The Florida intangible tax, properly the nonrecurring intangible personal property tax, is a one-time state tax on a new mortgage secured by Florida real property. It is charged at 2 mills, meaning $0.002 per dollar, or $0.20 per $100 of the amount borrowed.
How it is calculated
The tax applies to the obligation secured by the mortgage, not to the purchase price. On a $320,000 loan the calculation is $320,000 multiplied by 0.002, giving $640. It is due when the mortgage is filed or recorded.
Who actually owes it
This is the part that surprises people. Under section 199.133 of the Florida Statutes the lender is the taxpayer legally liable for the nonrecurring intangible tax. The lender is permitted to pass the amount to the borrower, and in practice almost always does, which is why it appears as a buyer charge on your Closing Disclosure.
The distinction matters if you are comparing lender fee sheets. This is a statutory tax at a fixed rate, so it is identical everywhere and no lender can be cheaper on it. Any difference between two quotes lies in the lender’s own fees, not here.
When it applies and when it does not
- Purchase with a new mortgage: charged on the full loan amount
- Refinance: charged again on the new mortgage, since it is a new obligation
- Cash purchase: no mortgage, so no intangible tax
- Assumption of an existing mortgage: generally no new tax, since no new obligation is recorded
Budgeting for it alongside doc stamps
The intangible tax rarely arrives alone. The same recording usually triggers documentary stamp tax on the note at $0.35 per $100. On that $320,000 loan the two together come to roughly $1,760 before any title or lender charge.
See documentary stamp tax for the other half, and Florida closing costs for how both sit inside the total.
Definition reviewed by Renzo Johnson, Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator. Last updated August 2026.