Topic
Tax when selling a property
Profit from selling a property is taxable in almost every country. How much, from when, and with which exceptions differs substantially, and the exceptions are where most of the money is.
What the tax actually applies to
What gets taxed is usually not the sale price but the profit: the proceeds minus what you paid at the time and have invested since. Anyone who can no longer find the old invoices for renovations ends up taxed on a profit they never made.
The exemptions nobody asks about
Almost every legal system has exceptions, and they do not apply on their own. Not knowing about them means paying voluntarily.
The home you lived in yourself
Anyone who occupied the property themselves is fully or partly exempt in several countries. Exactly which duration and which point in time that depends on can decide a five-figure amount.
The holding period
Several countries only tax a sale within a set period after buying. Selling a few months after that period ends can be considerably cheaper than selling before it.
Who remits the tax
In some countries the conveyancer or the notary pays the tax directly, in others you declare it yourself. The difference matters: in the first case the money never passes through your account, in the second you have to set it aside.
What to gather beforehand
The original purchase contract, the costs from back then, and every invoice for work that went beyond mere upkeep. All of it lowers the taxable profit, and all of it has to be documented.
The legal position in Germany
What tax the seller faces
Profit from a sale within ten years of acquiring the property is taxable as a private disposal (section 23(1) sentence 1 no. 1 of the Income Tax Act, EStG), unless the seller lived in the property themselves in the year of the sale and the two years before it. On disclosure: fraudulently concealing a known defect rules out any exclusion of liability, however wide (section 444 BGB).
What the tax is based on
Tax and fees are assessed on the consideration, usually the purchase price (sections 8 and 9 of the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act, GrEStG). Fixtures and fittings sold separately from the property can be broken out and reduce that assessment base.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Germany. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-17.
The legal position in Austria
What tax the seller faces
A 30 percent real estate profit tax applies to the gain on disposal (section 30a(1) of the Income Tax Act, EStG 1988), withheld by the party representative. A main-residence exemption is available under section 30(2) no. 1 EStG. On disclosure: the seller remains liable for a defect they concealed; a waiver of warranty does not cover a defect concealed in bad faith (section 928 of the Civil Code, ABGB).
What the tax is based on
Tax and fees are assessed on the consideration, usually the purchase price (section 4(1) GrEStG). Unlike Italy, there is no official substitute value to fall back on.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Austria. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-17.
The legal position in Switzerland
What tax the seller faces
A real estate profit tax applies to the gain, regulated by the cantons (Article 12 StHG), with sharply differing rates and a reduction for a longer holding period. In several cantons the seller's tax liability is secured by a statutory lien on the property sold, a risk that falls on the buyer.
What the tax is based on
Assessed on the purchase price. The costs are cantonal and vary more sharply than in any other country on this list.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Switzerland. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-17.
The legal position in 30 further countries
This theme also has a legal basis on record for these countries, each with its statute and verification date. Expand your country.
Belgium
What tax the seller faces
The sale of a private individual's own dwelling generally does not trigger capital gains tax. If the sale occurs within five years, a speculation tax of 16,5 percent may apply. Disclosure: obligation to provide an energy performance certificate (EPC) and, in Flanders, a bodemattest (soil certificate) regarding soil condition; if absent, the sale is open to challenge.
What the tax is based on
Tax is assessed on the purchase price or the higher of the two values. The applicable rates are regional, not national.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Belgium. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Bulgaria
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax at the Bulgarian flat rate of 10 percent; the sale of a long-held primary residence is tax-free under certain conditions. Disclosure: warranty for material and legal defects pursuant to the Law on Obligations and Contracts (Zakon za zadalzheniyata i dogovorite); the seller is liable for fraudulently concealed defects.
What the tax is based on
Tax is calculated on the purchase price or the higher tax valuation, whichever is greater. The largest item is the municipal real estate transfer tax, the rate of which is set by the respective municipality.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Bulgaria. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Denmark
What tax the seller faces
The seller is liable to tax on any capital gain; the owner-occupied primary residence is generally exempt from tax under the Parcelhusregel (single-family house rule). Disclosure: The seller is in principle liable for defects, but can shift this liability largely to the buyer if, before the purchase, he provides a tilstandsrapport (condition report) and an electrical report and offers a huseftersynsordning (change-of-owner insurance scheme).
