ITP in Catalonia: taxes and costs when buying a home

ITP in Catalonia is the single largest cost when buying a second-hand home, and the one that produces the most surprises at the notary’s office. At Sandin Abogados, a real estate law firm in Barcelona, every week we see transactions in which ITP in Catalonia, together with the other taxes on buying a home, adds between 10% and 15% on top of the agreed price, and in the case of large holders exceeds 20%.

This guide, updated in November 2026, covers what you should plan for before signing: which tax applies depending on whether the home is new or second-hand, how much ITP in Catalonia is under the current scale, why the Cadastre reference value can push the bill above the price, which conveyancing costs each party bears, and what the seller pays after Royal Decree-law 29/2026, with worked examples and the questions investors and developers most often raise with our real estate tax team.

Which tax applies when buying: ITP, or VAT plus AJD

The taxes on buying a home in Spain depend on whether the property is second-hand (ITP) or new-build (VAT plus AJD), and that distinction accounts for most of the bill.

Second-hand homes: Property Transfer Tax (ITP)

Second-hand homes are subject to Property Transfer Tax (Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales Onerosas, ITP), a tax devolved to the autonomous communities, each of which sets its own rate, and it applies whether the seller is a private individual or a company. The buyer self-assesses it on form 600 before the Agència Tributària de Catalunya within one month of the deed; without that payment, the Land Registry will not register the purchase.

New-build homes: VAT and stamp duty (AJD)

A new-build home (first supply by the developer) does not pay ITP: it carries VAT at 10% (4% for protected housing under the special regime or public promotion) plus Stamp Duty (Impuesto sobre Actos Jurídicos Documentados, AJD), whose graduated rate is set by each autonomous community. In Catalonia the general AJD rate is 1.5%, with a 100% relief for buyers aged 35 or under on the accrual date, provided the home is their main residence and the sum of their general and savings taxable bases, less the personal and family allowance, did not exceed €36,000 in their latest income tax return. AJD rises to 3.5% on deeds in which the VAT exemption is waived (art. 642-1.a of the Catalan Tax Code), a key scenario for investors and companies.

How much is ITP in Catalonia: the scale, reduced rates and the 20% rate

ITP in Catalonia is the tax paid by the buyer of a second-hand home and ranges from 10% to 13% of the value of the property under a banded scale, with a reduced rate of 5% for the main residence of certain groups and a 20% rate for large holders and entire buildings.

The progressive scale and the 20% rate came into force on 27 June 2025 under Decree-law 5/2025 of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The progressive scale by value band

The transfer is taxed at the average rate that results from applying this scale to the value of the property:

• Up to €600,000: 10%.
• From €600,000 to €900,000: 11%.
• From €900,000 to €1,500,000: 12%.
• Over €1,500,000: 13%.

Because the scale works by bands, the 13% only applies to the excess over one and a half million: a €300,000 home pays 10%, and a €1 million asset pays an average rate of 10.5%.

Reduced rates: 5% for main residences and 7% for protected housing

The reduced 5% ITP rate in Catalonia applies to the purchase of a main residence by buyers aged 35 or under, large and single-parent families, people with a disability of 65% or more and victims of gender-based violence, subject to an income limit (€36,000 of taxable base, extended per child for large families) and an occupation commitment.

Officially protected housing (VPO) is taxed under ITP at the reduced rate of 7% (art. 641-1.2 of the Catalan Tax Code).

Who is a large holder in Catalonia for tax purposes and why they pay 20%

In Catalonia, ITP rises to 20% when the buyer of a home is a large holder, whether an individual or a company, and when an entire residential building is acquired, unless the buyer is an individual, the building has no more than four homes and all of them will be the main residence of the buyer and of relatives up to the second degree, who must move in within twelve months and live there continuously for three years. A large holder in Catalonia is anyone who owns more than ten urban residential properties located in Catalonia (or more than 1,500 built square metres of residential use), or five or more urban residential properties in municipalities declared to be stressed residential markets, even if they fall within different stressed areas. Garages and storage rooms do not count as separate properties towards the threshold; in single-family homes their area forms part of the home. Excluded from the 20% are purchases by social housing developers (art. 51.2 of Law 18/2007), by private non-profit entities that provide housing to people in a situation of residential vulnerability, and acquisitions intended for the registered office or workplace of the large holder. Finally, if the building is bought in stages, the partial self-assessments are provisional and the last one regularises the whole building at 20%, with late-payment interest.

