The deadline to pay the Municipal Property Tax (IMI) ends on June 30, and DECO PROTeste highlights that “property owners could be paying less.” Why?
“Not all the coefficients that influence the calculation of IMI are considered in the automatic evaluations by the Tax Authority. Such is the case of the property’s age,” explains the consumer protection organization in a statement to the press.
This year, “exceptionally, the deadline for the payment of the first installment, or the single installment, for those paying up to 100 euros, can be made until June 30, 2025, which means the deadline is less than a week away.”
“This year all property owners already know the amount they have to pay, but is it the fair amount? DECO PROTeste draws attention to the possibility that owners may be overpaying,” it notes.
This year, “some taxpayers may have faced a higher IMI amount, even if the applied rate has not increased. Many municipalities even decided to lower it. The truth is that even if nothing changes with the house, nor the rate, the taxable patrimonial value of the property is automatically updated every three years, based on inflation.”
“Therefore, if these taxpayers had their houses assessed in 2024, it is likely that their IMI has increased,” it explains.
The best course of action is to simulate.
Therefore, DECO PROTeste recommends that consumers simulate whether they are overpaying IMI through this tool: “It is the only way they can ensure that the amount they will pay next year is fair.”
“Before requesting an evaluation, the owner should confirm through the DECO PROTeste Pay Less IMI simulator whether it is worth it or not,” recommends the organization.
Attention!
However, caution: “If the taxpayer requests a new house evaluation, the Finance Department will update all coefficients that influence the IMI calculation. An unclear reassessment could mean a higher tax to pay,” warns Magda Canas, DECO PROTeste’s tax affairs specialist.
“A house purchased new three years ago may still have a taxable patrimonial value calculated according to a wear coefficient of 1. But if the owner requests a new evaluation, they may benefit from reducing that coefficient to 0.9, as the house is over two years old. This can make a difference in the final calculations,” explains Magda Canas.
It should be noted that the IMI calculation results from the multiplication of the rate by the taxable patrimonial value (VPT) of the properties, with rates defined annually by each municipality, and IMI collection also benefits the municipalities where the properties are located.
“To understand if they can pay less, the owner should download from the Finance Portal website the updated Land Register of their property and note the following information: taxable patrimonial value, date of the last evaluation, property area, current location coefficient, quality and comfort coefficient, wear coefficient (age of the property), and usage coefficient. To access the Finance link showing the location coefficient, simply click on ‘Finance Portal’ within the DECO PROTeste simulator itself,” the note explains.
