Documentary Stamp and Intangible Taxes

Identify the taxable document and its tax base before choosing a rate. Deed documentary stamps, note or mortgage documentary stamps, and nonrecurring intangible tax are separate calculations. A question may ask for one, two, or all three.

Florida rules checked October 18, 2026. These original practice exercises assume taxable transactions, no special exemption, and collateral located entirely in Florida with sufficient value to secure the stated debt.

Match each tax to the correct amount

See the Department of Revenue's documentary stamp guidance and nonrecurring intangible tax guidance. Intangible tax is limited by the value of the Florida real property securing the obligation; our exercises assume that limit does not reduce the base.

Do not charge documentary stamps twice on the same debt just because there is both a note and a mortgage. Under §201.08, the same primary debt is taxed once. The $2,450 cap on certain notes or written obligations does not cap the tax on a recorded mortgage.

Example 1: New financing and a deed

Given: A taxable Hillsborough County sale has total consideration of $384,250 and a new $300,050 mortgage. Calculate all three taxes.

1. Deed stamps: $384,250 ÷ $100 = 3,842.5 units. Round up to 3,843. Then 3,843 × $0.70 = $2,690.10.
2. Mortgage stamps: $300,050 ÷ $100 = 3,000.5 units. Round up to 3,001. Then 3,001 × $0.35 = $1,050.35.
3. Intangible tax: $300,050 × 0.002 = $600.10. Do not round the principal to a $100 unit.

Total of the three taxes = $4,340.55. This is not the total closing cost; it excludes recording charges and other fees.

What counts as deed consideration?

Consideration can include money and debt associated with the transferred property. Section 201.02 includes a mortgage or other encumbrance whether assumed or not.

In an ordinary sale with a stated total price, financing generally explains how that price is paid. Do not add the mortgage or earnest-money deposit to that total a second time. If instead the question gives cash plus assumed debt as the components of consideration, combine those components once.

Example 2: Assumed debt plus a new loan

Given: Total consideration for a taxable Hillsborough County transfer is $350,000: $100,000 cash, a $200,000 assumed loan, and a separate new $50,000 mortgage. The problem states that the recorded assumption is subject to documentary stamp tax. Nonrecurring intangible tax was previously paid on the assumed debt, whose amount remains unchanged. No exemption applies to the new debt.

• Deed stamps: $350,000 ÷ 100 × $0.70 = $2,450.
• Stamps on the taxable assumption: $200,000 ÷ 100 × $0.35 = $700.
• Stamps on the separate new debt: $50,000 ÷ 100 × $0.35 = $175.
• Additional intangible tax on the unchanged assumed debt: $0.
• Intangible tax on the new debt: $50,000 × 0.002 = $100.

Total = $3,425. The assumed loan is not treated identically for every tax. Section 199.145(3) provides the no-additional-intangible-tax rule when the tax was previously paid and the assumed indebtedness stays the same. Do not turn this into a blanket rule that every assumption or refinance is tax-free.

Miami-Dade uses different deed rates

The deed rate is $0.60 per $100 or fraction, with a $0.45 surtax. The surtax does not apply to a document transferring only a single-family dwelling. See §201.031 and the Department of Revenue guidance above.

Example: On $250,000 of taxable consideration, a transfer of only a single-family dwelling has deed tax of 2,500 × $0.60 = $1,500. For a taxable vacant-lot transfer subject to the surtax, add 2,500 × $0.45 = $1,125, for $2,625 total deed taxes. These are separate scenarios.

Try it yourself

1. A taxable deed outside Miami-Dade has consideration of $201,001. What are the deed stamps?
2. A new taxable recorded mortgage is $160,025. What are its documentary stamps and intangible tax?
3. A question asks only for stamps on a new note secured by a recorded mortgage and for intangible tax on that loan. Should you automatically include deed stamps?

Answers and explanations

1. $1,407.70. $201,001 ÷ 100 = 2,010.01; round up to 2,011 units. Multiply by $0.70. Ordinary rounding down loses the taxable fraction.
2. $560.35 in stamps and $320.05 in intangible tax; total $880.40. Stamps: 1,601 units × $0.35. Intangible: $160,025 × 0.002.
3. No. Answer the taxes requested. A new loan alone does not establish a taxable deed transfer. Do not add a separate note-stamp charge to mortgage stamps for the same debt.

Check your setup

Label the county, document, consideration, each separate debt, and any stated exemption. For documentary stamps, round up each taxable document's $100 units rather than combining unrelated fractional balances. For intangible tax, use its own taxable base. Follow the question's requested rounding for final cents.

Review Real Estate Math: How to Choose the Right Formula. If a permitted practice question lacks essential facts or conflicts with its answer, submit a support request with the full wording and your calculations. For an actual closing, the closing professional must evaluate the documents and applicable exemptions.