July is shaping up to be a crushing month for millions of households and businesses across Greece, as more than €8.5 billion in taxes must be paid by the end of the month.
€8.5 billion in taxes due in July for households and businesses
Among the obligations falling due on Friday, July 31, property owners must pay the fifth instalment of the property tax (ENFIA), while professionals and businesses face their VAT bill. Added to these are the first instalment of income tax and any scheduled repayment instalments for taxpayers enrolled in debt settlement programmes.
According to budget data, July’s tax revenues are up €2.67 billion compared to June, reaching record levels for the public coffers. No other month through the end of the year is projected to come close to this figure.
The tax burden through the rest of the year
The tax burden remains elevated in the months ahead, though at somewhat lower levels. Tax revenues are forecast to reach €6.324 billion in August, €6.412 billion in September, and €6.679 billion in October. November is expected to bring in €5.738 billion, while December — with the addition of vehicle registration fees for 2027 — is projected to reach €6.961 billion.
In total, taxpayers and businesses will be required to pay €39.558 billion in taxes during the second half of the year, compared to €34 billion paid in the first half.
Who is heading to the cashier
More than 2.4 million taxpayers are being called upon to pay an additional €4.983 billion in tax on income earned in 2025. Those who pay in full by July 31, 2026 are entitled to a discount of between 2% and 4%, depending on when they filed their return — with the maximum discount applying to those who submitted by May 15, 2026. Alternatively, taxpayers may opt to pay in 8 monthly instalments, or settle their bill by credit card in up to 12 interest-free instalments or up to 24 interest-bearing instalments under the standard arrangement. The average tax assessed this year for those who received a debit settlement notice stands at €2,075.
At the same time, more than 6 million households are in the process of paying the fifth of twelve instalments of the property tax (ENFIA). Rounding out the wave of tax obligations to be settled by Friday are VAT payments for June or the second quarter of 2026 for professionals and businesses, as well as any outstanding debt settlement instalments.
Tax returns
According to data from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), this year’s tax return season closed with new records. In detail:
1. Individual taxpayers: A total of 6,737,763 returns were filed on time — 31,672 more than in 2025. These returns correspond to 8,954,982 individuals, compared to 8,914,700 who filed on time last year. On average, 51,433 returns were submitted per day, versus 52,803 per day the previous year.
- By Friday, July 24, a total of 603,106 amended returns had been submitted by 563,765 taxpayers.
- 1,357,222 returns were pre-completed, with eligible taxpayers given the option to finalise their submission simply by confirming the pre-filled data. Of these, 889,036 returns were submitted automatically, while 260,431 pre-completed returns required taxpayers to file an amended return.
2. Legal entities: A total of 385,515 returns were filed on time, compared to 362,682 in 2025 — an increase of nearly 23,000 returns. The daily filing rate this year stood at 2,877, broadly in line with 2025 performance when factoring in the overall increase in submissions.
3. Challenging presumptive taxation: Of the 358,054 individuals subject to presumptive taxation out of a total of 742,344 sole traders, only 1,645 expressed an intention to contest the tax basis. This compares to 2,603 individuals who indicated an intention to challenge presumptive taxation for the 2024 tax year — a reduction of 37%.
