No. Florida does not tax Social Security. It also doesn’t tax pensions, 401(k) or 403(b) withdrawals, IRA distributions, annuity income, deferred compensation, dividends, interest, or capital gains — because Florida has no personal income tax at all, and the Florida Constitution prohibits creating one.
That’s the whole answer to the headline question. The useful details are what it’s worth, what you still owe, and what it actually takes to claim it.
What Florida Doesn’t Tax
| Income type | Florida tax |
|---|---|
| Social Security benefits | $0 |
| Public and private pensions | $0 |
| 401(k), 403(b), 457 withdrawals | $0 |
| Traditional and Roth IRA distributions | $0 |
| Annuity income | $0 |
| Dividends, interest, capital gains | $0 |
| Military retirement pay | $0 |
There are no income limits, no age requirements, no partial exemptions to compute, and no forms to file. Florida also has no estate or inheritance tax, which for retirees doing legacy planning is often the larger number.
What You Still Owe
Federal tax doesn’t change. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits remain federally taxable depending on your combined income, and traditional 401(k)/IRA withdrawals are federally taxed as ordinary income wherever you live. Moving to Florida eliminates the state layer only.
Your former state, until you actually leave. This is where retirees get burned. A New York or Minnesota resident who winters in Florida but keeps northern domicile owes their home state’s tax on retirement income all year. Florida’s zero only applies once Florida is your legal domicile — and your former state will apply its own 183-day and domicile tests before it agrees you left.
The comparison depends on which state you’re leaving. Some states already spare retirees much of this — Illinois and Pennsylvania exempt most retirement income, and only a handful of states still tax Social Security at all. Others, like California and Minnesota, tax nearly everything. The honest state-by-state math is in Retiring to Florida: What Your State Already Doesn’t Tax.
The Rest of the Retiree Tax Picture
Property tax: homesteaded Florida residents get up to $50,000 off assessed value plus the Save Our Homes 3% annual assessment cap — but the homestead exemption requires Florida to be your permanent residence, and you can’t keep a residency-based break in your old state at the same time.
Sales tax: 6% state, typically 6.5–7.5% with county surtaxes. Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt.
Insurance: the real offset. Windstorm and flood coverage on coastal property can run to five figures a year. For most retirees leaving a high-tax state the income tax savings dominate, but put insurance in the budget before you count the winnings.
Claiming the Zero: Residency Is the Requirement
Florida asks nothing of you to enjoy its zero — but your former state does. The practical bar: spend the majority of the year (the 183-day threshold) in Florida, move the official ties — driver’s license, voter registration, declaration of domicile, homestead — and keep evidence of your day count, because high-tax states audit departing retirees years after the fact.
Southbound handles the evidence part automatically: it runs passively on your iPhone, logs every day as Florida or not Florida with GPS backing, and stores the record in your personal iCloud. The dashboard’s Departure Budget shows exactly how many days you can still spend up north this year without giving your former state a claim. The tax savings are automatic once you’re a Florida resident — Southbound is how you prove you are one.
This post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. Federal taxation of Social Security and retirement income depends on your total income and current federal law. Consult a qualified CPA for planning specific to your situation.
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Published Aug 11, 2026