Hillsborough County Tax, Tag and Title Calculator
Put in the price and this works out Florida sales tax, your county surtax, and our $695 title, tag and docs fee, so you can see the out the door number before you sign anything. It also works out what you pay in Florida if you live in another state and register the car at home.
Rates last checked 2026-09-19. Every state rate and fee below comes from a Florida Department of Revenue or FLHSMV document. Each one is named, dated and linked in Sources. This is an estimate, not tax advice.
Work out your number
The figures on the right are a $100,000 car bought by a Hillsborough resident with no trade-in and a Florida plate to move over. Change anything on the left and they update.
- Taxable amount$100,000.00
- State sales tax, 6%$6,000.00
- Hillsborough surtax, 1.5% of the first $5,000$75.00
- Title, tag and docs$695.00
- Initial registration fee$0.00
Neither the title, tag and docs line nor the $225.00 initial registration fee is taxed. A county office may add a service fee of about $0.50 per transaction, which is not counted here.
An estimate, not a quote and not tax advice. The tax collector and your signed purchase agreement settle the final figures.
Financing it? The exotic car payment calculator works out the monthly side. Storing it with us? See the car storage cost calculator.
Buying a car in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, which is Tampa and the towns around it, charges a 1.5 percent discretionary surtax for 2026, among the higher rates in Florida. On an exotic car the difference is smaller than the percentage suggests: the surtax is charged only on the first $5,000 of the taxable price, so above that it is a flat $75, against the flat $50 a Miami-Dade buyer pays. The 6 percent state sales tax on the whole taxable amount is the same everywhere.
A Tampa buyer sometimes asks whether buying in Miami-Dade means paying the lower Miami-Dade surtax. It does not. Florida applies the rate of the county shown as your residence on the registration, so the Hillsborough rate applies, and the Hillsborough County Tax Collector is the office that issues the title and plate for a Tampa address. What does not change with the county is our $695 title, tag and docs line: one untaxed figure for the state title and tag work and the paperwork we file, the same in Tampa as it is here.
Tampa to North Miami is about four hours on I-75 and the Turnpike, so most Hillsborough buyers see the car once, or only on video, and have it delivered, which we arrange for any Florida address. Moving a Florida plate you already hold onto the new car means the $225.00 initial registration fee is not charged, and a car traded in at the same time comes off the taxable amount before the 6 percent is applied. The worked examples below are Hillsborough figures, with a St. Petersburg buyer on the Pinellas row for the other side of the bay.
How Florida taxes a car purchase
Florida charges 6 percent state sales tax on the sales price of a motor vehicle. On top of that, the county you register in may charge a discretionary sales surtax, and that surtax applies only to the first $5,000.
The taxable amount is the price of the car minus your trade-in allowance. Tax is worked out to the third decimal place, and when that third decimal is above 4 the tax is rounded up to the next cent. The $695 title, tag and docs line and the $225.00 initial registration fee sit outside the taxable amount, so neither is taxed.
Taxable amount = price minus the trade-in allowance
State tax = 6% of the taxable amount
Surtax = your county rate applied to the first $5,000 of the taxable amount
Out the door = price + state tax + surtax + $695 title, tag and docs, plus $225.00 only when you have no Florida plate to transfer
Only the first $5,000, and it follows you home
Two things about the surtax surprise people. The first is that it stops at $5,000. Florida law says the part of the price above $5,000 is not subject to the surtax, so on any car worth more than that the surtax is a flat amount: $50 where the rate is 1 percent, $25 where it is 0.5 percent, $75 where it is 1.5 percent. The difference between a $60,000 car and a $600,000 car is nothing at all.
The second is that the county is yours, not the dealer's. Florida law treats the sale as happening in the county shown as the residence address of the buyer on the registration or title. Buy in Miami-Dade and register in Palm Beach and you pay the Palm Beach rate.
