Updated July 25, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from California to Florida in retirement, you stop paying California income tax on retirement withdrawals. Four separate taxes change when you move — state income tax on withdrawals, state estate tax, state inheritance tax, and what probate costs your heirs. Most comparisons only price the first one.
California vs Florida: every tax that changes
| What changes | California (leaving) | Florida (arriving) |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | graduated to 13.3% (plus existing 1% mental health surtax included in that top rate; wages also face uncapped SDI, not relevant to retirement income) | none |
| Social Security | not taxed (excluded from CA AGI) | not taxed (no state income tax) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable as ordinary income — no age-based exclusion or retirement deduction. | Not taxed (no state income tax). |
| Estate tax | none | none (constitutionally prohibited) |
| Inheritance tax | none | none |
| Probate fee model | statutory-percentage | statutory-percentage |
| Probate filing fee | $435 first-filed petition for letters (Gov. Code §70650, Statewide Civil Fee Schedule); a few counties add local surcharges (~$435-$500). Note each side’s petition triggers the fee. | ~$400 formal administration; ~$345 summary administration (estates ≥$1,000); ~$235 summary <$1,000 — clerk fees per Fla. Stat. §28.2401 (base $395/$340 plus $4 service charge) |
| Small-estate limit | $208,850 for deaths on/after April 1, 2025 (Cal. Prob. Code §§13100-13101, indexed triennially per §890; was $184,500 for deaths April 2022–March 2025). 40-day wait, personal property. Separately, AB 2016 (2024) allows a simplified §13151 petition for a primary residence up to $750,000 for deaths on/after April 1, 2025. | Summary administration: $150,000 as of July 1, 2026 (Fla. Stat. §735.201, amended by CS/HB 1337, Ch. 2026-57, signed April 29, 2026; was $75,000), or death more than 2 years ago regardless of value; exempt homestead not counted. Disposition without administration (§735.304): raised $10,000 → $20,000 of exempt personal property by the same act. |
Every cell is quoted from our statute-cited 51-jurisdiction dataset. Download the full dataset as CSV.
1. What changes on your annual tax bill
California taxes retirement withdrawals: Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable as ordinary income — no age-based exclusion or retirement deduction. Florida does not. On a $100,000 annual withdrawal, the California bill is whatever its graduated to 13.3% (plus existing 1% mental health surtax included in that top rate; schedule produces; in Florida it is $0. Social Security is treated as follows — California: not taxed (excluded from CA AGI) Florida: not taxed (no state income tax)
2. What changes at death: state estate tax
Neither state levies an estate tax. California: none Florida: none (constitutionally prohibited) Only the federal estate tax applies.
3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax
Neither state levies an inheritance tax. California: none Florida: none
4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs
Moving does not simplify probate here. Both states use a statutory-percentage fee model, meaning fees are set as a percentage of the estate rather than by hours worked. California: Cal. Prob. Code §10810 (attorney) and §10800 (PR) — identical schedules, each computed on gross estate value: 4% of first $100,000; 3% of next $100,000; 2% of next $800,000; 1% of next $9,000,000; 0.5% of next $15,000,000; court-determined reasonable amount above $25,000,000. E.g., $500,000 estate = $13,000 each for attorney and PR. Florida: Presumptive (not mandatory) statutory schedules. Attorney (Fla. Stat. §733.6171): $1,500 for estates ≤$40,000; +$750 for $40-70k; +$750 for $70-100k; 3% of the next $900,000; 2.5% from $1M-$3M; 2% from $3M-$5M; 1.5% from $5M-$10M; 1% above $10M — presumed reasonable, must be disclosed as negotiable. PR (§733.617): 3% of first $1M; 2.5% next $4M; 2% next $5M; 1.5% above $10M. A funded revocable trust is what avoids this, not a change of address.
Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.
Probate cost in each state, specifically
California uses a statutory percentage schedule, so the fee is computable exactly, and its small-estate route can reach real property under a statutory cap. Florida uses a statutory percentage schedule, so the fee is computable exactly, and its small-estate route does not clear a solely owned house. The two states differ on that question, which is exactly the kind of thing a move changes. Full figures with the governing statute, the court filing fee and the small-estate threshold: California probate cost and Florida probate cost.
Four taxes, two states, one order of operations
Everything above changes together: what California stops taking on withdrawals, what Florida does not take at death, and what probate costs in each. The order you do things in — when you establish domicile, when you convert, when you retitle property — changes the total, and some of it cannot be undone afterwards. If a move is genuinely on the table, here is what to look for in an advisor who knows both California and Florida. If you would rather price it yourself first, the two-state comparison tool is free and asks for no email.
Will California still tax me after I move to Florida?
Not on your retirement withdrawals, once you genuinely change domicile — but that is a harder test than a change of address, and what you leave behind stays in reach.
- Domicile is a test, not a mailing address. A departing state can and does audit residency. Days present, voter registration, driver’s licence, where your doctors and advisers are, and where you keep what you value all count.
- A Roth conversion is taxed where you live in the year you convert. Sequencing a conversion after establishing the new domicile is often worth more than the annual saving — see how all 51 jurisdictions tax Roth conversions.
Full state detail
Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: California retirement taxes and Florida retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.
Widen the comparison
This page prices one corridor. To see every destination California retirees consider and every origin state moving to Florida, start there instead. For any pair not covered, the retirement tax comparison tool runs all 51 jurisdictions, and the probate cost calculator works out what settling the estate costs in each.
Talking this through
Relocation timing, Roth conversion sequencing and estate exposure interact, and the order you do them in changes the total. If you want a second opinion, understand what it should cost first — see our advisor cost guide.
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Cite or share this comparison
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “California to Florida Retirement Taxes (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/california-to-florida-retirement-taxes/. Free to cite with attribution. Download the full dataset as CSV, or contact contact@clearmoneyguide.com for custom cuts.
Primary sources
- FTB 2025 Schedule CA (540) instructions
- Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code (2025-26 budget trailer legislation)
- Fla. Const. art. VII (no personal income tax)
- Cal. Prob. Code §10810
- Cal. Prob. Code §10800
- Cal. Prob. Code §§13100-13101
- Cal. Gov. Code §70650
- Fla. Stat. §733.6171
- Fla. Stat. §733.617
- Fla. Stat. §735.201 (as amended by Ch. 2026-57)
- Fla. Stat. §28.2401
Methodology: every figure is quoted from Clear Money Guide’s statute-cited 51-jurisdiction datasets, compiled from state statutes, session laws and revenue-department publications and adversarially verified in July 2026. Nothing here is personalized tax or legal advice. Confirm your own facts with a qualified adviser before you move.