The Quick Read: No. A VA cash-out refinance in Miami-Dade owes Florida documentary stamp tax on the new note and the recorded mortgage. The tax is figured on the whole new loan, not just the cash you take out. Miami-Dade’s higher county figures apply to deeds, so they do not add to a refinance. VA lets the veteran pay this tax as a normal recording charge. Everything below is subject to lender guidelines and full file review.
Why do people think a VA loan is exempt?
People mix up two different “exemptions.” One is real, and it has nothing to do with Florida’s tax.
VA cash-out estimate
Seeded with an example value, a typical balance, and a round cash request at the first-use fee; change any field.
Editable benchmark: 7.24% as of October 29, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not a VA cash-out refinance quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $350,000 home value, a $193,000 current balance, the full-value VA cap with the first-use funding fee financed, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, and property taxes and insurance estimated at typical national rates. Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not a VA cash-out refinance quote; a VA loan is priced by the lender at lock. The total loan, funding fee included, is capped at the program leverage on the reasonable value; the fee follows the tier chosen. The cash available is what the cap allows less the balances paid off and the fee, before closing costs, which are not included. The HELOC line is the line program’s combined loan-to-value ceiling applied to the same value and balance. Taxes and insurance are editable estimates. The debt-to-income figure is a guideline; residual income decides a VA file. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages.
The VA funding fee is a one-time charge on most VA loans. Veterans who receive compensation for a service-connected disability, and a few other exempt groups, don’t pay it. That waiver is real. But it only covers the federal funding fee.
Doc stamps are a state tax. The Florida Department of Revenue taxes written promises to pay money, including notes signed in Florida, and it taxes recorded mortgages. The agency’s page makes no exception for VA-guaranteed loans. A funding-fee waiver doesn’t exempt you from state taxes.
A second source of confusion is the government-agency exemption. Federal and state agencies don’t pay doc stamps on their own documents. Your note goes to a private lender, so that exemption doesn’t reach it. VA guarantees part of the loan, but it isn’t the party to your note.
The Florida tax shows up as an ordinary recording line on the closing paperwork. Veterans who expected an exemption are the ones surprised by it. Here is how the pieces fit.
What does a VA cash-out refinance actually involve?
A VA cash-out refinance replaces your current mortgage with a new VA-backed loan and puts some equity in your pocket. Lendmire’s VA cash-out refinance program page covers the program basics. In short:
- The new loan can reach 100% of the appraised value, including the financed funding fee.
- It can refinance any loan type into VA, not just an existing VA loan.
- You need a certificate of eligibility (COE) from VA, and you must live in the home.
- Across the wholesale programs I work with, the decision-score floor starts at 580. Residual income is the controlling test, and 41% debt-to-income is a guideline, not a hard cap.
- The funding fee is 2.15% on first use and 3.3% on later use, unless you’re exempt.
- Seasoning applies: the later of 210 days from your first payment and your sixth payment.
VA also requires a net tangible benefit. The loan must meet one of eight listed tests. Examples include removing mortgage insurance, shortening the term, lowering the payment, or raising residual income. A VA program notice 26-19-05 confirms that VA stopped guaranteeing refinances above 100% of value, and that every cash-out must show a net tangible benefit.
The half-percent rate-reduction test and the fee-recoupment test belong to the streamline (the VA streamline refinance). They don’t apply to a cash-out.
Notice what a new loan means for Florida’s tax: a new note and a new mortgage. That is what triggers the tax.
What Florida taxes on a refinance (and what it doesn’t)
Three Florida charges get blurred together. A refinance triggers two of them in most cases.
| Item | What triggers it | Applies to a VA cash-out? |
|---|---|---|
| Deed doc stamps | A deed transferring ownership | Not by itself; a refinance has no deed |
| Note and mortgage doc stamps | A new note and recorded mortgage | Yes, on the full new loan |
| Intangible tax | A recorded mortgage | Usually, as a separate recording charge |
The Department of Revenue puts the note and mortgage tax at 35 cents per $100, or any portion of it, of the obligation. A Department of Revenue taxpayer form states the same rate. The title agent collects it at closing and the clerk takes it when the mortgage is recorded.
Your title agent can give you the exact intangible tax figure for your closing, since it is collected as part of the closing costs.
Does Miami-Dade charge extra on a VA cash-out?
No. Miami-Dade has its own deed rate, and the Department of Revenue’s page lists it separately. Those county figures apply when a deed transfers property. A refinance usually has no deed, so the county difference doesn’t reach it. On mortgages and notes, Miami-Dade sits at the statewide rate.