For most of the buyers who drive to us that means one of two counties. North Miami, Aventura, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Brickell are all Miami-Dade, where the 2026 rate is 1 percent. Hallandale Beach and Fort Lauderdale are Broward, also 1 percent in 2026. Each county below has a page of this calculator of its own.
Palm Beach is the one to watch this year. Its 1 percent infrastructure surtax was repealed at the end of 2025 and a new 0.5 percent school surtax started on 1 January 2026, so the 2026 rate is 0.5 percent. Plenty of calculators still carry 1 percent and overstate the surtax by $25. All 67 counties in the dropdown carry their 2026 rate from Form DR-15DSS, R. 11/25.
The same calculator, county by county
All 67 counties are in the dropdown above. The ten below each have a page of this calculator of their own, with that county's 2026 surtax rate from Form DR-15DSS. The 6 percent state tax and the $695 title, tag and docs line are the same on every one.
- Miami-Dade County car sales tax calculator, 1 percent surtax in 2026
- Broward County car sales tax calculator, 1 percent surtax in 2026
- Palm Beach County car sales tax calculator, 0.5 percent surtax in 2026
- Monroe County car sales tax calculator, 1.5 percent surtax in 2026
- Collier County car sales tax calculator, no county surtax in 2026
- Lee County car sales tax calculator, 0.5 percent surtax in 2026
- Orange County car sales tax calculator, 0.5 percent surtax in 2026
- Hillsborough County car sales tax calculator, 1.5 percent surtax in 2026
- Pinellas County car sales tax calculator, 1 percent surtax in 2026
- Duval County car sales tax calculator, 1.5 percent surtax in 2026
A trade-in lowers the tax, not just the price
When a car is taken in trade as part payment in the same transaction, Florida charges tax on the price less the trade-in allowance. That is a real saving, not a discount on paper: a $30,000 trade against a $100,000 car takes the taxable amount to $70,000, so the state tax falls from $6,000 to $4,200. You keep $1,800.
The surtax base drops too, though on most exotic cars you will not notice, because both the old and the new taxable amount are still above the $5,000 cap. The trade-in does not have to be titled in your name, as long as it is part of the same single transaction.
If you live in another state, read the limits below before you count on this. Some states give no trade-in credit at all, and this calculator does not model the rule of each state.
What the state charges, and what is not taxed
These are the figures the state publishes for title, plate and registration. On a purchase here you see one $695 title, tag and docs line, plus the $225.00 initial registration fee only when you have no Florida plate to transfer. A county office may add a small service fee of its own.
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer of a Florida title, held electronically | $75.25 | FLHSMV fees-01, Rev. 04/26 |
| Florida title for a car last titled in another state or country | $85.25 | FLHSMV fees-01, Rev. 04/26 |
| Recording a lien on the title | $2.00 each | s. 319.32(1); FLHSMV fees-01 |
| Paper certificate of title mailed to you | $2.50 | FLHSMV fees-01, Rev. 04/26 |
| Registration, private car up to 2,499 lbs net weight | $27.60 a year | HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26 |
| Registration, private car 2,500 to 3,499 lbs | $35.60 a year | HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26 |
| Registration, private car 3,500 lbs and up | $45.60 a year | HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26 |
| New metal plate | $28.00 | HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26 |
| Initial registration fee, charged once | $225.00 | s. 320.072; HSMV 83140 |
| Moving a valid Florida plate to the new car | $4.10 | HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26, line 6 |
| County branch service fee, where a county charges it | $0.50 per transaction | s. 320.04(1)(c) |
The registration figure is not a plain tax. The base registration tax for a private car is $14.50, $22.50 or $32.50 by weight, and $13.10 of add-on fees sits on top of it, which is how you get $27.60, $35.60 and $45.60. Registration is not prorated: the full year is charged whenever in the period you register.
