Florida just made it cheaper to harden your home against hurricanes. Under House Bill 7031E, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 29, 2026, homestead owners can get a refund of the state sales tax they pay on impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, and garage doors. The refund is capped at $500 per home and covers qualifying purchases made between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029.
What it is: A refund of the Florida sales tax you pay on impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, and garage doors
How much: Up to $500 total per homestead — for the whole program, not per year or per window
Who qualifies: Site-built homes with a Florida homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less
When: Qualifying purchases from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029
How to get it: Pay the tax at purchase, then apply to the Florida Department of Revenue with your receipts
What the Refund Actually Is
Florida already runs one of the country's most aggressive home-hardening efforts, from the My Safe Florida Home grant program to building-code upgrades. The 2026 tax package (HB 7031E) added a new piece: a sales tax refund for homeowners who buy impact-resistant windows and doors for their primary residence.
The key word is refund. This is not a tax-free holiday where the store skips the tax at checkout. You pay the full sales tax when you buy, and then you apply to the state to get up to $500 of it back. That structure matters, because it means you have to keep your paperwork and file a claim — the money does not come to you automatically.
Who Qualifies
The refund is aimed squarely at owner-occupied primary residences. To be eligible:
- It must be a site-built home. The refund applies to conventional site-built homes.
- It must have a Florida homestead exemption. If you have not filed for homestead yet, start with our Florida homestead exemption guide — it is the gateway benefit that also unlocks this refund.
- Just value of $700,000 or less. "Just value" is the market value your county property appraiser assigns to your home. You can find it on your TRIM notice or your property appraiser's website.
Rental properties, second homes, and commercial properties are excluded, as are any homes without a homestead exemption. If your home's just value is above $700,000, you are over the cap for this particular refund. The homestead requirement is strict — the exemption ties the benefit to your permanent Florida residence.
What Products Qualify
Three categories of home-hardening products are covered:
Eligible impact-resistant products
- Impact-resistant windows
- Impact-resistant exterior doors
- Impact-resistant garage doors
The products have to be genuinely impact-rated, not just any replacement window or door. Impact-resistant products are tested against wind pressure and flying-debris standards recognized under the Florida Building Code (the same testing that lets a product carry a Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance). When you buy, ask the retailer or installer for the product approval number and keep it with your receipt — that documentation is what proves the product qualifies.
Impact products carry a Florida Product Approval (FL#) or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) number. Ask for it in writing. Pairing that number with your invoice makes your refund application — and any future insurance wind-mitigation credit — far easier to document.
How Much You Actually Get Back
The refund returns the Florida sales tax you paid on the qualifying products, up to a $500 maximum per home. That $500 is a lifetime cap for this program — not per window, not per door, and not per year.
Florida's state sales tax rate is 6% (many counties add a small discretionary surtax on top). So the math is simple: at the 6% state rate, you would need about $8,334 in qualifying purchases to pay $500 in state sales tax and hit the full cap. Spend less than that and your refund equals the tax you actually paid; spend more and you still cap out at $500.
Impact Window & Door Refund Estimator
Estimate your refund based on what you spend on qualifying products
Your Purchase
Your Estimated Refund
Refund equals the sales tax you paid, capped at $500 per home.
Estimate only. Your actual refund is the documented sales tax you paid on qualifying products, up to $500. Verify current rules at floridarevenue.com.
Selling or moving? Your biggest tax benefit is on the line.
Most Florida homeowners have tens of thousands of dollars in Save Our Homes protection — and lose it by accident when they move. Check what yours is worth and what happens to it if you sell.
How to Claim the Refund
Because this is a refund and not a checkout discount, you have to file for it. The claim goes to the Florida Department of Revenue, and the process runs like this:
Step-by-step claim process
- Buy qualifying products and pay the tax. Purchase impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, or garage doors for your homestead between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029.
- Keep every document. Save receipts and invoices, proof of payment, and the product approval numbers (FL# or Miami-Dade NOA).
