The high-value residence tax is not calculated from the listing or sale price of a dwelling. The building tax value recorded by the municipality, the residential character of the property, the situation in the previous year and the exemption conditions are examined together. For 2026, the relevant value threshold is 17,711,000 TL. Because of the single-residence exemption, it cannot be concluded that tax must necessarily be paid on every dwelling that exceeds the threshold.
Legal Nature of the Tax and How It Differs from Other Obligations
The high-value residence tax is not a tax that arises automatically from the listing or sale price of a property. The statutory measure of value, the relevant year, the form of ownership and the exemption conditions are assessed together.
Which Value and Which Year Are Used?
The high-value residence tax provisions of the Property Tax Law (Emlak Vergisi Kanunu) take as their basis the building tax value of properties with residential character. An expert report or a price in a property listing is not the tax base on its own. The character of the independent units and the value records obtained from the municipality should be checked. [1; EVK m.42–49]
The prior-year value matters for when liability begins. For 2025, the relevant threshold is 15,709,000 TL; for a property that meets the conditions, liability comes up at the start of 2026. For 2026, the calculation is made with that year's value and tariff. Therefore, looking only at one year's municipal letter is not sufficient in every file. [1; EVK m.42–49]
Persons Liable for the High-Value Residence Tax: Owner, Usufructuary and Co-owners
The owner, the usufructuary if there is one, and, if there is none, a person who disposes of the property as an owner are assessed in the order set by the relevant law. In co-ownership in shares, whether the property falls within the scope is determined by the total value of the property and the tariff applies; the tax is then divided according to shares. It is incorrect to compare the value of each share separately with the threshold as if each share were a separate dwelling. In joint ownership (elbirliği mülkiyeti), the declaration and liability rules apply separately.
Selling the property within the year does not mean that the second instalment for that year will necessarily belong to the buyer. The seller's liability for the current year and the buyer's position in the following year are assessed separately. There are separate termination rules for situations such as destruction of the property, its becoming unusable, or the owner obtaining an exemption.
Single-Residence and Lowest-Value Residence Exemption
The law provides an exemption for persons who own a single property with residential character in Türkiye. Where a person has more than one residence subject to the high-value residence tax, the lowest-value residence may also be exempt under the relevant conditions. This exemption is not an amount that can be used separately for each dwelling.
The fact that no tax arises under an exemption does not mean that the required notice may be skipped. Which property is exempt where several equally low-value residences exist, and how a property held in shares is treated, are assessed separately. Construction companies that have not yet made their first sale and hold suitable dwellings that are unused or unleased are subject to a different exemption; the mere presence of an inventory entry should not be considered sufficient.
How Is the 2026 Tariff Applied to the Taxable Residence Value?
| Building tax value | Tax calculation |
|---|---|
| 17,711,000–26,567,000 TL | 3 per mille on the part exceeding 17,711,000 TL |
| 26,567,000–35,425,000 TL | 26,568 TL + 6 per mille on the part exceeding 26,567,000 TL |
| Over 35,425,000 TL | 79,716 TL + 10 per mille on the part exceeding 35,425,000 TL |
For example, for a dwelling with no exemption where the other liability conditions are met, if the 2026 building tax value is 20,000,000 TL, the tax is 6,867 TL, which is 3 per mille of the difference of 2,289,000 TL. The 3 per mille rate is not applied directly to the whole 20,000,000 TL. This example assumes that the property is not held in co-ownership and that no other exemption applies.
Where Are the Return and Payment Made?
The building tax value is obtained from the municipality, while the high-value residence tax return is filed with the competent tax office (vergi dairesi). The ordinary filing period ends on February 20. The tax is paid in two instalments, in February and August. Because of public holidays, for 2026 the last day of the first instalment was applied as March 2 and the last day of the second instalment as August 31. As of today, these dates belong to the calendar of a past period.
Where there are residences in more than one place, where there is co-ownership or joint ownership, or where electronic attachments are submitted later, the form and competent-office requirements are checked separately. A different municipal value for each residence does not necessarily mean that independent returns must be filed separately with different tax offices.
Preparing the Ownership, Building Tax Value and Exemption Documents for the High-Value Residence Tax
The title deed, share ratio, usufruct record, the 2025 and 2026 building tax values, the number of residences, the exemption notice, the return and the instalment records should be kept together. A study explaining the difference between market value and municipal value does not replace the tax base; the correct statutory value must be used.
Does paying the property tax eliminate the high-value residence tax?
No. The two taxes are regulated separately. Payment of one is neither an automatic offset against the other nor a ground for exemption.
Is tax always due on a single high-value dwelling?
Because of the single-residence exemption, it may not be. Liability should be examined together with the person's other residences and shares.
How Does the Limit Apply in Co-ownership?
Where a person holds a share in a dwelling, whether it falls within the tax is not determined by looking only at the value of that person's share. The total building tax value and the form of ownership are the basis; the tax attributable to the taxpayer's share is calculated at a later stage. It may be incorrect to say that a dwelling owned equally by two persons falls outside the tax limit merely by halving its total value.
Under the single-residence or lowest-value residence exemption as well, the person's shares in other dwellings and the form of ownership are assessed together. An exemption does not mean that the required notices and documents need not be submitted at all. The municipal building tax value letter and the title record must show the same property and the correct year.
Sale Year and Notice of Changes
Selling a dwelling in the year in which liability began does not automatically transfer to the buyer the remaining instalment of tax accrued for that year. The example in the guide shows that responsibility for the relevant year must be assessed separately even where the transfer takes place after the start of the year, or even before the filing period ends. Any sharing of the tax between the parties under the sale contract does not change who is the legal counterparty of the administration.
In events such as demolition or fire, or the building losing its residential character, the end of liability and the timing of notice are examined separately. A fall in market value does not automatically change the municipal building tax value. A dispute over the tax value and a calculation error in the high-value residence tax may each be a separate subject of an application.
High-Value Residence Tax and the Municipal Property Tax
The ordinary property tax paid to the municipality does not replace the high-value residence tax. The two taxes have different administration, returns and exemption conditions. The fact that a retired or disabled person meets the conditions for the zero-rate property tax does not create an automatic exemption from the high-value residence tax for all dwellings.
In the file, for each property, the building tax value for the previous and current year, the acquisition or transfer date, the residential character, the share ratio and the ground for exemption should be kept on separate lines. The determination of the lowest-value dwelling among the taxable ones should not be confused with the assessment of a dwelling that falls outside the tax.
Decision and File to Prepare Before Acting
Match the building tax value obtained from the municipality with the correct year. Determine the exemption for the single residence or the lowest-value residence; do not confuse the total value of a property held in shares with the tax calculated for the person's share.