None of those fees is taxed, and the $695 title, tag and docs line is not taxed either. Florida taxes the price of the car after the trade-in allowance, and it does not tax a fee that state law sets for titling, licensing, registering or recording a lien.
Our own terms say it the same way: advertised prices exclude taxes, title, registration and paperwork fees, and the final price is confirmed in writing at the time of purchase. See Terms and Conditions.
If you already have a Florida plate
Moving a plate you already hold onto the car you just bought is the single biggest saving on the fee side. Florida law says a plate transfer is not a new registration, so the $225.00 initial registration fee drops out. It also says that where the old car and the new car are both in the ordinary private car and light truck classes, no additional registration tax is due for the rest of the current registration period, even when the new car is heavier.
HSMV 83140 publishes the transfer step itself at $4.10, and a county office may add its $0.50 branch fee. On a purchase here the $695 title, tag and docs line is the same with or without a plate transfer; what changes is the $225.00, which is not charged. The plate then comes up for renewal on its own existing schedule, not on the day you bought the car.
Buying here when you live somewhere else
A lot of our buyers are out of state. Here is what Florida actually collects from you.
If you are a resident of another United States state and you take delivery in Florida, Florida collects the sales tax your own state would have charged, and never more than 6 percent. The conditions are strict and they all sit at the moment of sale:
- Form DR-123 is completed and signed in front of a notary at the time of sale, not later.
- You register the car in your home state within 45 days of the sale.
- Do those two and the car does not have to leave Florida in the meantime.
No county surtax is charged on such a sale, and the $225.00 initial registration fee does not apply, because it is for Florida plates only and you title and register the car at home. The $695 title, tag and docs line applies to every purchase here, in Florida or out. Without a DR-123 at the time of sale, the full 6 percent is due. If your home state rate is 6 percent or more, the full 6 percent is due anyway.
Three things in the state chart are worth reading before you sign:
- States with no motor vehicle sales tax. Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota are shown as None, so Florida collects nothing with a DR-123. Your home state still charges its own tax, title tax or excise tax when you register, and Florida publishes no worked example for a None state, so treat the zero as what the statute and the chart say rather than as a promise.
- Three states give you no credit. Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia charge their own tax in full and allow no credit for what you paid Florida, so you can genuinely pay twice.
- Caps and tiers. South Carolina stops at $500. Virginia is 4.15 percent with a $75 minimum. Connecticut is 6.35 percent up to $50,000 and 7.75 percent above it, and since both are over 6 percent, Florida collects 6 percent either way. Mississippi is 5 percent on cars. West Virginia is 6 percent above $500. The chart leaves out every local tax your own state or city may add.
The full exemption is a different thing again. If the dealer delivers the car to you outside Florida, or hands it to a common carrier, licensed exporter or freight forwarder for shipment out of state, no Florida sales tax is due at all. That is about who moves the car: a buyer who is physically present at the sale is presumed to have taken delivery in Florida, and a private hauler you send yourself is not a common carrier. Ask before you plan around it.
A Florida temporary tag can be issued so you can drive the car home. State law sets the tag itself at $2.00, plus the service charge the tag agency adds, so the all-in figure varies and is not included above. Our terms put the rest plainly: out-of-state buyers are responsible for registering the vehicle in their state of residence and for any tax, title, and registration requirements there.
The same $100,000 car, six ways
No trade-in unless stated, a Florida plate to move over unless stated, and the $695 title, tag and docs line on every row.
| Buyer | Tax | Title, tag and docs | Out the door |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough resident moving a plate over | $6,075.00 | $695.00 | $106,770.00 |
| Hillsborough resident, $30,000 trade-in | $4,275.00 | $695.00 | $104,970.00 |
| Pinellas resident, 1% surtax | $6,050.00 | $695.00 | $106,745.00 |
| Hillsborough resident with no plate to transfer, adding the $225.00 initial registration fee | $6,075.00 | $920.00 | $106,995.00 |
| New York resident, DR-123, registers at home | $4,000.00 | $695.00 | $104,695.00 |
| South Carolina resident, DR-123, registers at home | $500.00 | $695.00 | $101,195.00 |
A Texas buyer would be at the 6 percent cap, $6,000.00, because Texas charges 6.25 percent. A North Carolina buyer would owe Florida nothing, and then pay the North Carolina highway use tax when the car is registered there.