The count is made on the accrual date, so the order of the acquisitions and the ownership of the assets determine whether the transaction pays 10% or 20%.

Four different concepts of large holder

Four definitions of large holder coexist in Catalonia, each with its own purpose:

• Tax (art. 641-1.5 of Book Six of the Catalan Tax Code): to apply the 20% ITP rate. It was introduced by Decree-law 5/2025 and amended by Law 11/2026 of 9 July.
• Tenancies (Catalan Law 18/2007 on the right to housing): Law 11/2026 introduces it for the first time into residential tenancy rules.
• Evictions and social rent (Catalan Law 24/2015): also amended by Law 11/2026.
• National (Law 12/2023 on the right to housing).

The Directorate-General for Taxes and Gaming (DGTJ) and the Agència de l’Habitatge, in their joint report of 24 March 2026, state that the tax definition is separate and self-contained. It is not merged with the others, and civil and administrative law apply only on a supplementary basis (art. 7.2 of the General Tax Act). This is why the same person can be a large holder for tenancy purposes and not for ITP purposes, or vice versa.

Who is a large holder for tax purposes

Under the wording in force since 14 July 2026, a large holder is any individual or legal entity that is:

• the owner of more than ten urban residential properties, or of more than 1,500 built square metres of residential use, located in Catalonia; or
• the holder of five or more urban residential properties located in municipalities declared to be stressed residential markets, even if they fall within different stressed areas.

What changed compared with Decree-law 5/2025

• Only urban properties count. Previously, outside stressed areas, rural residential properties such as masías (Catalan farmhouses) also counted.
• The two stressed areas are added together. Previously, the five properties had to be in the same area. Two areas have been declared, one of 140 municipalities and another of 131.
• Garages and storage rooms. The law no longer mentions them, but the DGTJ takes the view that they still do not count because they are not residential (Resolution 5/2026).

Large holder for tax purposes vs large holder for housing purposes: main differences

Criterion	Tax (ITP at 20%)	Housing (Catalan Laws 18/2007 and 24/2015, after Law 11/2026)
Who	Any individual or legal entity above the thresholds	Always: financial institutions and their real estate subsidiaries, investment funds, asset management entities and venture capital and securitisation funds. In addition, legal entities and individuals above the thresholds
Threshold by number	More than ten urban residential properties in Catalonia	Legal entities: more than ten urban residential properties in Spain
Threshold in Catalonia	Five or more in municipalities declared stressed	Five or more located anywhere in Catalonia
Threshold by floor area	More than 1,500 residential m² in Catalonia	None
Which ownership counts	Ownership: full ownership and bare ownership, not usufruct	Ownership and also rights of use, enjoyment or exploitation
Co-ownership	Percentage shares are added together	Shares only count when, added together, they amount to full ownership. If a co-owner is a large holder, the home is subject to their obligations
Building without horizontal division	No specific rule in the law	Each residential unit counts as a separate property
Exclusions	Social housing developers, non-profit entities that house vulnerable people, registered office or workplace	Social housing developers, non-profit entities that house vulnerable people, and legal entities with more than 15% of their residential floor area in Catalonia classified as rental VPO
From when	Purchases accrued from 14 July 2026	Contracts signed from 31 July 2026

Being a large holder for tenancy purposes does not make someone a large holder for ITP purposes, and vice versa. For each transaction the calculation must be made under the relevant definition.

How properties and square metres are counted (tax criteria)

• Only those located in Catalonia.
• Co-ownership. Percentages are added together, not units: a 50% share does not count as a whole home. For the 1,500 m², the square metres resulting from applying each ownership percentage are added together. In stressed municipalities an accumulated ownership of 500% is required, the equivalent of five whole homes.
• Floor area. Only residential square metres count. Common elements and commercial premises, warehouses or storage buildings do not. If the Land Registry and the Cadastre disagree, the Land Registry prevails. If the floor area appears neither in the title deed nor in the Registry, the Cadastre figure is used and, failing that, a technical certificate. Garages and storage rooms do not count as separate properties towards the threshold; in single-family homes their area forms part of the home.
• Main residence. The main residence, as defined for personal income tax, is not counted towards large holder status. The purchase by an individual large holder of what will be their main residence falls outside the 20% (DGTJ Resolution 3/2025).
• Ownership. Full ownership and bare ownership count, but usufruct does not. Assets in an estate pending acceptance are not counted. Each company is assessed separately: being a shareholder, even the sole shareholder, of a large-holder company does not make the shareholder a large holder. For trusts and foreign structures the beneficial owner must be identified.

