Every August, hundreds of thousands of TRIM notices land in Hillsborough mailboxes, and every August the same two mistakes cost homeowners money: treating the notice as junk mail, and discovering the appeal deadline after it’s gone. Here’s how to read yours — and what to do in the 25 days that follow — for every homeowner in Florida’s 14th Congressional District.
What the TRIM Notice Actually Is
The TRIM notice shows your property’s estimated market (“just”) value as of January 1, your assessed value and exemptions (this year vs last), the proposed millage rates from every taxing authority that bills you — county, schools, and the rest of the stack — and an estimate of your upcoming bill. If you pay a CDD assessment, non-ad-valorem assessments appear here too (or, at minimum, on the November bill).
It is not a bill. The real bill comes from the Tax Collector around November 1 — with early-payment discounts of 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, and 1% in February, and delinquency starting April 1.
The 25-Day Clock: How to Challenge Your Value
Think the Property Appraiser has your value wrong? Two tracks, run them in parallel:
- Free informal review. Call the Property Appraiser’s Real Estate Review line (813-272-6100) or use the online Property Value Review Request form; an appraiser typically responds within 3–5 business days. Many disputes end here at no cost.
- VAB petition. File with the Clerk of Court (Clerk to the Value Adjustment Board) within 25 days of the TRIM mailing date — the petition must be received, not postmarked, by the deadline. File online via the Clerk’s VAB portal at hillsclerk.com/vab or by mail to Clerk of the VAB, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., County Center 12th Floor, Tampa, FL 33602. The fee is $50 per parcel — it went up from $15 under a 2025 state law — with exceptions (no fee for in-person/mail appeals of denied homestead or senior exemptions and tax deferrals).
Critical detail from the state’s own guidance: the informal review does not extend the petition deadline. If you wait for the review result and the 25 days lapse, you’re done for the year (late petitions need documented good cause).
What You Can — and Can’t — Appeal
Can appeal to the VAB: your assessed value, a denied exemption or agricultural classification, a portability decision, or a denied tax deferral. Note the separate clock: exemption denials must be appealed within 30 days of the denial letter (denials mail by July 1) — that window usually closes before TRIM notices even arrive.
Cannot appeal: the tax rate. Millage is set by the taxing authorities — County Commission, School Board, and the rest — at public budget hearings in September, whose dates and locations are printed on your TRIM notice. If your complaint is the rate, that hearing room is where the decision gets made, and every taxpayer is invited.
Two more facts that surprise people: filing a petition doesn’t pause your bill (state law requires at least 75% of the ad valorem taxes plus all non-ad-valorem assessments be paid before delinquency, or the VAB must deny the petition), and hearings are run by special magistrates starting in the fall, with evidence exchanged in advance.
The Calendar That Runs Your Tax Year
| When | What |
|---|---|
| August | TRIM notices mail (receipt by end of August; mailing date printed on the notice) |
| TRIM date + 25 days | VAB petition deadline ($50/parcel, received not postmarked) |
| September | Public millage/budget hearings (dates on your notice) |
| ~November 1 | Tax bills mail; 4% discount in November, declining monthly |
| March 1 | Homestead exemption + Save Our Homes portability filing deadline |
| March 31 / April 1 | Full payment due / taxes delinquent |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TRIM notice in Florida?
The Truth in Millage notice — the official Notice of Proposed Property Taxes mailed each August showing your property’s value, exemptions, each authority’s proposed millage, and an estimated bill. It is not a bill; it starts the 25-day appeal window.
How long do I have to appeal my Hillsborough property value?
25 days from the date the TRIM notice was mailed (the date is printed at the bottom of your notice). The Value Adjustment Board petition must be received by the Clerk by that date. Exemption denials run on a separate 30-day clock from the denial letter.
How much does a VAB petition cost in Hillsborough County?
$50 per parcel, effective with the 2025 season under a change in state law (it was previously $15). Appeals of denied homestead or senior exemptions and tax deferrals filed in person or by mail require no fee.
Can I appeal my property tax rate?
No. The VAB hears value, exemption, classification, portability, and deferral disputes — not millage. Tax rates are set by the taxing authorities at advertised public hearings each September; attending those hearings is how residents contest rates.
Do I still have to pay my taxes while appealing?
Yes. Florida law requires payment of all non-ad-valorem assessments plus at least 75% of the ad valorem taxes before delinquency, or the VAB must deny the petition.
Read the Notice, Mark the Date
The TRIM notice is the one piece of government mail that can save you real money — if you act inside the window. For what’s driving the bill itself, see the Amendment 3 and property-tax guide, the CDD explainer, and where John Peters stands on the cost of living.