Out-the-door price in Florida
How Florida works
- Florida is 6% state tax plus a county “discretionary surtax” — but the surtax applies to the FIRST $5,000 of the price only. Most generic calculators get this wrong and overstate your tax.
- Your trade-in reduces the taxable amount in Florida.
- Florida doc fees are uncapped and among the highest in the country ($800–$999 typical, some $1,200+). Florida law requires the fee to be in a dealer's advertised price, it's subject to sales tax, and it's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
- If you have a Florida plate to transfer, say so — it removes the $225 initial registration fee and the $28 plate fee, and this year's registration carries over with the plate. You pay a $4.10 transfer fee instead.
Rules last verified Oct 3, 2026. Our methodology.
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What a Florida advertised price has to include
Florida law already requires a dealer's advertised price to include every fee or charge you have to pay, the dealer fee included, and federal law requires the same. Only taxes and the tag, registration and title fees can be left out. That still isn't your out-the-door number; the calculator above adds the rest for your ZIP.
Federal law comes first
The FTC requires a dealer's advertised price to include every fee the dealer charges. Only charges the government requires you to pay, like tax, title and registration, can be left out. Where a state's rules let a dealer leave a fee out, the dealer still has to follow the federal rule, so the fee goes in. The FTC says a state's doc-fee rules can add disclosures, but they don't change the price that has to be advertised. Read the FTC's guidance.
Has to be in the advertised price
- The dealer fee (Florida's "predelivery service" or doc fee)
- Freight (destination) and dealer preparation charges
- Undercoating, rustproofing and anything else the dealer has added to the car
- The state tire and battery fees Florida charges the dealer on a new car
- Any electronic filing or tag service fee the dealer requires
Can still be added on top
- Sales tax and the county surtax
- Tag, registration and title fees
- Optional products you choose to buy, such as a service contract or GAP coverage
- Florida and federal law agree: a dealer can't advertise a price "plus" its dealer fee. Florida's Attorney General has read the law that way since 1988, and the label doesn't matter: a paperwork fee called a "registration" fee still has to be in the price.
- The dealer fee: Florida doesn't cap it. Legally it's a charge for predelivery service, and every document that lists it has to say: "This charge represents costs and profit to the dealer for items such as inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting vehicles, and preparing documents related to the sale." It's subject to sales tax.
- A dealer can't charge you for predelivery work the manufacturer already pays it for.
- Window stickers count: Florida's Attorney General treats a price on a window sticker or painted on the windshield as an advertisement, so the same fees have to be in it.
- Enforcement: a violation can be pursued under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and the state can discipline a dealer's license for a pattern of misleading advertising.
More in our guide: Do dealers have to put fees in the advertised price? What actually changed for 2026
Florida in detail
Rates by county in Florida
Counties where the rate differs from the rest of Florida, or changes from one city to the next. The 20 listed here are the ones where your county actually changes the number.
| County | Combined rate | ZIPs |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County | 8% | 3 |
| Alachua County | 7.5% | 31 |
| Clay County | 7.5% | 12 |
| Duval County | 7.5% | 51 |
| Escambia County | 7.5% | 28 |
| Hillsborough County | 7.5% | 94 |
| Jackson County | 7.5% | 13 |
| Leon County | 7.5% | 20 |
| Marion County | 7.5% | 38 |
| Monroe County | 7.5% | 12 |
| Osceola County | 7.5% | 15 |
| Hernando County | 6.5% | 14 |
| Lee County | 6.5% | 46 |
| Martin County | 6.5% | 12 |
| Orange County | 6.5% | 79 |
| Palm Beach County | 6.5% | 75 |
| Saint Johns County | 6.5% | 13 |
| Volusia County | 6.5% | 47 |
| Citrus County | 6% | 21 |
| Collier County | 6% | 26 |
Florida OTD questions, answered
Does a trade-in reduce sales tax in Florida?
Yes — Florida taxes the difference: your trade-in's value is subtracted before tax is computed.
Are manufacturer rebates taxed in Florida?
Effectively yes — tax is computed before the rebate is applied, so you pay tax on the pre-rebate price.
Is the doc fee capped in Florida?
No — doc fees are uncapped in Florida; buyers report a typical $899.00. It's negotiable as part of your total OTD.
What does a Florida dealer's advertised price have to include?
Every fee or charge you have to pay, including freight, dealer prep and the dealer fee (Florida's "predelivery service" or doc fee). Florida law and federal law agree on this. Only sales tax, the county surtax, and the tag, registration and title fees can be added on top.
Can a Florida dealer advertise a price "plus dealer fees"?
No. Florida law requires the advertised price to include every fee the customer must pay except taxes and the tag, registration and title fees, and the Attorney General has said a dealer may not advertise a price plus predelivery charges. Federal law requires the same.