Which properties are treated as residential

Count	Do not count
Tourist-use homes (HUT)	Hotels, aparthotels and tourist apartments
Homes awaiting a first-occupation licence, if they can obtain it	Student residences
Caretaker’s lodges or masoveries tied to another property, with residential planning use	Properties under construction
Coliving that is a home let by rooms	Coliving comparable to a residence (communal accommodation)
Properties in a state of ruin with residential planning use (assessed case by case)

Homes without a certificate of habitability. They escape the 20% only if the Agència de l’Habitatge has refused the certificate. To leave them out of the large holder count, a technical certificate may suffice, provided it shows the certificate could not be obtained under any circumstances, even with works.

When the 20% applies

• The condition is checked on the accrual date, which is the date of purchase.
• With more than ten properties, the 20% is paid from the purchase of the 12th. In stressed municipalities, from the purchase of the 6th.
• If someone with four homes in stressed municipalities buys two more in the same act, both are taxed at the general rate.

Garages and storage rooms bought with the home

Together with the home, one storage room and up to two parking spaces are also taxed at 20%, if these requirements are met:

• they are bought in the same act or are in the same building or complex;
• they serve the home;
• they are not let or assigned to third parties (DGTJ ruling 360/25).

This applies even if the sellers are different and, depending on the case, even if the parking spaces are in another municipality (ruling 404/25).

Entire buildings (art. 641-1.6, as worded by Law 11/2026)

• Who pays the 20%: the buyer of an entire residential building who is not a large holder. A large holder is directly subject to the general 20% rule.
• Single buyer: the 20% applies if a single person buys, even if there are several sellers. If several people buy, they are taxed at the general rate, unless they are large holders.
• Only on the residential part: the 20% falls on the residential part. The rest is taxed under the general scale, calculated on the value of that floor area.
• Staged purchase: the self-assessments for each partial purchase are provisional. Within one month of the purchase of the last home, a supplementary self-assessment at 20% must be filed for each of them. The four-year limitation period runs from each self-assessment (ruling 404/25).
• Exception: an individual who buys a building of up to four homes intended as their own main residence and that of relatives up to the second degree does not pay the 20%, provided that they:
  • move in within twelve months, and
  • live there for three consecutive years, unless a change of home is required for reasons such as marriage, separation, the formation or dissolution of a stable partnership, a work relocation or a new or better job, or similar circumstances.

Exclusions

The following fall outside the 20%:

• social housing developers;
• private non-profit entities that provide housing to people in a situation of residential vulnerability;
• purchases intended for the registered office or workplace of the large holder. The rule sets no deadline for putting them to that use; the DGTJ takes the view that it must be done within a reasonable period and maintained over time.

What the Cadastre reference value is and how it affects ITP

The reference value is a figure that the Directorate-General for the Cadastre assigns to each property on the basis of the prices of sales executed before a notary. Since Law 11/2021 on measures to prevent and combat tax fraud, it has been the starting point for the ITP taxable base on property purchases, both in Catalonia and in the rest of Spain.

The rule is in art. 10.2 of the consolidated ITP and AJD Act (TRLITPAJD):

• General rule: the taxable base is the reference value on the accrual date, which is the date of purchase.
• If the price or the declared value is higher: the base is the higher of those amounts.
• If there is no reference value or the Cadastre cannot certify it: the base is the highest of the declared value, the agreed price and the market value, without prejudice to review by the tax authorities.

It is advisable to check the reference value on the Cadastre’s online portal before signing the deposit agreement (arras), because it sets the minimum on which the tax will be paid.

What happens if the purchase price is below the reference value

Tax is paid on the reference value, not on the price

If the agreed price is below the reference value, the buyer must self-assess ITP on the reference value.

Example: a second-hand home in Catalonia bought for €250,000, with a reference value of €280,000.

