FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
CONTACT: Christina Johnson
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch announced today that Friday, April 17 is Florida Taxpayer Independence Day (TID) 2026. This symbolic occasion assumes that every dollar Floridians earned since the start of the year goes to pay local, state, and federal taxes, but on that day, they will finally begin earning money for themselves instead of the tax collector.
This measure of tax burden is based on the relative size of all taxes paid in Florida to our state’s total personal income. In 2026, on average, it will take Floridians just over three and a half months—or 106 out of 365 days—to pay all its taxes.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said, “As Americans file their federal income tax returns by Wednesday’s, April 15 deadline, Florida TaxWatch finds that for Florida taxpayers, it will take another two days for us to achieve Taxpayer Independence Day this year. On Friday, April 17, Floridians will have worked four and a half months simply to pay local, state, and federal taxes. It is estimated that on average, Floridians will see their income grow a little less than their tax bills in 2026. In addition, inflation, higher gas prices, rising health care costs, and insurance premiums are squeezing their paychecks even further. It is expected that Floridians will not only have less money left over after paying taxes in 2026, what is left will not go as far.”
In 2021 and 2022, all three levels of government enjoyed remarkable growth in their tax collections, as the economy rebounded from a pandemic and the toll it took on tax revenue. In 2022, Taxpayer Independence Day (TID) came on April 26. Federal and state tax collections then started to slow and personal income started to climb, leading to independence coming ten days earlier in 2023—April 16.
TID moved up again in 2024—by two days—reaching April 14. After that, tax growth began outpacing personal income, and TID started moving in the other direction. TID 2026 marks the second year in a row that tax independence comes a little later for Florida.
State Taxes – After the COVID pandemic caused a rare decrease in state tax collections in FY 2019-20, Florida experienced an unprecedented period of revenue growth. Despite continued tax relief provided by the Legislature, tax collections in Florida grew from $47.7 billion in FY2019-20 to $69.0 billion in FY2022-23. This remarkable three-year growth of 44.7 percent was fueled by Florida’s two largest state tax sources, the sales tax and the corporate income tax.
Federal pandemic aid put money in consumers’ pockets and helped keep businesses afloat. Floridians also began spending the record savings that they had been building up. All this spending, along with rising prices, increased sales tax collections by 49.4 percent. Corporate income tax collections increased even faster over this three-year period, more than doubling from $2.5 billion to $5.5 billion. This was largely due to the tax base expansion measures passed by Congress and largely adopted by Florida, despite the temporary refunds and rate reductions the Legislature put in place in an attempt to mitigate the tax increase.
Local Taxes – Property taxes are local governments’ largest tax source, providing over 80 percent of the tax revenue for counties, cities, school districts, and special districts. Property tax levies have been rising rapidly in Florida, increasing by nearly 40 percent in just the last three years and more than doubling in the last 10 years. This rise is nearly twice as fast as the combined growth of population and inflation.
Property taxes now total $59.2 billion (FY2025-26) and have become the largest tax source for all of Florida government, both state and local. The state sales tax has always been the biggest source, but the local property tax eclipsed it in FY 2021-22. Property taxes now bring in 42.3 percent more than the $41.6 billion sales tax. This has led to calls from the Governor and Legislature to significantly reduce, or even eliminate, property taxes. It is estimated that the total amount of local taxes will surpass state taxes for the first time ever in FY 2025-26.
Federal Taxes – Federal tax collections have the biggest impact on Taxpayer Independence Day since they comprise nearly three-quarters of all taxes paid by Floridians. Personal income and payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare) provide more than 80 percent of all federal tax revenue. After a decrease of 3.4 percent in FY2022-23, due in part to the postponement of tax payments in states impacted by natural disasters, federal taxes exhibited healthy growth from 2024 through 2026, pushing TID further out on the calendar.
This growth is attributed to rising gross domestic product (GDP), wages, corporate profits, and high asset values – which lead to more capital gains and taxable distributions from retirement accounts. Over the last 10 years, growth in Floridians’ federal taxes of 108 percent exceeded both local and state taxes.
Ever increasing federal spending, will cause the deficit will grow to 6.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2036, well above the average of 3.8 percent of GDP over the past 50 years. Federal debt will equal 120 percent of GDP, topping the previous high of 106 percent in 1946, just after World War II.
Facts About Florida’s Tax Burden:
- Florida’s total tax burden (federal, state and local) totals an estimated $534 billion in 2026, or $22,592 per capita. Total taxes equal $57,489 per Florida household.
- Taxes paid by Floridians take up 29.0 percent of the $1.8 trillion in total personal income.
- Federal taxes make up 73 percent of Floridian’s total burden; state and local taxes account for 27 percent (13.5 percent each).
- Florida’s total tax burden has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, increasing by 99 percent. Federal and local tax collections have more than doubled, with federal taxes growing the most (106 percent), followed by local taxes (108 percent). State taxes are by far the slowest growing tax level, increasing by 60 percent.
- Personal income growth (94 percent) in Florida has grown a bit slower than taxes over the last 10 years, so Taxpayer Independence Day comes three days later in 2026 that it did it 2016, when it fell on April 14.
- For the average Florida household, earning enough to pay its taxes takes a little more than three and a half months. Looking at it another way, you have to work approximately 2 hours and 19 minutes of each 8-hour workday to earn enough to pay taxes.
- Florida’s state government tax burden is one of the lowest in the nation, while the local government burden is closer to the national average.
More information, including the methodology for determining taxpayer independence, can be accessed in the Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2026 briefing here.
About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for more than 47 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
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