This is where much of the confusion comes from. Pages written for home sellers and real estate agents talk about Miami-Dade’s higher deed rate and its exemption lists. A veteran reading them can easily conclude that “exempt in Miami-Dade” covers a refinance. It doesn’t. Those exemptions describe deeds. They don’t touch a new note and mortgage.
Property type doesn’t change this either. A condo, a single-family home and a duplex all carry the same note and mortgage tax. VA occupancy rules still apply: the home must be your residence.
Are doc stamps charged on the whole loan or only the cash-out?
The whole loan. This is the misunderstanding that costs veterans the most in planning.
The tax follows the amount the mortgage secures. Your new note pays off the old loan, funds the cash to you, and carries any allowable charges you finance. All of that sits inside one note, so the whole balance is the tax base.
Picture a veteran who owes a modest balance on a home and takes out a small amount of cash. The new loan is still taxed on its entire amount. The tax doesn’t shrink because the cash portion is small.
Two related points:
- Mortgages have no cap. Florida has a ceiling on notes that aren’t secured by recorded real property, and that ceiling doesn’t protect a VA cash-out. The Department of Revenue says recorded mortgages are uncapped. A larger loan means a larger tax.
- The funding fee sits inside the note. If you finance the fee, it raises the balance, and the balance is what gets taxed. Across the files I see, this effect is small, but it’s real.
Who pays the tax, and can it be rolled into the loan?
VA allows the veteran to pay it, and a refinance can carry it inside the loan. This is the practical answer, so it matters most.
Chapter 8 of the VA Lenders Handbook says the veteran can pay recording fees, recording taxes and other charges incident to recordation. It also says only refinancing loans may roll allowable fees into the loan amount. VA Circular 26-24-19 lists recording taxes, including intangible tax, among the itemized charges. It also says lenders must back up what a veteran is charged with an invoice or similar document, and can’t charge more than the actual cost.
That has three practical effects:
- The lender’s flat charge doesn’t cover it. The flat charge exists for lender overhead. Recording taxes are separate itemized lines.
- It must match the real tax. Your Closing Disclosure should show the actual recording tax, not a padded number.
- Rolling it in has a cost. If the loan is already near 100% of appraised value, a financed tax takes up room under that cap. Any amount above the cap has to be paid in cash. Financing the tax also raises your balance slightly, which carries through to the monthly budget.
Think of it as three buckets competing for the same room under the 100% ceiling:
1. The payoff of your current loan.
2. The financed funding fee and financed closing costs, including recording taxes.
3. The cash you actually receive.
The first two get filled before you see anything. The third is whatever room is left.
A worked picture, no dollar figures
Say your home appraises at a value that supports a loan at the full 100% ceiling. You’re a first-time user of the VA benefit and not exempt from the funding fee, so the 2.15% cash-out fee applies and you finance it. Final terms depend on the lender’s guidelines, the property type, and the borrower’s complete credit picture.
Here is the sequence:
1. The appraisal sets the reasonable value, and that value sets the 100% cap. 2. The new note covers the payoff, the financed funding fee, any financed allowable charges and your cash. 3. The title agent computes doc stamps on that entire note, at 35 cents per $100 or part of it. 4. The recording taxes appear as lines on the Closing Disclosure. 5. Your net cash is whatever is left under the cap after items 1 through 4.
The same loan with a subsequent-use fee of 3.3% would leave less cash, because more of the ceiling goes to the fee. That’s why the exact fee tier and the tax both belong in any early estimate. I’m not putting dollar figures on it, because the figures depend on your appraisal and payoff.
Is there any exemption or reduction at all?
For a typical VA cash-out with a new lender, plan on no exemption. A new lender and a new loan mean a new note.
Some narrow exceptions exist in Florida law for renewals and modifications with the same lender and borrower. Don’t plan around one. Ask your title agent whether anything applies to your exact transaction, and get the answer in writing before you count on a lower tax.
Here are the VA variations:
| Loan type | Cash out equity? | New note and mortgage? |
|---|---|---|
| VA cash-out refinance | Yes | Yes |
| VA IRRRL (streamline) | No | Yes |
| New-lender refinance into VA | Depends on loan type | Yes |
The IRRRL is a different program. It refinances an existing VA loan with no VA appraisal and a 0.5% funding fee unless you’re exempt. It can’t pull out equity. It still creates a new note, so the same tax logic applies. If your goal is cash, the IRRRL isn’t the tool.
When does a deed come into the picture?
A deed shows up in some refinances, and then the Miami-Dade deed rules can matter. Common examples include:
- Adding or removing a spouse from title.
- A divorce buyout.
- Moving the home into or out of a trust.
When a deed is recorded as part of the transaction, deed-side rules, including the county’s higher rate and its exemption lists, may apply on top of the note and mortgage tax. This is a title question, not a VA question. Raise it with your title agent before you set up the closing, not at the table. Lendmire’s role as broker is to arrange the loan. Title questions belong with the title professional.