• The taxable base is €280,000.
• At the 10% rate, the tax due is €28,000 instead of €25,000.
• The buyer pays €3,000 more than would result from the actual price.

Legal consequences

• The sale remains valid. The reference value only affects the taxable base. The agreed price remains the contract price and the one stated in the deed.
• If tax is self-assessed on the price rather than on the reference value, the tax authorities (in Catalonia, the Agència Tributària de Catalunya) can regularise the difference by issuing an assessment. Late-payment interest is added to the tax due (art. 26 of the General Tax Act) and penalty proceedings may be opened for failure to pay (art. 191 of the General Tax Act).
• The reference value is presumed to be correct. Cadastre data “are presumed to be accurate” unless proven otherwise (art. 3.3 of the consolidated Real Estate Cadastre Act). In practice, anyone wishing to challenge it must prove that it does not reflect the property’s real value.
• It can only be challenged in two ways (art. 10.3 TRLITPAJD). It cannot be challenged on a stand-alone basis, for example directly before the Cadastre, nor can tax simply be paid on the price. The two routes are:
  • Rectification of the self-assessment: tax is paid on the reference value and rectification is then requested, challenging that value, where the buyer considers it prejudices their legitimate interests.
  • Appeal against the assessment issued, where applicable, by the tax authorities.
• In practice, the Cadastre decides. If rectification is requested or a reconsideration appeal is filed, the authorities decide after a mandatory and binding report from the Directorate-General for the Cadastre, which confirms or corrects the reference value in light of the documentation submitted. It also issues a report when an economic-administrative claim is filed. The report must state its reasons, together with the resolution from which it derives and the value modules and reduction factors applied (art. 10.4 TRLITPAJD).

What evidence to prepare

To show that the real value is below the reference value, it is useful to provide:

• an expert valuation;
• documentation on the condition of the property, such as photographs, technical reports or building quotes;
• any circumstance the reference value does not capture: a tenant with a contract in force, occupation by squatters, charges or construction defects.

Recommendation

If the price is going to fall below the reference value, the additional ITP must be factored into the negotiation. If the reference value is considered not to reflect reality, tax is paid on it and rectification is requested, with the evidence prepared from the outset.

Which conveyancing costs are added to the tax

The conveyancing costs that come on top of the tax are the notary, the Land Registry, the gestoría and, if there is financing, the valuation; together they range between 0.5% and 1.5% of the price.

Notary, Land Registry and gestoría

Notary and Land Registry fees are set by official tariff according to the value in the deed: for an average home they come to around €700 for the notary and €450 for the Registry. The gestoría (administrative agent) is optional (banks usually require one with a mortgage) and costs around €300 to €400.

Who pays each cost: buyer, seller and bank

In a home purchase, unless otherwise agreed, the buyer pays ITP or VAT with its AJD, registration at the Land Registry and the valuation for their mortgage; since Law 5/2019 on real estate credit agreements, the bank bears the notary fees for the loan deed, registration of the mortgage and the gestoría (art. 14.1.e of Law 5/2019), and is the taxpayer liable for AJD on the loan (art. 29 TRLITPAJD). The seller pays the municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía), the cancellation of their previous mortgage and the original of the deed, although in Catalonia it is common to agree that the buyer bears all the notary fees. Everything should be set out in writing in the deposit agreement (arras).

A worked example of ITP in Catalonia

For simplicity, we assume the reference value matches the price. Figures calculated by Sandin Abogados using the rates in force in November 2026.

A €300,000 home: second-hand vs new-build

Item	Second-hand	New-build
Main tax	ITP (10%): €30,000	VAT (10%): €30,000
AJD	Not applicable	1.5%: €4,500
Notary, Registry and gestoría	€1,500	€1,700
Approximate total	€31,500 (10.5%)	€36,200 (12%)

A €1 million property and a large-holder buyer

Under the progressive scale, a €1 million asset pays €60,000 on the first band, €33,000 on the second and €12,000 on the third: €105,000 of ITP, an average rate of 10.5%. If the buyer is a large holder, the 20% applies to the whole base: €200,000, a difference of €95,000 on a single transaction.

Taxes on selling a home: IRPF, plusvalía and non-residents

The taxes on buying a home are only half the story: the seller has their own tax bill and often shapes the timing and the price to optimise it.

