Greek inheritance tax brackets explained.

I've sat across enough kitchen tables in Athens, Melbourne and New Jersey to know that the Greek inheritance tax conversation almost always starts the same way: someone says "we were told there's no tax because she was our mother", and someone else says "my cousin paid 40%, watch out". Both are wrong in opposite directions. The truth is more boring and more useful: Greek inheritance tax is progressive, structured around three "Category" tiers of family closeness, and for most diaspora heirs of a typical Athens apartment the actual bill is modest — often zero — provided the paperwork is done properly and on time.

This article walks through how it actually works in 2026, post the Law 5221/2025 reform, with worked examples for typical diaspora situations. None of this replaces a Greek tax accountant for your specific case — but it should give you a much better idea of what to expect before you walk into one.

The three Category tiers (who's closer to the deceased)

Greek inheritance tax assigns each heir to one of three Categories based on degree of family relationship to the deceased. The Category determines both the tax-free threshold and the rate scale that applies.

• Category A. Spouse (including registered partner), children, grandchildren (when inheriting from a grandparent because the parent has predeceased), parents. Also adopted children. This is the most favourable category. Tax-free threshold: €150,000 per heir.
• Category B. Great-grandchildren, siblings, half-siblings, nieces/nephews, grandparents, in-laws (of the first degree). Less favourable rates. Tax-free threshold: €30,000 per heir.
• Category C. All other heirs — cousins, more distant relatives, unrelated persons (friends, godchildren, partners in non-registered relationships). The most expensive category. Tax-free threshold: €6,000 per heir.

The threshold is per-heir, per-inheritance, not per-property. So a Greek-Australian couple inheriting from a parent: each child has their own €150,000 threshold against their own share of the estate. This matters more than most people realise.

The rate scales (what you pay above the threshold)

Each Category has its own progressive scale. Here are the brackets that apply in 2026 after Law 5221/2025:

Category A — direct family

• First €150,000 of your share: 0% (tax-free)
• Next €150,000 (€150,001 to €300,000): 1%
• Next €300,000 (€300,001 to €600,000): 5%
• Above €600,000: 10%

Category B — extended family

• First €30,000 of your share: 0% (tax-free)
• Next €70,000 (€30,001 to €100,000): 5%
• Next €200,000 (€100,001 to €300,000): 10%
• Above €300,000: 20%

Category C — everyone else

• First €6,000 of your share: 0% (tax-free)
• Next €66,000 (€6,001 to €72,000): 20%
• Next €195,000 (€72,001 to €267,000): 30%
• Above €267,000: 40%

The brackets are progressive, not flat — so being one euro over a bracket doesn't push your whole inheritance to a higher rate. Only the slice above each threshold attracts the new rate.

What "value" actually means

Greek inheritance tax is calculated on the "objective value" (αντικειμενική αξία) of property assets, not the open-market value you'd actually sell for. The objective value is a state-published figure tied to the location, area, age, floor and characteristics of the property — and in most parts of Greece, particularly Athens, it has historically been significantly below true market value (often 50-70% of market in central Athens, closer to parity in some Riviera and northern-suburbs areas after 2022 revaluations).

This is the single most important lever in inheritance tax. A property selling for €350,000 on the open market in Pangrati might have an objective value of €210,000. That's the figure on the tax return. For Category A heirs splitting that between two children, each child's share is €105,000 — both well below the €150,000 threshold. Tax due: zero.

Other assets are valued differently: cash and bank deposits at face value, listed shares at their closing price on the date of death, vehicles at administrative values, unlisted business interests via a separate valuation procedure.

Worked example 1 — typical Greek-Australian inheritance

A retired widow in Glyfada passes away in March 2026. She leaves behind two children, both Greek-Australian citizens living in Melbourne. The estate consists of:

• A 90 sqm apartment in Glyfada with objective value €280,000
• A small holiday house in Aegina (45 sqm) with objective value €60,000
• €40,000 in a Greek savings account
• A small portfolio of Greek-listed shares worth €20,000

Total estate value at objective figures: €400,000. Split equally between two children: €200,000 each.

Each child is Category A. Their tax calculation:

• First €150,000: 0% — tax due €0
• Next €50,000 (the slice from €150,001 to €200,000) at 1% — tax due €500

Each child pays €500 in Greek inheritance tax. Total tax on the entire estate: €1,000. This is the typical reality for diaspora heirs of a normal Athens or suburb apartment — the bill is usually small, sometimes nil. The problem is rarely the tax itself; it's the cost and complexity of the process around it.

Worked example 2 — the inherited Athens centre flat

A Greek-American father living in New York passes away. He leaves a 110 sqm apartment in Kolonaki to his only daughter. Objective value: €420,000. Market value: ~€650,000.

• First €150,000: 0% — tax due €0
• Next €150,000 (€150,001 to €300,000) at 1% — tax due €1,500
• Next €120,000 (€300,001 to €420,000) at 5% — tax due €6,000

Total inheritance tax: €7,500 — on an apartment worth €650,000 to a buyer. About 1.15% of the actual market value.

Worked example 3 — niece inheriting from an aunt

An unmarried childless aunt in Thessaloniki leaves her 70 sqm apartment (objective value €110,000) to her only niece in Toronto. The niece is Category B.

