Documentary Stamp Tax in Davie, FL: Who Pays What

Who pays documentary stamp tax in Davie, Florida?

Most buyers and sellers in Davie find out about documentary stamp tax when the closing statement lands and the number is bigger than they expected. There are actually three separate state taxes in a financed Florida purchase, and they usually get paid by different people. Knowing which line is yours before you sign protects your cash and kills the surprise.

Doc stamps are the common name for Florida’s documentary stamp tax. Broward County charges the standard statewide rate, not the Miami-Dade rate, so your Davie number follows the same math as the rest of the state. The county collects the tax when the deed and the mortgage are recorded, as the Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division handles at closing.

The three taxes hiding in one Davie closing

A cash purchase triggers one of these taxes. A financed purchase triggers all three. Here is the full picture, straight from the statute the state publishes.

| Tax | Rate | Who customarily pays | What it applies to |

|—|—|—|—|

| Deed documentary stamp tax | 70 cents per $100 of the sale price | Seller | The deed that transfers the home |

| Note documentary stamp tax | 35 cents per $100 of the loan amount | Buyer | The promissory note on a new mortgage |

| Intangible tax | 20 cents per $100 of the loan amount, which is 0.2 percent | Buyer | The new mortgage recorded against the home |

The deed tax is the big one, and it rides on the full sale price. The note tax and the intangible tax ride only on the loan amount, so a larger down payment shrinks both. The state rounds the deed figure up to the next full $100 before it applies the rate, per the Florida Department of Revenue.

One nuance worth a verify. Florida caps the tax on certain written notes at $2,450, but a mortgage that secures Florida real property is taxed at 35 cents per $100 with no cap, per the Florida Department of Revenue. On a standard Davie home loan you should plan on the uncapped figure. Confirm the exact amount with your title company or the Florida Department of Revenue rather than assuming the cap applies.

Who actually pays each one

Custom sets the default, and the contract controls the outcome. By Florida custom and under the standard FAR BAR contract most Davie sellers pay the deed stamps and most buyers pay the loan related taxes. That is a contract term, not a law. Every party to the document is legally liable for the tax, so if one side is exempt the other side still owes it, per the Florida Department of Revenue. You can negotiate who pays in the purchase agreement.

A cash buyer skips the bottom two rows entirely. No loan means no note tax and no intangible tax. That is one of the quiet advantages a strong cash offer carries into a Davie negotiation, and it is worth knowing when you compare offers as a seller.

New construction flips the custom. On many Davie builder contracts the buyer pays the deed stamps, not the seller, which is one of several line items that make a new build cost more than the base price suggests. I walk through that in the guide to Davie new construction closing costs, because the sign price is never the real number.

For sellers, the deed tax comes straight out of your proceeds. It belongs on your seller net sheet next to commission and title charges, and it is one reason your walkaway number sits below your sale price. Doc stamps are also only one piece of the full closing costs in Davie picture, which stacks title, lender, and prepaid items on top.

A real Davie example

Run the math on a Davie single family home selling for about $1,000,000 with an $800,000 loan.

The deed stamps come to about $7,000, and by custom the seller pays that at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price. The note stamps come to about $2,800, which the buyer pays at 35 cents per $100 of the loan. The intangible tax adds about $1,600, which the buyer also pays at 20 cents per $100 of the loan. A buyer financing that purchase carries roughly $4,400 in state taxes on the loan side before title, lender, and prepaid costs even enter the conversation.

Those figures move the moment the price or the loan amount moves. The only way to lock your exact number is to run it against your real contract price and your real loan, which your title company does on the closing disclosure. You can also confirm current recording practice and value records through the Broward County Property Appraiser.

How to confirm your exact number before you sign

Doc stamps are not negotiable with the state, but who pays them is negotiable with the other party, and that is where a local read matters. Here is what I tell every Davie buyer and seller who asks.

1. Ask your title company for a written estimate of all three taxes based on your actual price and loan, not a rule of thumb.

2. Read the closing cost paragraph in your FAR BAR contract and confirm the split in writing before you remove any contingency.

3. If you are buying new construction, check who the builder contract assigns the deed stamps to, because it is often the buyer.

4. If you are paying cash, confirm that the note and intangible lines are zeroed out on your statement.

Anthony Spitaleri is a Broker Associate, REALTOR with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native who builds the full closing cost sheet with clients before they sign, not after the statement surprises them. That is the kind of number you want known early, while you still have room to negotiate it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays doc stamps in Broward County, the buyer or the seller?

By Florida custom the seller typically pays the deed doc stamps at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price, and the buyer typically pays the doc stamps and intangible tax on the loan. Broward uses the standard statewide rate. The purchase contract can shift any of it, so read the closing cost paragraph before you sign.

How much is documentary stamp tax on a Davie home?

The deed tax is 70 cents per $100 of the sale price, so a Davie home selling for about $1,000,000 carries roughly $7,000 in deed stamps. A financed buyer typically adds note stamps at 35 cents per $100 of the loan and intangible tax at 0.2 percent of the loan. Confirm your exact figure with your title company.

Does a cash buyer pay documentary stamp tax in Florida?

A cash buyer pays no note tax and no intangible tax because there is no loan to record. The deed documentary stamp tax still applies to the sale, and by custom the seller pays it. That is one real cost advantage a cash offer carries in a Davie negotiation.

Is intangible tax the same as doc stamps?

No. Doc stamps are the documentary stamp tax charged on the deed and on the loan note. The intangible tax is a separate state tax of 0.2 percent charged only on a new mortgage, set by Florida statute. A financed Davie purchase pays both the note doc stamps and the intangible tax on the loan side.

Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert

Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker and a Davie native, builds the full closing cost net sheet for every client before they list or make an offer, not after the closing surprises them. If you want to see your exact documentary stamp tax number for your specific price and loan, the next step is a direct conversation. Schedule a free 15-minute strategy call and walk into your Davie closing with every number known.

Anthony Spitaleri

Broker Associate, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Realty

Creator of Living in Davie, Florida

Davie, Florida | Serving Davie, Weston and surrounding Broward markets

954-235-5783

Florida License BK3281907

@livingindavieflorida

Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate, REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty and a Davie native. More about Anthony