- Submit a refund application to the Department of Revenue. The application includes your name, the property address, the parcel number, and a sworn statement detailing the cost of the products and the sales tax you paid.
- Wait for review and payment. Once the Department of Revenue approves your application, it must issue the refund within 30 days.
As of publication, the Department of Revenue's dedicated application form and detailed filing instructions for this refund are still being finalized. Bookmark floridarevenue.com and check back before you file — and in the meantime, keep your receipts and product approvals in one place so you are ready the moment the form goes live.
Dates & Deadlines
- July 1, 2026: Program begins — qualifying purchases from this date forward count
- June 30, 2029: Last day to make a qualifying purchase
- September 30, 2029: Deadline to submit your refund application
- Within 30 days: Once your application is approved, the state must issue the refund
The practical takeaway: if a hurricane-hardening project is already on your list, buying inside this three-year window turns part of your sales tax into money back. If you are planning a larger project, doing the qualifying window-and-door portion during the program period is the piece that earns the refund.
The Insurance Bonus Most Owners Miss
The $500 refund is the headline, but for many Florida homeowners the bigger long-term win is on the insurance side. Florida law requires property insurers to offer premium discounts or credits for wind-mitigation features — and impact-resistant windows, doors, and opening protection are exactly the features that count.
To capture those discounts, a licensed inspector documents your home's features on a wind-mitigation inspection (the OIR-B1-1802 form), which you then give to your insurer. This is a completely separate benefit from the sales tax refund, so hardening your home can pay you back twice: once through the state refund, and again every year through lower premiums. With Florida insurance costs where they are, that annual credit can dwarf the one-time $500.
One qualifying project can unlock: (1) the up-to-$500 state sales tax refund, (2) an annual homeowners insurance wind-mitigation discount, and — if you also qualify — a possible My Safe Florida Home grant toward the work itself. Ask about all three before you start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Florida's impact window and door sales tax refund, with straightforward answers based on the current law.
Up to $500 total per homestead property for the entire program period, not per year, per window, or per door. The refund returns the Florida sales tax you paid on qualifying impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, and garage doors, capped at $500. At Florida's 6% state sales tax rate, roughly $8,334 of qualifying purchases hits the full $500 cap. Local discretionary surtax may increase the tax you paid, but your refund is still capped at $500.
The property must be a site-built home with a Florida homestead exemption and a just (market) value of $700,000 or less. Rental properties, commercial properties, and homes without a homestead exemption do not qualify. The products must be impact-resistant windows, exterior doors, or garage doors that meet Florida's impact-resistance standards.
It is a refund you claim after the purchase, not a point-of-sale exemption. You pay the full sales tax when you buy, then submit a refund application to the Florida Department of Revenue with your receipts and a sworn statement showing the cost and the sales tax you paid. Keep every invoice and proof of payment.
Qualifying purchases must be made between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029. Refund applications are accepted through September 30, 2029. Once your application is approved, the Department of Revenue must issue the refund within 30 days.
The law refunds the sales tax paid on qualifying impact-resistant products purchased for a qualifying homestead. The products must meet Florida's impact and wind-pressure standards under the Florida Building Code. Because program rules and the official application form are administered by the Florida Department of Revenue, confirm documentation requirements at floridarevenue.com before you file, and keep your product approval numbers and receipts.
Often yes. Florida law requires insurers to provide premium discounts or credits for wind-mitigation features, which can include impact-resistant windows and doors and opening protection. A licensed inspector documents these features on a wind-mitigation (OIR-B1-1802) inspection form. The sales tax refund and any insurance discount are separate benefits, so you may be able to use both.
Every home is different. We are here to help Florida homeowners make sense of exemptions, refunds, and property taxes.
Selling or moving? Your biggest tax benefit is on the line.
Most Florida homeowners have tens of thousands of dollars in Save Our Homes protection — and lose it by accident when they move. Check what yours is worth and what happens to it if you sell.
