Guide
Florida solar incentives in 2026: two real exemptions, no state credit
Updated
Florida's solar incentives are unusual: no cash, no state credit, but two statutory exemptions that quietly take real money off the lifetime cost. Here is exactly what the statutes say.
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- The federal residential clean energy credit (Internal Revenue Code Section 25D) is not applied. Per the IRS page, it "equals 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property" installed "anytime from 2022 through December 31, 2025".
- It also states "the credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (irs.gov). The page was last reviewed July 4, 2026; we read it again on our updated date. Confirm your position with a tax professional before letting any 2026 quote net 30% off.
- The default electricity rate of 15.17 cents per kWh is the Florida residential average for May 2026. It was 14.97 cents in May 2025 (EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A). It is an input: use the figure from your own bill.
- Sizing assumes roughly 1,400 kWh per kW per year for an unshaded south-facing Florida roof. It is scaled by 0.85 for an east or west roof and 0.7 for a shaded or north-facing one.
- These are working estimates, not figures from an official source we can cite today. Treat the suggested size as a starting point, and ask your installer for modeled production for your address.
- Price per watt is your input. The $2.80 default is a typical 2026 Florida quote. It moves with roof type and pitch, tile versus shingle, panel and inverter tier, needed roof work, and the permitting jurisdiction. We publish no Florida market average: no official source we can cite publishes one.
- The sales tax line applies Florida's 6% general state sales tax rate (Florida Department of Revenue) to the system price. Florida exempts "solar energy systems or any component thereof" from sales tax (s. 212.08(7)(hh), F.S.).
- Many counties add a discretionary sales surtax, which is exempt too. So the figure shown is a floor, not the whole saving.
- For residential property, "the just value of the property attributable to a renewable energy source device may not be considered" in determining assessed value.
- Photovoltaic modules and inverters are named as renewable energy source devices (s. 193.624, F.S.). Adding solar should not raise your Florida property tax assessment.
- Nothing here estimates savings. Florida does run net metering for customer-owned renewable generation. But a banked credit's year-end value is not the retail rate: see how Florida net metering works.
Sales tax: exempt, in five words of statute
Section 212.08(7)(hh), Florida Statutes, is short: "Solar energy systems. Also exempt are solar energy systems or any component thereof". The Florida Solar Energy Center "shall from time to time certify to the department a list of equipment and requisite hardware" that qualifies as a solar energy system or component. Source: flsenate.gov.
Florida's general state sales tax rate is 6%, and many counties add a discretionary sales surtax on top (Florida Department of Revenue). On the $25,200 example in our calculator, the state portion alone is about $1,512 you never pay. Check your quote: the equipment should not carry sales tax, and if it does, ask why.
Florida solar property tax exemption: no rise in your assessment
Section 193.624, Florida Statutes, defines a "renewable energy source device" to include "solar energy collectors, photovoltaic modules, and inverters". It also covers storage systems, control devices, pumps and fans, and "power conditioning and storage devices".
For real property used "for residential purposes, the just value of the property attributable to a renewable energy source device may not be considered" in assessed value (flsenate.gov). For nonresidential property the exclusion is 80 percent rather than all of it.
In plain terms: whatever a Florida rooftop system adds to what your home is worth, the residential assessment is not supposed to reflect it. Your property appraiser administers this, so ask them how they apply it if it matters to your numbers.
The federal credit, which is the part that changed
The IRS page for the residential clean energy credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 25D is explicit. The credit "equals 30% of the costs of new, qualified clean energy property for your home" installed "anytime from 2022 through December 31, 2025".
Then: "the credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (irs.gov). The same page adds that you "must claim the credit for the tax year when the property is installed, not merely purchased".
On a $25,200 Florida system, 30% was $7,560. That is far larger than both Florida exemptions combined, so it is the number to verify first. Read the IRS page yourself, ask any installer showing a federal credit line to justify it in writing, and put your own dates to a tax professional.
One older sentence further down the same IRS page still refers to a phase-out beginning in 2033, which reflects earlier law. Where a page reads inconsistently, take the restrictive reading and get professional advice. Nothing here is tax advice.
Florida solar rebates: what Florida does not have
- No state income tax credit. Florida levies no personal income tax, so there is nothing for a solar credit to reduce.
- No statewide cash rebate. Individual municipal utilities and cooperatives sometimes run their own programs, which change often. Ask your utility directly rather than trusting a national incentives database.
- No exemption from permits or inspections. Solar is regulated construction work in Florida, and the permitting stage is where timelines usually slip.