Older Broward County homeowners with modest incomes have until March 1, 2027, to apply for the low-income senior exemption on their 2027 property tax bills. The Broward County Property Appraiser lists $38,686 as the household income limit, measured against 2026 income. The exemption has to be applied for every year, so last year’s approval does not carry over.
What the senior exemption requires
The exemption is an add-on to the regular homestead exemption, not a replacement for it. The Broward County Property Appraiser’s homestead page says an applicant must already have homestead on the property and be 65 or older as of January 1, even if other people in the household are younger.
The income test counts the whole household. Total household adjusted gross income for last year, 2026, “must not exceed $38,686,” according to the same page. The appraiser’s office says the limit will be adjusted for the 2027 tax year by the end of January, so the number can move before the filing window closes.
Which Broward households are affected?
The people most likely to be affected are Broward homeowners who turned 65 by January 1, 2027, already hold a homestead exemption and live in a household whose combined adjusted gross income stayed at or under $38,686 in 2026. For them, the open question is whether this year’s senior exemption application is on file, because the appraiser’s office says the exemption has to be applied for annually.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do.
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Why March 1 is the date that counts
The appraiser’s page puts the timely filing period for 2027 at March 3, 2026, through March 1, 2027. The filing period for the senior exemption itself runs from January 1 through March 1 each year. The Florida Department of Revenue’s taxpayer page names March 1 as the deadline for owners to file with the county property appraiser, and the Orange County Property Appraiser’s filing guide gives the same date for 2027.
There is a late-filing backstop, but it is narrow. Broward’s page says state law, section 196.011(8) of the Florida Statutes, does not allow late filing for exemptions after September 20, 2027.
How Broward homeowners can file
The appraiser’s office accepts applications through its online Homestead Online system, in person at its office, or at a Mobile Exemption Education Team event. Homebound residents can request a visit by calling 954-357-5579. The main Customer Service and Exemptions line is 954-357-6830, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Applicants should have paperwork ready. The page asks for a recorded deed or co-op lease in the owner’s name, a Florida driver’s license or Florida ID, and either a Florida voter registration or a power or water bill for the property. It also asks for Social Security numbers of the owners and any spouse, current employers, and addresses from the most recent IRS return.
What the basic homestead saves, and what the senior exemption adds
For scale, the appraiser says the basic homestead exemption saved Broward homeowners “anywhere from $659 to $1,009” in 2025, depending on the city’s millage rate. That range applies to homes valued at $75,000 or more. The appraiser’s page does not state a dollar value for the senior add-on, so the amount depends on the property. The office led by Property Appraiser Marty Kiar can answer that at 954-357-6830.
The practical sequence is short. Confirm homestead is on the property, confirm 2026 household adjusted gross income against the $38,686 limit, check whether the limit has been adjusted in late January, and file well before March 1, 2027.
The one number still moving is the 2027 income limit, which the appraiser says will be adjusted by the end of January. A household sitting just under $38,686 should check the updated figure before the March 1 cutoff arrives.
Filed for the senior exemption before March 1?
Because the senior exemption must be re-applied for every year and the income limit can shift in January, a household that was approved once can lose the break by assuming it renews itself. A missed March 1, 2027, cutoff leaves the 2027 bill at the full amount.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit lays out the 5 kinds of property-tax relief for older homeowners and includes an application log and renewal calendar, so each year’s filing date is written down before it arrives. Part 7, the yearly routine, is built around exactly that repeat-filing problem.
Get the property tax relief kit’s application log for the Broward senior exemption →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 15 Ways Retirees Are Tapping a Record $14.9 Trillion in Home Equity
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