• First €30,000: 0% — tax due €0
• Next €70,000 (€30,001 to €100,000) at 5% — tax due €3,500
• Next €10,000 (€100,001 to €110,000) at 10% — tax due €1,000

Total inheritance tax: €4,500. Materially higher than Category A would have produced (which would have been €0 with two parents leaving the same value to a child), but still manageable.

The primary-residence exemption — and why most diaspora heirs can't use it

Greek law provides a primary-residence inheritance tax exemption for Category A heirs, intended to ensure surviving spouses and children aren't forced to sell the family home to pay inheritance tax. The exemption can fully eliminate the tax on a primary residence up to certain size thresholds (typically 200 sqm for an individual heir, larger for families).

The catch for diaspora heirs: the exemption requires the heir to be a permanent resident of the EU/EEA and that the inherited property will serve as the heir's primary residence. Greek-Australians, Greek-Americans, Greek-Canadians and Greek-British heirs typically don't qualify, because:

• They're not EU residents
• The Greek property is plainly not going to be their primary residence — they live abroad permanently
• Greek tax offices are not naive about residence claims; they cross-check with electoral roll, ΑΦΜ residence status, and utility records

For the few diaspora heirs who do hold EU residence (most commonly Greek-Germans, Greek-Swedes, Greek-Cypriots, or those holding a Golden Visa elsewhere in the EU), the exemption may apply and significantly reduce or eliminate the tax. Worth checking carefully with a Greek tax accountant rather than assuming either way.

The filing timeline (and the very real penalty for missing it)

The inheritance tax return (δήλωση φόρου κληρονομιάς) is due nine months from the date of death for heirs resident in Greece, or one year for heirs resident abroad. Extensions are granted on application, especially where the inheritance is complex or contested, but they need to be filed — not assumed.

Missing the deadline triggers:

• Late-filing surcharge — 1% per month of delay, up to 100% of the tax due
• Interest on unpaid tax — currently around 8.76% per annum
• Practical inability to do anything legally with the inherited property — no transfer, no sale, no mortgage, no rental contract registration — until the inheritance tax process is concluded

The last point is what catches most diaspora heirs. Even where the tax itself is €0 (because everyone's under the Category A threshold), the inheritance return still has to be filed before the property can be put in the heirs' names. Many families discover this only when they try to sell or rent the property years later and realise the title is still in a deceased grandparent's name.

The Law 5221/2025 reform — what actually changed

Law 5221/2025, passed in late 2025 and effective from January 2026, was the first significant inheritance tax reform in over a decade. The headline changes:

• Category A threshold raised from €100,000 (pre-2026) to €150,000 — meaningful relief for middle-value estates
• Filing extension for non-resident heirs codified at 12 months (previously a 6-month default with discretionary 6-month extension)
• Streamlined electronic filing via the AADE portal — heirs abroad can now file via their Greek tax representative entirely online
• Recognition of foreign-issued death certificates with apostille (no longer requires Greek consular legalisation in most cases)
• Modernised valuation procedure for unlisted business interests

The practical effect for diaspora heirs: the process is faster, more remote-friendly, and the threshold increase means more typical inheritances now fall fully within the tax-free band.

Double-tax treaties and home-country relief

Greece has limited inheritance-tax treaty coverage. The main treaties cover Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States and a handful of others. Australia, Canada and the UK don't have inheritance-tax treaties with Greece — but Australia and Canada don't have inheritance tax at federal level (the UK does, in the form of IHT, but with its own rules and thresholds).

The general rule:

• Greek inheritance tax is paid on Greek-situated assets regardless of heir's residence
• Where the heir's country of residence also taxes the inheritance, unilateral or treaty-based credit relief usually prevents double taxation
• For Greek-Americans, the US estate tax operates on the deceased's estate (not the heir), and is only payable on US-citizen deceased above a very high threshold — so for most Greek-American families inheriting from a Greek-resident parent, the US side imposes no tax
• For Greek-British heirs, the UK side typically taxes only if the deceased was UK-domiciled — which a Greek-resident parent is usually not

This is where the advice "ask a Greek tax accountant who has done diaspora cases before, not just any accountant" pays for itself many times over.

Where the process actually goes wrong for diaspora heirs

The tax itself is rarely the problem. What goes wrong is the operational layer:

• The death certificate isn't translated and apostilled in time
• The certificate of heirs (κληρονομητήριο) is delayed because one heir is unreachable for signature
• The Greek will (διαθήκη) or its absence triggers a probate process that takes 8-14 months
• The objective-value calculation comes back unexpectedly high because of a recent revaluation in the area
• The utility accounts and ENFIA filings are out of date and cleanup takes months
• The inheritance return deadline arrives and nobody has obtained the supporting documents in time — late surcharges start accruing on a zero-tax filing

This is the period where having someone in Greece coordinating the practical pieces — coordinating with the accountant, lawyer, building manager, utility providers, and checking on the property — saves you weeks or months of remote frustration.

Where home watch fits in

During probate and the inheritance tax filing window, the inherited property typically sits empty for 6-18 months while the legal and tax process plays out. That's the riskiest period for it: nobody's checking it, utilities are still running in a deceased name, ENFIA bills are still arriving, building dues are still owed. We step into exactly that window for many of our members — providing physical oversight of the property while the family handles the legal side, coordinating with the accountant on bill-payment and documentation, and giving the family one trusted point of contact during a process that involves dealing with several Greek-language institutions for the first time.

See our guide to inherited apartments for the broader playbook, or our deeper look at Law 5221/2025 for the full legal context.