What the tax is based on
The duty is calculated on the purchase price. Denmark does not levy a classic real estate transfer tax; instead, a registration duty applies for the entry of ownership in the land register. The buyer's ancillary costs are therefore low.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Denmark. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Estonia
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax at the Estonian flat rate; the sale of a self-occupied dwelling is generally tax-exempt. Disclosure: statutory warranty for defects in title and quality under the Law of Obligations Act (võlaõigusseadus); the seller is liable for defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The purchase price is the basis of calculation. No real estate transfer tax applies; the buyer pays only the notary fee and the state fee, both of which are scaled according to value.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Estonia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Finland
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to capital gains tax of 30 to 34 per cent; the sale of a main residence that has been owner-occupied for at least two years is tax exempt. Disclosure: warranty for defects under the Real Estate Code (maakaari) for real estate and under the Housing Sale Act (asuntokauppalaki) for housing shares; the seller is liable for hidden defects.
What the tax is based on
Calculated on the purchase price. The tax rate depends on the form of ownership: shares in a housing company or real estate with land.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Finland. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
France
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is taxed at 19 percent plus 17.2 percent social charges, with reductions depending on the holding period and full exemption after 22 or 30 years (Article 150 U of the General Tax Code (CGI)). The main residence is exempt. Disclosure: extensive mandatory diagnostics in the dossier de diagnostic technique (mandatory technical diagnostic file) (Article L271-4 of the Construction and Housing Code (CCH)), including energy, lead, asbestos and termites. If a diagnosis is missing, the seller is liable for hidden defects.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the purchase price. What is colloquially called frais de notaire (notary fees) in France is more than 80 percent tax, not the notary's fee. This misnomer leads to false expectations.
Basis: Seller's obligations, France. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Greece
What tax the seller faces
Capital gains are generally subject to a tax of 15 percent, but its collection has been suspended for years. Disclosure: Warranty for material and legal defects under the Civil Code (Astikos Kodikas); the seller is liable for defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the purchase price or the higher antikeimeniki axia (official objective value). Ancillary costs are comparatively high.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Greece. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Ireland
What tax the seller faces
Capital Gains Tax on the profit at 33 percent; your own main home is exempt through Principal Private Residence Relief. Disclosure: caveat emptor applies, and the seller does NOT have to volunteer a structural defect. That is softened only by the Law Society General Conditions of Sale (2023 edition), with their warranties on notices, planning, boundaries and easements, by the buyer's solicitor's requisitions on title, and by General Condition 29, which gives the buyer redress for an error, non-disclosure or misrepresentation. The burden of checking therefore sits noticeably more with the buyer than on the continent.
What the tax is based on
Assessed on the purchase price. Stamp duty is banded: each slice of the price is taxed at its own band's rate, not the whole price at one rate. For a NEW build, stamp duty is charged on the net price WITHOUT the 13.5 percent VAT it contains, so the total price must be divided by 1.135 first.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Ireland. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-17.
Iceland
What tax the seller faces
Gains from the disposal of residential properties are treated as capital income under the general income tax legislation (Section 17 of the Income Tax Act (Lög um tekjuskatt nr. 90/2003)), not as a separate real estate gains tax. Once 2 full years of ownership have elapsed, the gain is tax-free, provided the aggregate volume of the seller's residential property or properties does not exceed 600 cubic metres for an individual or 1.200 cubic metres for a married couple; within a shorter ownership period the gain is fully taxable. The frequently quoted tax rate of 22 percent derives solely from administrative sources, not from a primary source reviewed directly. Whether additional owner-occupancy is required remains contradictory and unresolved upon further examination.
