Online Filing for Walton Co Bed Tax now available

[ShallowsNole]

SoWal folks who manage their own rentals might be interested to know that you can now file your Tourist Development Tax online with the Walton County Clerk of Court...the web site is www.touristtax.com/walton .

If you are already registered as a bed tax collector, you should have received your username and temporary password. If not, please call 267-2040 or e-mail sunjoyce@co.walton.fl.us .

For those of you who are renting on your own and are NOT registered to collect the TDT (y'all know who you are :nono1: ), you can also register online. This would be a good way to come into compliance.

By the way, if you have property in Bay County, their site is www.touristtax.com/bay ...

 

[seacrestkristi]

Thanks SN, and next quarter I won't wait 'til the 20th to do it as my password wouldn't work for me. I think I may've messed up my password but this, Joyce, at the tax office, was so nice and helped me when I called.

 

[ShallowsNole]

 

[Bob]

Make sure all you folks paying three times property taxes as your homesteaded neighbor pay "all" your taxes. We love you!!

 

[seacrestkristi]

:clap_1: Ain't that the truth. How do you qualify for homestead tax? We could probably qualify for at least one unit as much as we're down.

 

[Bob]

:clap_1: Ain't that the truth. How do you qualify for homestead tax? We could probably qualify for at least one unit as much as we're down.

No, you don't qualify in the Naner Republik of Forida. If you lie, and try to homestead one of your properties, there's a Nazi snitch number for your neighbors to turn you in. SOH has made it so I'm paying more to Walton County for a vacant lot, than Orange County for my residence. It's why local government is awash in money now, with no feedback from locals to be responsible. The emphasis is on "compliance". Nice doggie!

 

[seacrestkristi]

If you live in sowal part-time, like a certain number of weeks per year and get a local driver's license, then you can claim homestead legally, right? What's the magic number of weeks? Isn't it sumpin' like 'over 13' weeks? :roll: I'm not worrying about anyone turning me in, since we're paying what we owe plus some most likely.

 

[SHELLY]

If you live in sowal part-time, like a certain number of weeks per year and get a local driver's license, then you can claim homestead legally, right? What's the magic number of weeks? Isn't it sumpin' like 'over 13' weeks? :roll: I'm not worrying about anyone turning me in, since we're paying what we owe plus some most likely.

Homestead is intended for folks who make their Florida home their "primary" residence (Would you rent your family's home out for 8 months of the year?) But the laws are screwy and vary from county-to-county and enforcement is spotty. However, the law is pretty clear when it says a person cannot claim homestead in two places (either in state or in another state where one has claimed homestead). Military personnel have a little more leeway than civilians when claiming Florida Homestead.

Having said that, if you do get caught they'll place a lien on your home for the amount of "money you saved" by not paying full taxes, plus up to a 50% penalty and 15% interest on the money you "saved."

Do you feel lucky?

 

[seacrestkristi]

No, I don't rent my 1st home in sowal out at all. We only live in it as much as we can get down which is often and would eventually like to move back as Fla is where we started out. I rent out my rental house in sowal, a couple doors down from my home in sowal. We started out in Fla, and consider Fla our home too, and plan to retire here and maybe keep our place in TN. We moved to TN for work but our kids were born here and we have more family down here than anywhere. Don't get me wrong I feel blessed but am getting nailed on 2 places, my home of which I don't rent out at all. TN doesn't have homestead tax. So it's not like I'm claiming it there too. Thanks for your help but no I don't want to feel lucky when it comes to payin' taxes. I want to feel sure. Just wonderin' if anyone knew specifics. I'm more than happy to pay my taxes. I just don't want to overpay either. :roll:

 

[Seabreeze]

My Atlanta accountant told me I could only homestead in Florida if I spent 26 weeks and 1 day there over the course of the year. Alas, that's what I want to do but realistically can't. Making a living is such a pain in the a$$ and gets in the way of fun time at the beach.

I sure would get the straight poop on homesteading before filing any papers. Government just seems to have a way of tracking you down and squeezing you for more money when you're already paying a ton -- kind of like an ex-wife.