Florida homeowners replacing windows or doors for hurricane protection have a new tax break to know about—but it is not a typical sales-tax holiday. For qualifying purchases made from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, the benefit comes back as a refund of Florida sales tax already paid, including any discretionary county surtax. The maximum refund is $500 per eligible residential property.
Start with the home: who is eligible?
This refund is limited to the legal owner of an eligible residential property where the products are installed. The house must be a site-built dwelling with a granted Florida homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less. The owner can make a claim for only one eligible property.
That leaves out vacation homes, rental properties without homestead status, and homes over the just-value limit. It also excludes mobile homes, manufactured homes, trailers, and homes or trailers titled or registered under Florida motor-vehicle laws. Before ordering, confirm the home’s homestead status and current just value with the county property appraiser; those details matter even if the improvement itself is otherwise a perfect fit.
Which doors and windows qualify?
The program is narrow. It applies only to three types of home-hardening products:
- Impact-resistant exterior door systems
- Impact-resistant garage door systems
- Impact-resistant windows
For exterior doors and windows, the product must be designed to resist wind and wind-borne debris and rated for both impact resistance and wind pressure under the applicable current testing standards: ASTM E1886/E1996, AAMA 506, or Florida Building Code TAS 201, TAS 202 and TAS 203. Impact-rated garage doors may also qualify under ANSI/DASMA 115.
In everyday shopping terms, do not assume that “hurricane-rated,” “wind-rated,” reinforced, insulated or code-compliant automatically means eligible. A qualifying window is specifically one using laminated glass or a polycarbonate glazing system and carrying the required impact and pressure ratings. Likewise, the qualifying door needs to be an exterior impact-resistant system—not an interior door, screen door, ordinary storm door or a standard garage door with added bracing.
The definition can include the window or door frame and its installation attachment hardware when those items are bought in the same sale for compliant installation. Ask the seller or contractor for the exact model information, impact-rating documentation and applicable product approval before signing off. Keep those materials even though receipts are the expressly required proof for the refund.
The dates—and the deadline that matters
The purchase window runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. The retail purchase must happen during that period. A June 2026 purchase does not qualify, even if installation happens after July 1, 2026.
Homeowners have a little extra time to file, but not indefinitely: refund applications must reach the Florida Department of Revenue between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2029. Waiting until the final week is risky, especially when a contractor has to retrieve purchase documentation. A smart approach is to assemble the claim as soon as the installation is complete and all invoices are in hand.
The state says it will determine whether a completed application meets the requirements within 30 business days of receipt, then issue an approved refund within 30 business days after formal approval. Check current Department of Revenue details before filing, since forms and online procedures can change.
Retail purchase versus a furnished-and-installed contract
This distinction is especially important. A homeowner who buys impact windows from a retailer and separately hires an installer has made a retail purchase; the store charges sales tax, and that sales-tax receipt supports the claim.
But many window and door projects are sold as one contractor-furnished, installed package. In that arrangement, the contractor generally does not charge sales tax on the lump-sum improvement contract because the installed products become part of the real property. The contractor, however, may have paid Florida sales tax when buying the qualifying products. The homeowner may still claim the refund, but needs a copy of the contractor’s supplier receipt showing the Florida tax paid on those products. Raise this point before work begins and make receipt delivery part of the contract paperwork.
Your refund paperwork checklist
- Form DR-26S, the Sales and Use Tax application for refund
- Form DR-26HH, the Home Hardening Products Sales Tax Refund form
- Copies of receipts showing Florida sales tax paid on the qualifying retail products
- The property address and parcel number
- Your signed owner affidavit stating the products were installed at the eligible property, their actual cost and the Florida sales tax paid
- For contractor-supplied work, the contractor or supplier receipt that documents tax paid on the actual doors or windows
- Helpful backup: itemized proposal, final invoice, product labels/spec sheets, proof of installation and permit or inspection records if applicable
File online through the Department of Revenue’s refund portal and upload DR-26HH plus the supporting records, or submit the full packet by mail. The practical takeaway: save the tax receipt before installation starts, verify the exact impact rating before purchase, and do not confuse this refund program with an instant checkout exemption.