What the tax is based on
Stamp duty is levied on the value of the chargeable document (gjaldskyldu skjal, usually the purchase agreement). Whether the purchase price or an official valuation (fasteignaskrá) is determinative in every case was not conclusively verified against the primary source in this review.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Iceland. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Italy
What tax the seller faces
Gain on a sale within five years is taxable unless the property was the seller's main residence (Article 67, paragraph 1, letter b TUIR). The notary may, upon request, withhold a substitute tax of 26 percent. Disclosure: The seller is liable for vizi occulti (hidden defects) (Article 1490 Codice civile); the complaint period is very short at eight days (Article 1495).
What the tax is based on
When purchasing a residential property from a private individual, the purchase price is NOT taxed upon application; instead, the valore catastale (cadastral value) applies under the prezzo-valore procedure (price-to-value mechanism) (Article 1, paragraph 497 Legge 266/2005). The official value is usually significantly lower than the purchase price, so the tax is correspondingly lower. Anyone who calculates using the purchase price will overestimate the cost of buying in Italy.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Italy. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Croatia
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax; exempt after more than two years of ownership or if the property is used as the seller's principal residence. Disclosure: warranty for material and legal defects under the Obligations Act (Zakon o obveznim odnosima); a limitation of liability does not cover defects fraudulently concealed by the seller.
What the tax is based on
Calculated on the purchase price; for real estate transfer tax, on the market value of the property. Real estate transfer tax is payable on an existing property, while a new build sold by a developer is subject to value added tax instead.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Croatia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Latvia
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax; the sale of a long-held and most recently owner-occupied dwelling is tax-free under certain conditions. Disclosure: Warranty for material and legal defects under the Civil Law (Civillikums); the seller is liable for fraudulently concealed defects.
What the tax is based on
Calculation is based on the purchase price or the cadastral value, whichever is higher. The largest item is the state fee for registration in the land register.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Latvia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Liechtenstein
What tax the seller faces
The real estate gains tax falls on the SELLER (Article 35 of the Tax Act (SteG)). The tariff under Article 42 of the Tax Act (SteG) applies to the taxable gain, graduated from 0 percent for gains up to 15.855 francs to 8 percent for gains from 211.401 francs, ON TOP OF WHICH a surcharge of 200 percent applies in lieu of the municipal surcharge (Article 43 of the Tax Act (SteG)). The top bracket therefore effectively bears up to 24 percent of the gain. If the parties agree that the purchaser bears the tax, this counts as an additional benefit and increases the purchase price on which the tax is calculated.
What the tax is based on
No real estate transfer tax is levied; therefore the issue here is not the assessment base of an acquisition tax but rather that of the land register fee: 6 per mille of the purchase price; if the purchase price is absent, the tax-assessed value.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Liechtenstein. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Lithuania
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax at 15 percent; the sale of a long-held dwelling or of a dwelling used as a principal residence is tax-free under certain conditions. Disclosure: warranty for material and legal defects under the Civil Code (Civilinis kodeksas); the seller is liable for defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The assessment is based on the purchase price. No real estate transfer tax applies; the buyer pays only the scaled notary and registration fees.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Lithuania. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Luxembourg
What tax the seller faces
The gain on disposal is taxable; for an owner-occupied principal residence the gain is generally tax-exempt, otherwise a preferential rate applies to long-term ownership. Disclosure: The seller is liable for hidden defects (garantie des vices cachés, warranty against hidden defects under the Civil Code (Code civil)); a disclaimer does not cover fraudulently concealed defects.
What the tax is based on
Assessment is on the purchase price. For an owner-occupied principal residence, the Bëllegen Akt tax credit (tax credit for owner-occupied principal residence) reduces the registration tax by up to 40,000 euros per buyer.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Luxembourg. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Malta
What tax the seller faces
The seller pays Property Transfer Tax, typically 8 percent of the transfer value as a final withholding tax, with exceptions, for example, for long-term owner occupation. Disclosure: The notary uncovers encumbrances through title searches; the seller is liable for fraudulently concealed defects under the Civil Code (Cap. 16).
What the tax is based on
The basis of assessment is the purchase price. The largest charge is stamp duty, though significant reliefs are available for first-time buyers.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Malta. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Netherlands
What tax the seller faces
The gain from the sale of one's own home is tax exempt; there is no capital gains tax. Note the bijleenregeling (rule limiting tax-deductible mortgage interest on the next purchase). Disclosure: the seller must disclose known defects; the buyer has a separate duty of inspection (Article 7:17 of the Civil Code (BW)).
