Florida Solar Incentives in 2026: What Changed, and How to Actually Claim Them

A lot of what’s written about Florida solar incentives online is either outdated or skips the part homeowners actually need, which is what you have to do, if anything, to actually get them.

Short version: The federal 30% tax credit is gone for purchased systems as of 2026, but Florida’s own incentives, the property tax exemption, the sales tax exemption, and full retail rate net metering, are all still in place. Most of them are automatic. Net metering has faced repeated legislative attempts to weaken it since 2022, none successful so far, which is worth knowing since it is not a settled question forever.

The federal credit is gone, but that’s not the whole story

We cover this in more depth in our Incentives guide, so the short version here: the 30% federal residential credit ended for purchased systems installed after December 31, 2025. That part of the story is done and isn’t coming back without new federal legislation. What’s less talked about is that Florida’s own incentives never depended on that federal credit in the first place, and none of them changed when it expired.

Net metering survived a real legislative fight, and it’s not the first time

In 2022, the Florida Legislature passed HB 741, a bill that would have phased down net metering credits from the full retail rate down to a fraction of it by 2029, and allowed utilities to add new fees for solar customers. Governor DeSantis vetoed it in April 2022, citing the financial strain it would have put on homeowners. Since then, additional proposals to modify net metering have been introduced in the Legislature, but as of early 2026, none have passed. Full retail rate net metering remains in effect for Florida’s investor owned utilities.

This history matters for one reason: net metering is a policy, not a law that’s guaranteed to stay the same forever. It has been a genuine legislative target multiple times, survived so far, and is worth watching rather than assuming is permanently settled.

How the property tax exemption actually gets applied

Florida Statute 193.624 is the actual law behind the property tax exemption covered in our Incentives guide. In most Florida counties, this exemption is automatic. Your county property appraiser is prohibited by state law from including the added value of a solar system in your property’s assessed value, so there’s no separate application to file the way there is for something like a homestead exemption. It’s still worth checking your next property tax assessment to confirm the solar system’s value was actually excluded, and contacting your county property appraiser directly if it wasn’t.

One detail worth knowing: the residential provisions of this statute are currently set to sunset on December 31, 2037, at which point they revert to older language unless the Legislature acts again before then. That’s over a decade away, but it’s a real date, not an indefinite guarantee.

How the sales tax exemption actually gets applied

This one requires even less from you. Solar equipment is exempt from Florida’s 6% state sales tax at the point of sale, and your installer handles the paperwork on this as part of a normal transaction. There’s nothing for you to file separately.

How net metering enrollment actually works

Unlike the tax exemptions, net metering isn’t automatic, but it’s also not something you personally apply for with the state. Your installer submits an interconnection application to your utility as part of the installation process, and your utility approves the system before it’s allowed to connect to the grid and start generating credits. This is standard practice for any licensed installer, worth confirming is included in your contract rather than treated as a separate cost.

What’s worth watching going forward

Nothing currently in effect is scheduled to change soon, but Florida’s solar policy has shifted more than once in the past few years, mostly around net metering. If you’re weighing whether solar makes sense for your home now, our Is Solar Worth It guide walks through the current payback math, and our Cost Guide breaks down what a system actually costs before any of these incentives are applied.

This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm current details with your county property appraiser, your utility, and a licensed tax professional before making a purchase decision.

Sources:
https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199%2F0193%2FSections%2F0193.624.html
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/Florida-desantis-vetoes-rooftop-solar-bill-behind-the-meter-cost-shifting/622820/
https://www.floridarenewableenergy.com/florida-net-metering-guide/
https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/tips/documents/TIP_19A01-09.pdf