What this calculator does not do
- It is not tax advice. It is arithmetic on published rates. The county tax collector and your signed purchase agreement settle what you actually pay.
- Buyers from other countries and from United States territories get no reduction. The partial exemption is written for a resident of another state of the United States. If you live abroad or in a United States territory and take delivery in Florida, the full 6 percent is due on the sales price.
- The export exemption needs the dealer to do the moving. It applies when the dealer delivers the car outside Florida or hands it to a common carrier, forwarding agent or licensed exporter. A buyer present at the sale is presumed to have taken delivery here and is taxable.
- Your home state tax is not computed here. Neither are your local taxes or your registration fees at home. The Florida chart of state rates excludes every local tax, and Florida says plainly that it must not be used to work out what another state will charge.
- Trade-in rules differ by state. This subtracts the trade-in for every buyer. Some states give no trade-in credit, Virginia being one, and Ohio has been published as allowing it only against a new car from a new car dealer. The rule of each state is not modelled, so a nonresident figure with a trade-in can come out low.
- County service fees vary. Offices may add about $0.50 per transaction. Those few dollars are not in the totals.
- The $225.00 initial registration fee is for the private car classes. A pickup with a net weight over 5,000 lbs is registered by declared gross weight in a different class, and the fee does not apply to it. SUVs stay in the private car classes.
- A late application costs more. Applying for the title 30 days or more after the purchase adds a $20.00 penalty, which is not counted above.
Tax, tag and title FAQs
Where every figure on this page comes from
Rates last checked 2026-09-19. Florida reissues the surtax form every November and the state rate notice every January or February, so check the date above before you rely on a figure.
- Sales and Use Tax on Motor Vehicles, GT-800030, R. 08/22, Florida Department of Revenue. What is taxed, what is not, trade-ins, the surtax, and the exempt sales.
- Discretionary Sales Surtax Information for Calendar Year 2026, Form DR-15DSS, R. 11/25, Florida Department of Revenue. The rate for all 67 counties.
- TIP 26A01-01, Motor Vehicle Sales Tax Rates by State, issued 11 February 2026, Florida Department of Revenue. The rate of every other state, the 45 day rule, and the three states that give no credit.
- Form DR-123, Affidavit for Partial Exemption of Motor Vehicle Sold to a Resident of Another State, R. 01/21, Florida Department of Revenue.
- Schedule of Motor Vehicle Title and Lien Fees, fees-01, Rev. 04/26, FLHSMV. Title totals, lien, paper title and the branch fee.
- License Plate Rate Chart, HSMV 83140, Rev. 08/26, FLHSMV. Registration by weight, the new plate fee, the initial registration fee and the plate transfer.
- Motor Vehicle and Mobile Home Class Code and Fee Chart, fees-03, Rev. 09/26, FLHSMV. The $13.10 of add-on fees that sit on the base registration tax.
- Florida Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax. The 6 percent rate and the rule that tax is computed to the third decimal place and rounded up when that decimal is above 4.
- 2026 Florida Statutes, read at s. 212.054 for the $5,000 surtax cap and the county rule, s. 212.09 for the trade-in credit, s. 212.08(10) for the partial exemption for a resident of another state, s. 212.06(5) for the export rule and the delivery presumption, s. 320.0609 for the plate transfer, and s. 320.072 for the $225.00 initial registration fee.
Know the number before you sign.
We sell exotic and luxury cars in North Miami, and many of our buyers are out of state. Pick the car, and we will put the tax, tag and title figures in writing before you sign.