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the purchase price or the higher market value (Article 9 of the Act on Taxation of Legal Transactions).
Basis: Seller's obligations, Netherlands. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Norway
What tax the seller faces
The seller is taxed on any capital gain; the owner-occupied residence is tax-free provided the seller occupied it for at least one year in the last year before the sale. Disclosure: the seller is liable for defects under the Act on the Sale of Residential Property (avhendingslova); since the 2022 reform, a blanket exclusion of liability in sales to consumers is ineffective, and a condition report (tilstandsrapport) is common.
What the tax is based on
The basis is the purchase price; for the document duty, the market value applies. Whether the duty arises depends crucially on the form of ownership: freehold or cooperative share.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Norway. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Poland
What tax the seller faces
Profit on a sale within five years after the end of the year of acquisition is subject to 19 per cent personal income tax (Article 30e of the Act on Personal Income Tax (Ustawa o PIT)), with exemption for reinvestment in the seller's own housing within three years. Disclosure: liability for defects under Article 556 et seq. of the Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny).
What the tax is based on
Calculation is by reference to the market value, not necessarily the agreed price (Article 6(1) no. 1 of the Act on Civil Law Transactions Tax (Ustawa o PCC)). If the price is conspicuously below market value, the tax authority fixes the value.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Poland. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Portugal
What tax the seller faces
For tax residents, 50 percent of the gain is subject to progressive income tax (Article 43 of the Personal Income Tax Code (CIRS)), with an exemption where the proceeds are reinvested in the taxpayer's own permanent residence. For non-residents, since 2023, 50 percent of the gain is likewise subject to progressive taxation. Disclosure: obligation to provide the ficha técnica da habitação (housing technical data sheet) and an energy certificate; missing permits for extensions are the most common source of dispute.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the higher of the purchase price and the valor patrimonial tributário (official tax value) (Article 12 of the Municipal Property Transfer Tax Code (CIMT)).
Basis: Seller's obligations, Portugal. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Romania
What tax the seller faces
The seller pays the transfer tax as income tax on the property sale, assessed at graduated rates depending on the holding period and on the value exceeding an allowance. Disclosure: warranty against material and legal defects under the Civil Code (Codul civil, Law No. 287/2009); the seller is liable for defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The basis of assessment is the purchase price. The buyer incurs no real estate transfer tax; only the notary and land registry fees are payable by the buyer.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Romania. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Sweden
What tax the seller faces
22 percent capital gains tax on the profit, calculated as 22/30 of the profit at a rate of 30 percent (Chapter 45 of the Income Tax Act (Inkomstskattelagen)). A deferral in the event of replacement acquisition within the EU is possible; an annual interest charge is levied for this. Disclosure: The buyer bears a pronounced undersökningsplikt (statutory duty of inspection) (Chapter 4, Section 19 of the Land Code (Jordabalken)); the seller is liable for hidden defects for ten years.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the higher of the purchase price and the taxeringsvärde (tax assessed value) of the previous year (Section 8 of the Stamp Duty Act at Registration Authorities (Lag om stämpelskatt vid inskrivningsmyndigheter, 1984:404)).
Basis: Seller's obligations, Sweden. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Serbia
What tax the seller faces
By law the seller owes the real estate transfer tax, but in practice this is usually passed on to the buyer. The seller pays tax on any disposal gain at 15 percent, with exemption after ten years of ownership or upon reinvestment in an owner-occupied dwelling. Disclosure: Warranty for material and legal defects is governed by the Law on Obligatory Relations (Zakon o obligacionim odnosima); the seller is liable for fraudulently concealed defects.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the purchase price or the market value. The decisive factor is whether an existing property is being acquired, attracting real estate transfer tax, or a new build is being acquired, attracting value added tax; the two taxes never arise together.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Serbia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Slovakia
What tax the seller faces
The disposal gain is subject to income tax; it is tax-free after more than five years of ownership. Disclosure: warranty for defects under the Civil Code (Občiansky zákonník); a disclaimer does not cover defects fraudulently concealed by the seller.
