Credit card processing and merchant services in Miami, FL
Miami-Dade's 7% sales tax is simple until a hotel room or rental adds 13% or more. If you add a card fee, Florida's Attorney General says you can, as long as every customer sees it coming.
Miami's general sales tax is 7%: Florida's 6% plus two half-cent Miami-Dade surtaxes, one for transit that has been collected since 2003 and an indigent care surtax for the county public hospital. For a shop or a restaurant, that's one rate and a simple setup.
Lodging is where it gets complicated. In most of the county, a hotel room or short-term rental carries 13%, because Miami-Dade adds a 3% tourist development tax and a 3% convention development tax. Miami Beach charges 14% with its 4% municipal resort tax, while Surfside and Bal Harbour come to 11%. The county has administered its tourist and convention taxes itself since April 1988, so a property collecting them answers to the county as well as the state.
More than half of Miami's residents, 57.7%, were born outside the US, according to the Census Bureau, and accommodation and food service businesses in the city had $4.24 billion in sales in 2022. If you add a credit card surcharge, which Florida's Attorney General says merchants may do with disclosure, write the signs so every customer can read them. That may mean Spanish as well as English, depending on who comes through your door.
We price on interchange-plus, so you can see what each card type costs before you settle on a fee. Our restaurant guide covers payment processing for kitchens and bars, and a free statement review puts your own numbers next to it.
Rules that matter in Miami
Tourist and convention development taxes
Miami-Dade adds a 3% tourist development tax and a 3% convention development tax to short-term lodging, for 13% in most of the county. Miami Beach charges a 4% municipal resort tax and is exempt from the tourist development tax but not the convention development tax, for 14%. Surfside and Bal Harbour charge the 4% resort tax and are exempt from both county taxes, for 11%.
Miami-Dade has administered its tourist development and convention development taxes locally since April 1, 1988.
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Common questions
What sales tax rate applies in Miami?
7% on most taxable sales: Florida's 6% plus Miami-Dade's 1% surtax. The county's share is a half-cent transit surtax, collected since January 1, 2003, and a half-cent indigent care surtax for the county public hospital. Lodging is taxed at higher combined rates.
How much tax goes on a hotel room or short-term rental in Miami-Dade?
13% in most of the county, which includes a 3% tourist development tax and a 3% convention development tax. Miami Beach is 14% with its 4% municipal resort tax, and Surfside and Bal Harbour are 11%. Confirm the rate for your property's address before you set up your front desk or booking system.
Can Miami restaurants add a credit card surcharge?
Florida's Attorney General says merchants may add a surcharge to credit card purchases, as long as it's disclosed. On a $180 dinner, a 3% surcharge is $5.40. Visa caps it at 3% and Mastercard at 4%, or your actual cost if that's lower, and debit cards can't be surcharged.
Who collects the tourist development tax in Miami-Dade?
Miami-Dade County administers its tourist development and convention development taxes itself, and has since April 1, 1988. The Florida Department of Revenue collects the state sales tax and the 1% county surtax, so a hotel or rental operator deals with both.
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Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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