Miami-Dade County begins accepting Bitcoin for property tax payments

Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez announced on Monday that his office has begun accepting Bitcoin for property tax payments, available both online and offline, but each transaction will be converted to U.S. dollars before the funds reach the county government. Fernandez made this announcement in a statement on the tax collector's website, calling it an additional option for property owners while not putting public funds into the asset. Taxpayers can choose the cryptocurrency option at checkout online or request it at the counter, then connect to a supported exchange account or digital wallet to authorize the payment.

The office stated that a third-party system converts Bitcoin to U.S. dollars at the time of payment, so it never holds, invests, or manages any cryptocurrency. The office still receives the full amount due in U.S. dollars and records the transaction in standard payment reports, with county staff not needing to maintain a digital wallet. Fernandez stated that the government must keep up with the times and the needs of those it serves, and accepting Bitcoin as a payment option provides another way for property owners to pay taxes while continuing to offer traditional payment methods, without compromising the responsibility to protect taxpayer funds. The office did not disclose the name of the payment processor and did not specify whether there is a convenience fee for Bitcoin payments; online credit card and mobile wallet payments currently incur a non-refundable fee of 2.5%, with a minimum of $2.5.

This move comes during Florida's property tax collection season. Miami-Dade County opened its 2026 tax bill on October 30 and urged property owners to pay by November 30 to lock in a 4% early payment discount, which drops to 3% in December, 2% in January, and 1% in February, with the full amount due by March. In 2021, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins proposed a resolution to explore allowing residents to pay county taxes and fees with Bitcoin; previously, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez advocated for allowing residents to pay municipal fees and taxes with Bitcoin. The office stated that Miami-Dade County is one of the first government agencies in the U.S. to accept such payments, with Colorado accepting cryptocurrency for state tax payments since 2022, and Utah subsequently offering a similar option for individual income tax.