Palm Beach County, Florida: business personal property tax return, 2027
Businesses in Palm Beach County report the equipment, furniture, computers and other tangible property they owned on January 1, 2027 to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser (county property appraiser) on DR-405. The return is due April 1, 2027, or May 3, 2027 with an extension. The first $25,000 of assessed value per location is exempt; tax applies to value above that. After an initial return, the annual return is waived while value stays at or under $25,000.
Who files
Any business with tangible personal property at a Palm Beach County location on January 1.
Furniture and fixtures, kitchen and other machinery, computers and point-of-sale systems, signage, leasehold improvements that are trade fixtures, supplies are reported at original cost by year acquired; the appraiser depreciates them on the schedule below. Inventory held for sale, licensed vehicles and intangibles are not reported in Florida.
The exemption applies per location, so a company with three sites in Palm Beach County files three returns and gets three exemptions.
Deadlines and extensions
- Assessment date
- January 1, 2027
- DR-405 due
- April 1, 2027
- Extension
- To May 3, 2027. Request online via the tangible account search ('Return Filing' > 'Request Filing Extension', https://pbcpao.gov/Property/DR405Extension) by 5 p.m. March 31 (last working day of March); 30-day extension, extended accounts file by May 1.
- Notice of value
- August
- Protest deadline
- TRIM notice mailed in August (county TRIM page https://pbcpao.gov/trim/); VAB petition due on or before the 25th day after the TRIM mailing (F.S. 194.011(3)(d)); petition form at https://pbcpao.gov/file-petition.htm. The county notes late TPP filers lose the right to contest the assessment. (County Value Adjustment Board (petition filed with the Clerk of the VAB; special magistrates hear TPP petitions))
- Bills
- November 1 (taxes are due and payable November 1, or as soon thereafter as the certified tax roll is received by the tax collector — F.S. 197.333). Due: Delinquent April 1 following the year of assessment (or 60 days after mailing of the original tax notice, whichever is later) — F.S. 197.333. Early-payment discounts under F.S. 197.162: 4% within 30 days after the tax notice is sent (November), 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, 0% in March.
Exemption
The first $25,000 of assessed value per location is exempt; tax applies to value above that. After an initial return, the annual return is waived while value stays at or under $25,000.
- Statute
- Fla. Stat. § 196.183
- In force
- Tax years 2008–present
- Under the threshold
- An initial DR-405 must be filed to claim the exemption (the return is the application). In later years the annual return is waived while the value listed on the return stays at or below $25,000; a return is required again in any year the value exceeds $25,000, and the waiver can be regained only by filing a return showing value at or below $25,000. By February 1 the property appraiser mails a notice (optional form DR-405W) to waived taxpayers reminding them a return is required if value exceeds the exemption.
- As stated by the county
- $25,000 — 'Businesses that timely file receive an exemption of up to $25,000 from taxable value'; renews automatically once an initial DR-405 shows value under $25,000 until assets exceed $25,000.
Depreciation schedule
Palm Beach County Property Appraiser publishes its own percent-good table with 13 asset classes.
| Class | Life | Percent good, years 1 → 6 |
|---|---|---|
| 3-year life | 3 yr | 68% · 47% · 26% · 5% |
| 4-year life (computers, POS systems) | 4 yr | 69% · 53% · 37% · 21% · 5% |
| 5-year life | 5 yr | 70% · 57% · 44% · 31% · 18% · 5% |
| 6-year life (office machines, copiers, EDP, servers) | 6 yr | 71% · 61% · 51% · 41% · 30% · 20% |
| 7-year life (restaurant / fast food equipment, signs) | 7 yr | 72% · 63% · 54% · 45% · 36% · 28% |
| 8-year life (office furniture, office leasehold improvements, medical equipment) | 8 yr | 73% · 65% · 57% · 49% · 42% · 34% |
| 9-year life | 9 yr | 74% · 67% · 60% · 53% · 46% · 38% |
| 10-year life (manufacturing & processing equipment field estimate, fuel dispensers/tanks) | 10 yr | 75% · 69% · 63% · 57% · 51% · 45% |
| 12-year life | 12 yr | 77% · 72% · 67% · 62% · 56% · 51% |
| 15-year life | 15 yr | 80% · 76% · 72% · 68% · 64% · 60% |
| 18-year life | 18 yr | 83% · 80% · 76% · 73% · 69% · 66% |
| 20-year life (steel billboards, towers, tanks) | 20 yr | 85% · 82% · 79% · 75% · 72% · 69% |
| 7-year life, retail fixtures only (store display equipment, store leasehold improvements) | 7 yr | 72% · 62% · 53% · 43% · 34% · 24% |
Source: pbcpao.gov/pdf/PresentWorth.pdf
PBC PAO '2026 Present Worth Table (For use on Replacement Cost New)', marked 'Preliminary values subject to change prior to taxroll approval'. Rows are year acquired (2025 = age 1 ... 2005 = age 21); the table assumes average condition.