What the tax is based on
Calculation is based on the purchase price. No real estate transfer tax applies, ancillary costs are low; the broker's fee is usually the largest item.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Slovakia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Slovenia
What tax the seller faces
The seller owes real estate transfer tax of two percent and is liable for tax on any capital gain; the capital gains tax decreases with the holding period and ceases after longer ownership. Disclosure: warranty for defects in title and quality under the Obligacijski zakonik (Obligations Code); a disclaimer does not cover defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
Tax is calculated on the purchase price; for real estate transfer tax, the market value is substituted if it is markedly higher. Existing properties trigger real estate transfer tax, while new builds from a developer are subject to value added tax instead.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Slovenia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Spain
What tax the seller faces
The gain is subject to IRPF at progressive rates of 19 to 28 percent; for sellers not resident in Spain, the buyer withholds 3 percent of the purchase price and remits it (Article 25.2 TRLIRNR). In addition, the plusvalía municipal (local land value increment tax) is levied by the municipality (Article 104 and following TRLRHL). Disclosure: liability for vicios ocultos (hidden defects) under Article 1484 of the Código Civil (Spanish Civil Code), deadline six months.
What the tax is based on
The tax is calculated on the valor de referencia (cadastral reference value) of the Catastro (Spanish property cadastre) if it exceeds the purchase price (Article 10 TRLITPAJD as amended with effect from 2022). The purchase price is therefore only the lower limit of the tax base, not automatically the base itself.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Spain. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Czechia
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax; it is tax-free after 10 years of ownership or after at least 2 years of owner-occupancy as a primary residence. Disclosure: warranty for defects under the Civil Code (Act No. 89/2012 Sb.); any exclusion does not cover defects that have been fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The basis is the purchase price. Real estate acquisition tax has not existed since 2020, so ancillary costs are correspondingly low.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Czechia. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Hungary
What tax the seller faces
The capital gain is subject to income tax at 15 percent; the taxable portion decreases with the length of holding and ceases after the fifth year. Disclosure: warranty for material and legal defects under the Civil Code (Polgári Törvénykönyv); an exclusion does not cover defects concealed in bad faith.
What the tax is based on
The tax base is the purchase price or the market value, whichever is higher. The largest item is the real estate transfer tax.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Hungary. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
United Kingdom
What tax the seller faces
Capital Gains Tax on the profit at 18 or 24 percent; your own main home is exempt through Private Residence Relief (Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, section 222). Disclosure: the seller answers the TA6 Property Information Form. Caveat emptor still applies, so the burden of checking falls more on the buyer than on the continent.
What the tax is based on
Assessed on the chargeable consideration, in practice the purchase price. The tax is banded: each slice of the price is taxed at its own band's rate, not the whole price at one rate.
Basis: Seller's obligations, United Kingdom. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-17.
Cyprus
What tax the seller faces
The seller pays capital gains tax of 20 percent on the profit from the disposal of the property, with allowances. Disclosure: Cypriot law follows the Common Law tradition; the buyer's advocate uncovers encumbrances and mortgages by way of a title search, while the seller is liable for defects fraudulently concealed.
What the tax is based on
The calculation is based on the purchase price. The key distinction is whether the acquisition involves an existing property subject to transfer fees or a new build subject to VAT. The former stamp duty was abolished on 1 January 2026.
Basis: Seller's obligations, Cyprus. Last checked against the legal text: 2026-08-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I offset the estate agent's commission?
In most legal systems yes, it counts as a selling cost and reduces the profit. Keep the invoice, even if the buyer covered part of it.
What applies to an inherited property?
Usually what counts is not your own acquisition but the deceased's, both for the holding period and the original cost. That can mean a long holding period already met, and an exemption nobody thought of.
More
Ready to have a property checked honestly?
In a few minutes you have a complete, conservative report with a valuation PDF. No appointment, no paperwork.
Stay in the loop
We write rarely and only when it is genuinely useful: new features, a sober look at the market, honest advice on buying, selling and renting.