The capital gain in personal income tax (IRPF) and its exemptions

On selling a home, an individual seller pays personal income tax (IRPF), within the savings base, on the difference between the transfer value (price less selling costs) and the acquisition value (purchase price plus taxes, costs and improvements). The current scale runs from 19% to 30%: 19% up to €6,000, 21% up to €50,000, 23% up to €200,000, 27% up to €300,000 and 30% above that.

The exemptions include reinvestment in another main residence within two years, the sale of the main residence by people aged 65 or over, the reduction coefficients for properties acquired before 1995 and, as a new measure, the exemption for the sale of an unoccupied home to public social housing bodies until 31 December 2027 (full exemption up to €200,000, tapering down to €800,000).

The municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía) after RDL 29/2026

The municipal capital gains tax (tax on the increase in value of urban land, known as plusvalía) is paid by the seller under either the objective or the actual method, and is not triggered where there is no real increase in value. Royal Decree-law 29/2026 of 6 October sets new maximum coefficients for the objective method with effect from 1 December 2026.

Non-resident sellers: the 3% withholding

When the seller is not tax resident in Spain, the gain is taxed under Non-Resident Income Tax, generally at 19%, and the buyer must withhold 3% of the price and pay it over on form 211 within one month, as set out by the Spanish Tax Agency in its non-residents manual.

What changes for investors and companies under RDL 29/2026

Royal Decree-law 29/2026 does not touch ITP in Catalonia, which is a regional competence, but it restricts purchases: until 31 December 2030, entities engaged in acquiring properties or portfolios of non-performing loans, and legal entities that qualify as large holders under national housing legislation, may not buy housing for less than 70% of its appraised market value, unless they allocate it to affordable rental for at least seven years. We analyse the other measures (the IBI surcharge on tourist homes, the levy on SOCIMIs, changes to rentals) in our article on what changes under Royal Decree-law 29/2026 compared with 26/2026.

Before signing: plan ITP in Catalonia in advance

The tax bill on a purchase is not discovered at the notary’s office: it is decided weeks earlier, while it is still possible to choose who buys, in what order and at what price. ITP in Catalonia, with its 10% to 13% scale and its 20% rate for large holders, is the item that makes the difference; the Cadastre reference value can push it above the price, and the conveyancing costs complete the bill.

For a company, a fund or a family estate, planning all of this is worth tens of thousands of euros per asset. That is why at Sandin Abogados we work with a closed schedule of tax costs before the deposit agreement, we review large holder status in Catalonia on the expected accrual date and, when the reference value does not reflect the reality of the property, we prepare its challenge from day one.

Frequently asked questions

Is ITP in Catalonia paid on the price or on the reference value?

ITP in Catalonia is paid on the highest of three values: the agreed price, the declared value and the Cadastre reference value. If the reference value exceeds the price, the tax is calculated on it, with the option of challenging it if it does not reflect the property’s real value.

How much is ITP in Catalonia in 2026?

ITP in Catalonia in 2026 is 10% to 13% depending on value bands (10% up to €600,000), with reduced rates of 5% for the main residence of certain groups and a 20% rate for large holders and purchases of entire buildings. It is paid on form 600 within one month of the deed.

Who is a large holder in Catalonia for ITP purposes?

A large holder in Catalonia is anyone who owns more than ten urban residential properties in Catalonia, more than 1,500 built residential square metres, or five or more urban residential properties in municipalities declared to be stressed markets, even if they fall within different stressed areas. Garages and storage rooms do not count as separate properties towards the threshold; in single-family homes their area forms part of the home.

Which taxes does a company or an investor pay when buying a home in Barcelona?

A company or an investor buying a second-hand home in Barcelona pays ITP of 10% to 13%, or 20% if it is a large holder or acquires an entire building; on a new-build it pays VAT at 10% plus AJD at 1.5%, in addition to notary, Registry and gestoría fees.

Which taxes does the seller pay when selling a home?

The seller pays personal income tax on the capital gain, between 19% and 30%, unless an exemption applies (reinvestment in a main residence, sellers aged 65 or over), and the municipal plusvalía, whose maximum coefficients change from 1 December 2026. If the seller is a non-resident, the buyer withholds 3% of the price.

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