Florida Home-Hardening Sales Tax Refund (2026): Up to $500 Back on Impact Windows & Doors

This article summarizes a Florida tax refund program for general information and is not tax or legal advice. Confirm current forms, deadlines and eligibility with the Florida Department of Revenue or a tax professional before filing.

Most of the financial case for impact windows, doors and garage doors in South Florida comes from insurance — a wind mitigation discount, a lower premium under My Safe Florida Home. As of July 1, 2026, there's a separate, direct incentive on top of that: Florida will refund up to $500 of the sales tax you paid on qualifying impact-resistant products. It's a refund, not a discount at checkout, so you still pay full price and tax at the counter — the money comes back afterward, if you file for it correctly.

What the Program Actually Covers

The refund was created by HB 7031-E, part of Florida's 2026 tax package, and is administered by the Florida Department of Revenue. The basics:

• Qualifying products: impact-resistant exterior doors, garage doors, and windows that meet the applicable wind-pressure and impact-resistance testing standards (the same general testing standards that qualify a product for a wind mitigation insurance discount).
• Purchase window: products must be bought between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029.
• Claim-filing window: refund applications must be submitted between July 1, 2026 and September 30, 2029 — so there's a few months of runway after the last eligible purchase to file.
• Refund cap: up to $500 total, covering Florida sales tax (including any discretionary surtax) already paid. Each owner can claim on only one eligible property.

Who Qualifies

The eligibility rules are narrower than a typical rebate program, so it's worth checking before you assume you qualify:

• Site-built homes only. Mobile homes, manufactured homes, trailers, and anything titled or registered under Chapters 319 or 320, F.S. are excluded.
• Homestead exemption required. The property needs a homestead exemption under section 196.031, F.S. — this is a primary-residence program, not a rental or investment-property one.
• $700,000 value cap. The property's "just value" (roughly, the county appraiser's fair market value) must be $700,000 or less.
• One claim per owner. You can only submit a refund claim for one eligible property, even if you own more than one qualifying home.
• Condos count. The law doesn't mention condos by name, but the Department of Revenue has confirmed that individually owned condo units qualify — including when the HOA or a contractor made the purchase on the building's behalf, as long as the unit owner can document the sales tax paid on their unit's share.

How to Actually File for the Refund

Because this is a refund rather than a point-of-sale exemption, there's no special checkout process — you pay the normal price and sales tax, then apply afterward. The filing steps:

1. Keep your receipts. You'll need invoices or receipts that clearly show the Florida sales tax paid on the qualifying windows, doors, or garage doors.
2. Complete two forms: the general sales and use tax refund application (Form DR-26S) and the Home Hardening Products Sales Tax Refund form (Form DR-26HH). The DR-26HH asks for your property's parcel number and a signed affidavit confirming the products were installed, their actual cost, and the tax paid.
3. Attach your supporting receipts to both forms.
4. Submit online through the Department of Revenue's refund portal, or by mail. Either way, keep copies of everything you send.

Both forms are available directly from the Department of Revenue's forms library (floridarevenue.com). Given the parcel number and affidavit requirements, this isn't a same-day online rebate — budget time to gather documentation correctly the first time, since an incomplete claim is the most common reason refund applications get delayed.

How It Fits With Other South Florida Incentives

This refund is small relative to the cost of a full window or door replacement — $500 doesn't move the needle on its own — but it stacks with incentives Renomatix readers already use:

• A wind mitigation inspection documenting the same impact-rated products can lower your insurance premium every year, not just once.
• The My Safe Florida Home grant, where funded, can cover a 2:1 match toward the same hardening work.
• For garage doors specifically, see our guide to hurricane-rated garage doors and the Miami-Dade NOA requirement that qualifying products must meet.

Taken together, a homeowner who times a window, door, or garage door project for after July 1, 2026, replaces aging openings with properly NOA-rated products, and files both the wind mitigation paperwork and this refund claim is stacking three separate sources of money back on the same project — the insurance discount, the grant match where available, and now the sales tax refund.

Bottom Line

If you're planning impact windows, doors, or a garage door replacement in Broward or Miami-Dade and your home has a homestead exemption and a just value under $700,000, this refund is worth claiming — it just requires filing paperwork after the fact rather than a discount at the register. Keep your receipts, use Forms DR-26S and DR-26HH, and file before the September 30, 2029 deadline. For the cost side of the decision, see our guides on impact windows cost in Miami and hurricane impact doors.