30851, the association must send it within 10 business days of a written or electronic request.

The fee is at most $250 when nothing is owed. A rush costs up to $100 more if the certificate is delivered within 3 business days. If dues are owed, the association may charge up to $150 more. A certificate is good for 30 days if it is delivered by hand or electronically, and 35 days if it is mailed. The law adjusts these caps every 5 years for inflation, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation publishes the new amounts.

Ask for the certificate as soon as you sign the contract. A late request is the main reason sellers pay the rush fee.

Read the post: HOA papers and fees when you sell →

Property tax for the year of the sale

Florida property tax covers the calendar year and is due on November 1, and it becomes delinquent on April 1 of the next year (section 197.333). So on most closing days this year's bill has not been paid yet. The title company splits the year's tax by the days each side owns the house. You give the buyer a credit for your days, and the buyer pays the whole bill when it comes.

Unpaid taxes from earlier years are a debt on the house. They are paid from your price at closing.

Read the guide: property taxes when you sell →

Your mortgage and liens in Florida

Florida gives the seller two rights that help at closing. Under section 701.04, a lender must send a payoff letter within 10 days after it receives your written request. After the loan is paid in full, the lender has 60 days to record or send the satisfaction of the mortgage. The same 60 days apply to the release of a lien or a judgment that has been paid.

A contractor who is owed money must record a claim of lien within 90 days after the last day of work or materials (section 713.08). The lien ends one year after it is recorded unless the contractor files a court case to enforce it (section 713.22).

Read the guide: your mortgage payoff and liens →

A Florida example, line by line

Take a $300,000 house in Tampa, in an HOA with no dues owed, and a three-page deed. The lines that Florida law fixes add up to $2,377: the deed tax of $2,100, recording of $27, and the estoppel certificate at its $250 cap. The title premium comes from the state rule, so the title company will give you the exact figure. Its settlement fee is its own quote.

Now add your mortgage payoff and any liens. They come out of the price whoever pays the closing costs. What is left is the amount due to you, and the closing statement shows it on its last line.

In a sale to BIMINIO the cost lines are paid by BIMINIO. A cash offer is below full market value, so compare what you keep, after every cost, before you choose how to sell.

Run your own numbers in the net proceeds calculator →

How to keep Florida closing costs down

A seller cannot change the deed tax or the recording fee. A seller can avoid the costs that come from delay and can compare the charges that differ.

• Ask each title company for a written list of every fee. The premium is set by rule, and the other charges are where companies differ.
• Request the HOA estoppel certificate on the day you sign, so you do not pay the $100 rush fee.
• Send your lender a written payoff request early, with your loan number, so the 10 day clock starts.
• Clear old liens before you list. A lien that was paid but never released still shows in the records, and the title company must clear it before closing.
• Read the closing costs paragraph of the contract before you sign, and make sure it names who pays the deed tax and the title policy.

More on seller closing costs

• Seller closing costs in Florida and Arizona: the full guide
• Arizona seller closing costs
• Title insurance when you sell
• Mortgage payoff and liens
• Taxes on a house sale