Clear Money Guide
What this state guide covers
A quick view of the questions, practical details and source notes below.
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Updated July 26, 2026. Quick answer (2026): Moving from District of Columbia to Florida in retirement, you stop paying District of Columbia income tax on withdrawals and leave a District of Columbia death tax behind. 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.
District of Columbia vs Florida: every tax that changes
| What changes | District of Columbia (leaving) | Florida (arriving) |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | graduated to 10.75% (7 brackets, 4%-10.75%) | none |
| Social Security | not taxed (excluded) | not taxed (no state income tax) |
| Pension / 401(k) / IRA | Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable — no retirement income exclusion. | Not taxed (no state income tax). |
| Estate tax | yes – 2026 zero-bracket (exemption) $4,988,400, up from $4,873,200 in 2025 (CPI-indexed annually); rates 11.2%-16% | none (constitutionally prohibited) |
| Inheritance tax | none | none |
| Probate fee model | reasonable-fee | statutory-percentage |
| Probate filing fee | varies by county | ~$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 | $80,000 — small estate administration, D.C. Code §20-351, as amended by D.C. Law 25-302 (Strengthening Probate Administration Amendment Act of 2024), effective March 21, 2025 (previously $40,000). | 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
District of Columbia taxes retirement withdrawals: Pensions, 401(k), and IRA distributions fully taxable — no retirement income exclusion. Florida does not. On a $100,000 annual withdrawal, the District of Columbia bill is whatever its graduated to 10.75% (7 brackets, 4%-10.75%) schedule produces; in Florida it is $0. Social Security is treated as follows — District of Columbia: not taxed (excluded) Florida: not taxed (no state income tax)
2. What changes at death: state estate tax
This is usually the larger number. District of Columbia levies an estate tax — yes – 2026 zero-bracket (exemption) $4,988,400, up from $4,873,200 in 2025 (CPI-indexed annually); rates 11.2%-16% — and Florida levies none (none (constitutionally prohibited)). Establishing domicile in Florida removes that exposure for assets that are not District of Columbia real property.
3. What changes at death: state inheritance tax
Neither state levies an inheritance tax. District of Columbia: none Florida: none
4. The one nobody prices: what probate costs your heirs
District of Columbia uses a reasonable-fee fee model (Reasonable compensation for personal representatives and attorneys (D.C. Code §20-751 et seq.); no percentage schedule.); Florida uses a statutory-percentage model (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.). Filing fees — District of Columbia: varies by county Florida: ~$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)
Full detail: probate cost by state and small-estate limits by state.
Probate cost in each state, specifically
District of Columbia uses a “reasonable fee” standard with no schedule, and its statute does not say whether that route reaches real property. 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: District of Columbia probate cost and Florida probate cost.
Four taxes, two states, one order of operations
Everything above changes together: what District of Columbia 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 the District of Columbia and Florida. If you would rather price it yourself first, the two-state comparison tool is free and asks for no email.
Price the move against the rest of your money
A state-to-state comparison shows you which taxes change, not what to do about the accounts, the house and the timing sitting behind them, and an adviser can look at those together before a move is set in motion.
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Will the District of Columbia 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.
- Real property left behind stays taxable. Keeping a home in District of Columbia can keep part of the estate within reach of District of Columbia rules even after you become a Florida resident.
- 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.
If you keep a home in the District of Columbia, what happens at death?
Changing domicile moves you. It does not move the house. the District of Columbia levies an estate tax, and it reaches a nonresident decedent’s real property situated there — so a home kept behind after the move stays within the District of Columbia’s reach even once Florida is your legal home for every other purpose. Tax imposed on the transfer of every nonresident’s taxable estate having its taxable situs in the District; for real property, situs is where the property is situated.
Tax computed by multiplying the tax at the applicable rate by a fraction: District-situs gross estate over total gross estate. Return due within 10 months. The practical consequence is the part most summaries skip: the District uses a straight situs fraction and allows 10 months rather than the usual nine. Authority: D.C. Code §47-3703.
This is the exposure that survives a move, and it is the one worth pricing before the move rather than after. The house also stays within that state’s probate jurisdiction, so the estate faces a separate ancillary proceeding there on top of the probate where you live — the ancillary probate calculator prices that second proceeding. Confirm the current figures with the state revenue department or a licensed professional before acting — thresholds move, and the arithmetic depends on the whole estate, not just the house.
Full state detail
Every figure above is summarized. The complete statute-cited breakdown for each state: District of Columbia retirement taxes and Florida retirement taxes. To compare any other pair, start at the retirement tax relocation hub.
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.
Cite or share this comparison
Suggested citation: Clear Money Guide, “District of Columbia to Florida Retirement Taxes (2026),” statute-cited; clearmoneyguide.com/district-of-columbia-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
- D.C. Code § 47-1803.02(a)(2)
- D.C. Law 20-155 (FY2015 Budget Support Act)
- D.C. Code sec. 47-3701(14)
- D.C. Code sec. 47-3702
- Fla. Const. art. VII (no personal income tax)
- D.C. Code §20-351
- D.C. Code §20-751
- D.C. Law 25-302
- 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.