Florida sales tax refund · Impact windows & doors
Florida will refund up to $500 of the sales tax on your impact windows.
As of July 1, 2026, Florida homeowners can claim back the sales tax paid on impact-resistant windows, exterior doors and garage doors — up to $500 per residence — on qualifying homestead property.
It is not automatic and it is not applied at the register. You pay the tax, then you apply to the Department of Revenue. Here is who qualifies, what the deadlines are, and the paperwork that makes or breaks the claim.
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Planning the work?
We'll quote it, and give you documentation built for the refund application.
The facts
Six things that decide your claim.
How much
Up to $500 per residence — a refund of Florida sales tax actually paid, not a credit against income tax.
What qualifies
Impact-resistant windows, impact-resistant exterior doors, and impact-resistant garage doors meeting Florida's impact standards.
Which homes
A site-built home with a Florida homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less.
Purchase window
Qualifying retail purchases made from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.
Claim window
Refund applications accepted from July 1, 2026 through September 30, 2029.
Who pays it
The Florida Department of Revenue, on application — after you have paid the tax at the register.
Why it works this way
A refund, not an exemption.
Florida has used both mechanisms over the years. An exemption removes the tax at the point of sale; a refund makes you pay it and claim it back. This program is the second kind, which has one practical consequence worth planning around: the money comes months after the invoice. Budget the job at full price and treat the refund as a rebate, not a discount.
The other consequence is documentary. Because the Department of Revenue is refunding tax on products installed at a specific homestead property, the application has to connect three things: what you bought, what tax you paid, and that it went into that house. Contractors who hand over a one-line invoice make that hard.
Keep these
The paperwork your claim depends on.
- The itemized invoice showing the products purchased and the Florida sales tax paid
- Proof the products were installed at the homestead property — permit records and the final inspection are the cleanest evidence
- Product documentation identifying the units as impact-resistant and approved for use
- Your homestead exemption details for the property
We provide all of it as a matter of course on impact window and door installations — itemized invoicing, permit records, and the product approval documentation — because the same paperwork your refund needs is what your insurer and your next buyer will ask for.
Also worth checking
The refund is the smaller number.
$500 is real money, but it is usually the third-largest saving on an impact window project. The My Safe Florida Home grant can be worth up to $10,000, and the windstorm insurance credit that follows a wind mitigation inspection recurs every year for as long as you own the house. Chase all three, in that order of size.
Questions
The $500 refund — common questions.
Is this a discount at the register?
No, and that trips people up. You pay Florida sales tax normally at the time of purchase. After installation you apply to the Department of Revenue for a refund of that tax, up to $500 per residence.
Who actually qualifies?
The refund is aimed at homestead property: a site-built home with a Florida homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less. Rental property, second homes without homestead, and homes above the value threshold fall outside it.
How long does the refund take?
Under the program the Department of Revenue has 30 days after receiving a complete application to assess eligibility, and a further 30 days to pay an approved refund. Incomplete documentation is the usual cause of delay.
Can my contractor claim it for me?
No. The refund application is the homeowner's to file with the Department of Revenue. What a contractor can do is give you clean paperwork — an itemized invoice showing the tax paid, permit records, and product documentation — which is what the application depends on.
Does it stack with the My Safe Florida Home grant?
They are separate programs with separate rules. The refund returns sales tax you actually paid on qualifying products for a homestead property. Because grant funding changes who paid for what, confirm the interaction with the Department of Revenue rather than assuming both apply to the same dollars.
What if I bought the windows before July 1, 2026?
Qualifying purchases start July 1, 2026. Purchases before that date fall outside this program, though a separate Florida sales tax exemption on impact-resistant products applied in earlier years — a tax professional can tell you what applied when you bought.
Not tax advice. Axiom Construction is a licensed general contractor, not a tax advisor or a law firm. The figures, thresholds and dates above were verified against Florida Department of Revenue and Florida Legislature materials in August 2026, and tax programs change. Confirm current requirements and obtain the official application at floridarevenue.com, and speak to a tax professional about your own circumstances before relying on any of this.
Quoting impact windows?
We'll price the job and hand you documentation the refund application can actually use.