Key Terms Defined
Documentary stamp tax (doc stamps): A Florida tax on certain written documents, including notes and recorded mortgages.
Note: Your signed promise to repay the loan.
Recorded mortgage: The document that puts the lender’s lien on your home in the public record.
Funding fee: The one-time VA charge on most VA loans. It is separate from state taxes and can be financed or waived for exempt veterans.
Net tangible benefit (NTB): VA’s requirement that a refinance clearly help you, met by one of eight listed tests.
Residual income: The money left each month after your debts and living costs. It is the controlling VA test.
Reasonable value: The appraised value VA uses to cap the new loan at 100%.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming “VA means exempt.” A funding-fee waiver doesn’t waive Florida’s tax.
- Reading deed-side rules as loan-side rules. Miami-Dade’s county figures apply to deeds.
- Believing doc stamps apply only to the cash. The tax follows the full new note.
- Trusting the unsecured-note cap. It doesn’t protect a recorded mortgage.
- Assuming a 90% limit. The ceiling is 100% of reasonable value. Ninety percent is one of the net tangible benefit options, not the cap.
- Skipping the Closing Disclosure. Check that the recording taxes are itemized and match the real invoice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a disabled veteran avoid doc stamps on a VA cash-out?
No. A disability-based waiver covers the VA funding fee only. The doc stamp tax on the note and mortgage is a state charge. It still applies, and VA lets the veteran pay it as a recording charge.
Is the tax charged on my cash-out amount or my whole loan?
It’s charged on the whole new note. That includes the payoff of your old loan, your cash, and anything you finance. The Department of Revenue taxes the obligation, so a small cash-out doesn’t shrink the base.
Does Miami-Dade’s higher rate apply to my refinance?
No. The county’s extra figures apply to deeds. A refinance usually records a note and mortgage, which sit at the statewide rate. If your closing also records a deed, such as a spouse or trust change, ask your title agent how that part is taxed.
Can I finance the doc stamps into the VA loan?
Yes, on a refinance, within the 100% cap. VA allows the veteran to pay recording taxes, and refinancing loans may roll allowable charges into the balance. Financing them uses room under the cap, which can reduce the cash you receive. Everything is subject to lender guidelines and file review.
Would a VA streamline avoid the tax?
Not by itself. A streamline also creates a new note, so the same tax logic applies. It also can’t pull out equity. Ask your title agent whether any narrow exception fits your case.
If you’re weighing this decision
If you are weighing a cash-out refinance against keeping the loan you have, Lendmire can help you compare the programs and the equity each one reaches. Consumer lending is available in Florida, and you can ask how the recording taxes will appear on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure before you commit. Confirm the exact tax lines with your title agent, since they depend on your transaction.
For your own numbers, request a scenario review with Lendmire.
About Lendmire
Lendmire is a mortgage brokerage (NMLS# 2371349) licensed for consumer mortgage lending in 16 states, arranging FHA, VA, conventional and jumbo purchase and refinance loans through a wholesale lending network. Eligibility is determined by the lender on each file. Scotsman Guide named Lendmire a Top Mortgage Workplace in both 2025 and 2026.
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Informational only. Not a Loan Estimate, approval, or commitment to lend. Program availability and eligibility are subject to lender guidelines, credit approval, property review, and underwriting.
References
1. Florida Dept. of Revenue, Documentary Stamp Tax
4. VA Lenders Handbook, Chapter 8: Borrower Fees and Charges and the VA Funding Fee
This article is part of Lendmire’s VA cash-out refinance program — full qualification details, guidelines, and scenarios live on the program page.
Related reading: VA Cash-Out Refinance Limits for How Much Cash You Can Take · Best VA Cash-Out Refinance Program for Disabled Veterans
Guides: VA Cash-Out Refinance in Miami, FL · VA Cash-Out Refinance in Florida
Brandon Miller
Founder & CEO, Mortgage Loan Originator, Lendmire LLC
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Legal disclosures. Lendmire (NMLS# 2371349) is a state-licensed mortgage brokerage that arranges financing through wholesale lender relationships. Lendmire is not a direct lender, depository institution, or registered financial advisor. The discussion above is general informational content about real estate financing — it is not financial, legal, or tax advice, and readers should consult licensed professionals for guidance on their individual circumstances. Loan inquiries are subject to lender underwriting; this article does not represent a commitment to lend. Loan terms, rates, and qualification standards vary by borrower, property, and state, and are subject to change at any time. Equal Housing Opportunity. NMLS Consumer Access: nmlsconsumeraccess.org.