Real Estate Tax Timeline: When to Pay What

Korean real estate taxation follows a property across its entire lifecycle — from the moment you sign the sale agreement to the day you transfer ownership to the next buyer. Each phase of ownership triggers different taxes at different rates with different filing deadlines. Missing a deadline or misunderstanding which tax applies at which stage is one of the most common and costly mistakes Korean property owners make. This guide maps every tax obligation to its place in the property ownership timeline.

Phase 1: Acquisition (취득 단계)

The acquisition phase begins with the signing of the sale contract (매매계약서) and concludes when the transfer of ownership is registered at the local registry office (등기소).

Taxes and Deadlines at Acquisition

Tax	When	Deadline	Rate
취득세 (Acquisition tax)	Upon transfer registration	60 days after registration	1–12%
지방교육세 (Local education tax)	Same time as acquisition tax	Same deadline	0.1–0.4%
농어촌특별세 (Rural development tax)	Same time as acquisition tax	Same deadline	0.2%
인지세 (Stamp duty)	When contract is signed	At signing	150,000–350,000 KRW

Acquisition Tax Kr

The 60-day window for acquisition tax is firm. Courts have consistently held that ignorance of the deadline is not a valid defense. Set a calendar reminder immediately after signing the transfer document.

Stamp duty (인지세) is a flat tax on the contract itself, paid at the time of signing. For residential properties priced 100M–1B KRW, it is 150,000 KRW per contract copy; above 1B KRW, it rises to 350,000 KRW per copy. Both buyer and seller typically each pay for their own copy.

Phase 2: Ownership (보유 단계)

During the holding period, two property taxes apply annually.

재산세 (Local Property Tax)

The local property tax is levied twice a year by the local government (시·군·구):

Payment Period	Due Date	Applies To
1st half	July 31	Buildings (건축물분)
2nd half	September 30	Land (토지분) and remaining building amount

Rate: 0.1–0.4% of standard assessed value (공시가격), with different rates for primary residences vs rental properties vs commercial use.

종합부동산세 (Comprehensive Real Estate Tax)

For owners above the assessed-value threshold (1.2 billion for single-home, 900M for multi-home):

Event	Date
Assessment date (과세기준일)	June 1
Tax notice	Late November
Payment deadline	December 15

Owning even briefly as of June 1 triggers the full year's 종부세. Selling before June 1 completely avoids that year's liability.

Phase 3: Disposal (양도 단계)

The disposal phase generates the highest and most complex tax — the capital gains tax (양도소득세, CGT).

Capital Gains Tax Timeline

Step	Timing
Sale agreement signed	Transaction begins
Balance payment and transfer registration	Completion date — CGT calculation starts here
Preliminary CGT declaration (예정신고)	Within 2 months of the month following completion
Final CGT settlement (확정신고)	May 1–31 of the following year

Capital Gains Tax Kr

Preliminary declaration: Filing within the 2-month window results in a 3% discount on the calculated tax. Missing it and waiting until the May confirmation filing loses this discount and may trigger a late-filing surcharge.

Example timeline for a sale completed on August 15, 2025: - Preliminary declaration deadline: October 31, 2025 (2 months after the completion month) - Confirmation filing: May 31, 2026

Short-Term Holding Penalty

If you sell within 2 years of purchase, the CGT rate is elevated regardless of your home-count status:

Holding Period	CGT Rate
Under 1 year	70% flat
1–2 years	60% flat
2 years+	Progressive brackets (6%–45%)

Phase 4: Inheritance and Gift (상속·증여 단계)

Though outside the standard buy–sell cycle, property frequently changes hands through inheritance (상속) or gifts (증여):

Tax	When Triggered	Deadline	Rate
증여세 (Gift tax)	When gift is received	3 months after gift date	10%–50% progressive
상속세 (Inheritance tax)	When estate is settled	6 months after date of death	10%–50% progressive

Both inheritance and gift acquisitions trigger a new acquisition tax (취득세) at assessed value — typically a lower rate (0.8–3.5%) than a market-price purchase, but still due within 60 days of the transfer registration.

The Complete Tax Calendar at a Glance

Month	Tax Event
January	Check if any property was sold in November–December — preliminary CGT due
May	Annual CGT confirmation filing (확정신고)
June 1	종부세 assessment snapshot date — selling before this date avoids 종부세
July 31	재산세 1st half payment due
September 30	재산세 2nd half payment due
December 15	종부세 payment due
Within 60 days of transfer	Acquisition tax due
Within 2 months of sale month	Preliminary CGT declaration due

Keeping this calendar in view — and setting reminders well in advance — prevents the most common and expensive filing errors in Korean property ownership.