TRIM Notice Deconstructed: What Your Florida Property Tax Notice Actually Says

TRIM stands for "Truth in Millage"

Every August, your Florida County Property Appraiser mails a "Notice of Proposed Property Taxes," better known as the TRIM notice. The name comes from the 1980 Truth in Millage Act, Fla. Stat. §200.069, which requires every taxing authority to disclose how its proposed millage rates and your assessed value will affect your tax bill.

The TRIM notice is not a bill. You don't pay anything based on it. But it triggers your 25-day window to petition the Value Adjustment Board if you disagree with the assessment.

Reading the TRIM notice line by line

A typical TRIM notice has 4-6 sections. Here's what each one means:

### Section 1: Property identification

• Parcel ID (your unique identifier — keep this for your DR-486 petition)
• Property address
• Owner name
• Use code (DOR_UC) — single-family is 01, condo is 04, mobile home is 02, etc.

### Section 2: Values

This is the critical section.

• Just/Market Value — Property Appraiser's estimate of fair market value as of Jan 1
• Assessed Value (capped) — Save Our Homes-capped value for homesteaded property
• Exemptions — homestead exemption (typically $50,000 for primary residence), widow/widower, disability, etc.
• Taxable Value — assessed value minus exemptions = the figure your tax is calculated on

If your just value has jumped >5% over last year and you didn't make any improvements, that's a flag worth investigating. Recent comparable sales may not support the new just value.

### Section 3: Proposed taxes by taxing authority

Florida property taxes are levied by multiple "taxing authorities":

• County government
• School board (state-required minimum + local discretionary)
• City government (if you're in an incorporated city)
• Special districts (water management, hospital, fire, library, etc.)

Each authority sets its own millage rate (mills per $1,000 of taxable value). The TRIM notice shows each authority's proposed millage and your share of the tax.

### Section 4: Comparison with prior year

The TRIM compares this year's proposed tax to last year's actual tax. If you see a 10%+ increase year-over-year and your home didn't change, either the millage went up, your assessment jumped, or both.

### Section 5: Public hearing dates

Each taxing authority must hold a public hearing on its millage rate. The TRIM notice lists the date, time, and location. Attending and voicing concerns can sometimes get millage rates reduced — but the assessment portion is what the VAB controls.

### Section 6: VAB petition deadline

The most important date on the notice. Your deadline is 25 days after the TRIM mailing date — printed somewhere on the notice. If you petition, the Clerk of Court must receive your DR-486 by that date.

What to do when your TRIM arrives

1. Don't ignore it. This is your only annual opportunity to appeal.
2. Compare just value to recent sales. If similar homes in your immediate area sold for less in the last 12 months, you may have a case.
3. Compare assessed value per square foot to neighbors. If neighbors with similar homes are assessed lower per square foot, you may have an unequal-assessment case (Fla. Stat. §194.301).
4. Note the deadline. Mark your calendar 20 days before the deadline as a "file by" reminder — you want to file at day 20-22, not day 25 when systems might fail.
5. Check homestead exemption. If you live there as primary residence and the TRIM doesn't show homestead, file for exemption (Form DR-501) — separate from any appeal.

Free first-step check

The AppealMyTax calculator cross-references your address against the FL DOR 2025 Final NAL roll and pulls comparable sales/assessments in under 30 seconds. If you're overassessed by more than 5%, the math usually justifies the $15 VAB filing fee plus our optional $49 DR-486 packet that pre-fills your petition and evidence sheets.

What you can't appeal

• Millage rates set by taxing authorities (those go through public hearings, not the VAB)
• The state-mandated minimum school millage
• Decisions about whether you qualify for an exemption (those have separate processes)

The VAB only has jurisdiction over the just value and assessed value set by the Property Appraiser. Petition there if you think those figures are wrong.

Get your TRIM notice analysis →

Check Your Houston Address

Free calculator pulls HCAD comps in 30 seconds. Optional $49 packet pre-fills your iFile protest.