Taxes in Clermont
Florida's no-state-income-tax rule applies fully in Lake County, and the combined sales tax rate in Clermont is 7% (6% state plus 1% Lake County surtax). Property tax is where sources genuinely disagree: the county's base millage is 6.0000 mills for FY2025-26, but the true effective rate on a Clermont parcel -- once municipal, school-district, and special-taxing-district millage is layered on -- is estimated anywhere from under 1% to over 1.5% depending on the source and the specific parcel.
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Learn moreNo State Income Tax
Florida levies no state personal income tax, a rule that applies statewide, including all of Lake County and Clermont. This applies equally to wages, retirement income (pensions, 401(k)/IRA withdrawals, Social Security), and investment income -- a factor covered further on the retiring topic page.
Property Tax Millage -- Real Disagreement on the Effective Rate
Lake County's base county millage rate is 6.0000 mills (0.6%) for FY2025-26, with a proposed general-fund millage of 5.0254 -- a slight decrease from the prior year's 5.0364, per the Lake County Property Appraiser's 2025 Final Millage Rates and Values Comparison Sheet. That county figure is only part of a Clermont property's bill once municipal, school-district, and special-taxing-district millage are added; a third-party aggregator (HonestCasa) cites roughly 0.99% as a typical effective rate but notes a range from about 0.98% up to 1.5%+ depending on which districts apply to a given parcel. That spread is genuine, not noise, so no single effective rate is presented as settled here -- get a parcel-specific estimate from the Lake County Property Appraiser for an exact figure.
Homestead Exemption and Florida's Save Our Homes Cap
A qualifying Florida homestead receives a $25,000 first exemption (applies to all levies) plus an inflation-adjusted additional exemption -- $26,411 for the 2026 tax year -- for a total exemption of up to $51,411 on a fully qualifying homestead, per Lake County Property Appraiser guidance; the additional exemption applies only to non-school taxes on value above $50,000. Once homesteaded, Florida's Save Our Homes provision caps annual assessed-value increases at the lesser of 3% or CPI, working out to 2.7% for 2026 -- exemptions must be applied for annually and are not automatic.
Sales Tax: 7% in Clermont
The combined sales tax rate in Clermont is 7%: Florida's 6% state sales tax plus Lake County's 1% discretionary surtax, with no additional city-level tax, per SalesTaxHandbook and Zamp data. Some Lake County jurisdictions can layer additional local surtaxes bringing the county maximum to 7.5%, though Clermont itself sits at the base 7%.
Key takeaways
- No Florida state income tax applies to wages, retirement income, or investment income for Lake County residents.
- Lake County's base FY2025-26 millage is 6.0000 mills, but the true effective property-tax rate on a Clermont parcel is genuinely disputed across sources -- estimates range from about 0.98% to over 1.5% depending on municipal, school, and special-district overlays.
- Florida's 2026 homestead exemption totals up to $51,411 for a fully qualifying homestead, and the Save Our Homes cap limits annual assessment growth to 2.7% for 2026 once homesteaded.
- Combined sales tax in Clermont is 7% (6% state + 1% Lake County surtax); some other Lake County jurisdictions can run up to 7.5%.
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