IMPORTANT: the percentages apply to REPLACEMENT COST NEW, i.e. historical cost x the county's 2026 Index Factor (pbcpao.gov/pdf/Indexfactors.pdf) x percent good; the table says 'DO NOT use these percentages on historic cost unless it has been factored to the current year's Replacement Cost New.' Index factors by year acquired (effective age 1-20 = 2025..2006), Commercial average / Industrial average / Technology-based: 2025 1.00/1.00/1.00; 2024 1.04/1
How to file
Online through TPP E File, or by mail.
- Online
- TPP E File
- By mail
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, Tangible Personal Property, 301 N. Olive Ave., 5th Floor, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
- By email
- mytpp@pbcpao.gov
- Form
- DR-405 — Tangible Personal Property Tax Return (rev. R. 01/18 (Rule 12D-16.002, F.A.C.))
E-filing closes May 15; after that returns must be mailed or hand-delivered. Email filing (mytpp@pbcpao.gov) is accepted ONLY for first-time filers' initial DR-405. Phone 561-355-2896. County DR-405 at pbcpao.gov/pdf/dr405a.pdf. The office states it will not waive late-filing penalties.
Exemption renews automatically once an initial DR-405 shows value under $25,000, until assets exceed $25,000; filing is waived only if the business received the yellow waiver postcard.
Penalties
- Late return: 5% of the tax for each month (or part) it is late, capped at 25%.
- No return filed: 25% of the tax.
- Property omitted from a return: 15% of the tax on the omitted property.
- Fraud or intent to evade: 50% of the tax.
F.S. 193.072: 5%/month late (cap 25%), 25% for non-filers, 15% for omitted assets — all restated on pbcpao.gov/departments/tangible.htm.
Estimated tax
For a typical in-city location, about 2% of assessed value.
City of West Palm Beach, 2025 final: 20.4486 mills = Palm Beach County operating 4.5000 + county debt 0.0330 + School Board state 3.0730 + local 3.2480 + SFWMD 0.0948 + Okeechobee Basin 0.1026 + Everglades Construction 0.0327 + FIND 0.0288 + Children's Services Council 0.4908 + Health Care District 0.6561 + West Palm Beach operating 8.1308 + debt 0.0580.
Excludes the county Library (0.5491) and Fire-Rescue MSTU (3.4581), which do not apply inside West Palm Beach; this composition was verified against the office's published 2024 total for West Palm Beach (20.4535 = same authorities at 2024 rates, pbcpao.gov/pdf/taxroll/2024_Proposed_Total_Millage_Rates_Levy.pdf).
Questions
DR-405 is due to Palm Beach County Property Appraiser by April 1, 2027. A 30-day extension to May 3, 2027 is available: Request online via the tangible account search ('Return Filing' > 'Request Filing Extension', https://pbcpao.gov/Property/DR405Extension) by 5 p.m. March 31 (last working day of March); 30-day extension, extended accounts file by May 1.
The first $25,000 of assessed value per location is exempt; tax applies to value above that. After an initial return, the annual return is waived while value stays at or under $25,000.
Online through TPP E File, or by mail. Portal: https://secure.co.palm-beach.fl.us/tangefile. Mailing address: Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, Tangible Personal Property, 301 N. Olive Ave., 5th Floor, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Late return: 5% of the tax for each month (or part) it is late, capped at 25%. No return filed: 25% of the tax. Property omitted from a return: 15% of the tax on the omitted property. Fraud or intent to evade: 50% of the tax.
For a typical in-city location the combined 2025 rate of overlapping taxing units is $2.04 per $100 of assessed value, so about 2% of assessed value. Your exact rate depends on the city, school district and special districts at the address.
Sources
Every figure above is taken from one of these documents; the date is when Rendition last read it.
- 01Palm Beach County Property Appraiser — business personal property filing pagepbcpao.gov/departments/tangible.htmread 2026-11-02
- 02TPP E Filesecure.co.palm-beach.fl.us/tangefile
- 03DR-405 — Tangible Personal Property Tax Returnfloridarevenue.com/property/Documents/dr405.pdfread 2026-11-02
- 04Exemption rule — Fla. Stat. § 196.183flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/196.183read 2026-11-02
- 05Palm Beach County Property Appraiser depreciation schedulepbcpao.gov/pdf/PresentWorth.pdfread 2026-11-02
- 06Adopted tax rates used for the estimatepbcpao.gov/pdf/taxroll/2025_Final_vs_Proposed_Millage_Rates.pdfread 2026-11-02
- 07Penalty statutem.flsenate.gov/Statutes/193.072read 2026-11-02
- 08Notice of value and protest deadlinem.flsenate.gov/statutes/194.011
- 09Tax bill due datem.flsenate.gov/Statutes/197.333read 2026-11-02
- 10Palm Beach County Property Appraiser websitepbcpao.gov
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