Glossary of Greek tax and legal terms
Short explanations of the terms you will see in the tools. Each definition shows which tools use the term.
- AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue)Greece's tax authority. It receives returns, issues tax assessments and checks tax obligations.
- Advance tax paymentAn amount paid in advance towards next year's tax, based on this year's tax.
- AFM (tax identification number)The tax identification number of every individual or legal entity in Greece. You need it for almost any tax or business transaction.
- AMA (short-term rental registration number)The registration number every short-term rental property needs. If it is missing or wrong, the owner can face a fine.
- AMKA (social security number)The social security number used for every insurance and medical service.
- Deemed income (tekmiria)Rules under which the tax authority treats you as having income based on your assets or lifestyle, even if you declared less.
- DYPA (public employment service)The public employment service. It pays unemployment benefits and runs employment programmes.
- E1 (income tax return)The main form for declaring an individual's income. It determines the tax you owe or the refund you receive.
- E9 (property declaration)The tax return that lists your property and assets. Filing it late can lead to a penalty.
- EFKA (Unified Social Security Fund)The unified body that collects social security contributions and pays pensions and sickness benefits for most employees and self-employed people.
- ENFIA (single property tax)The annual property tax paid by owners of real estate in Greece. It is calculated from the property's objective value and its characteristics.
- EOPYY (National Organisation for the Provision of Health Services)The body that covers part of the cost of certain health services for insured people. The coverage rate and conditions vary by service.
- Excise dutyA duty on specific products such as fuel, alcohol, tobacco and some electronics. It is separate from VAT.
- ExemptionAn exception that removes an income, property or transaction from tax when specific conditions are met.
- FEK (Government Gazette)Greece's official government gazette, where laws, decrees and ministerial decisions are published.
- GEMI (General Commercial Registry)The public register of companies and commercial businesses. Registration, changes and annual filings are made there.
- Gift taxTax on gifts of property or money between living people, based on the value and the relationship between giver and receiver.
- HTK (electronic building ID)The electronic building ID: a digital record of a building's key data, permits and energy class. It may be needed for permits, property transfers and other procedures.
- IKA (former social insurance fund)The former main employee insurance fund, now part of EFKA. It still appears on older documents.
- IKE (private capital company)A company form in which members' liability is limited. It can have one or more members and is often compared with a sole trader business.
- Inheritance taxTax paid by heirs on what they inherit, based on the value of the assets and the degree of kinship.
- KAD (activity code)The code that registers a business's or freelancer's activity with the tax authority. It can determine which rules and obligations apply.
- KTEO (vehicle technical inspection centre)The centre where a vehicle's periodic technical inspection is carried out. Inspections are compulsory at intervals that depend on the vehicle's age and type.
- KYA (joint ministerial decision)A decision signed jointly by two or more ministers. It often sets amounts, conditions or procedures for a benefit or obligation.
- Late filingA return or payment made after its deadline. It usually brings a fine or a surcharge.
- Lease agreementThe written lease for a property. It sets the rent, the term and the conditions for ending it.
- myAADE (online tax platform)The AADE online platform for filing returns and viewing your assessments and tax debts.
- Net incomeIncome after allowable costs and deductions. Tax is calculated on this amount, or on part of it.
- Objective value (official property value)The official value of a property, set by the state. It is used to calculate taxes such as ENFIA and transfer tax, and it is not always the market price.
- RES (renewable energy sources)Energy sources that renew naturally, such as sun, wind and geothermal heat.
- Short-term rentalRenting a property for a short stay, for example to tourists through platforms such as Airbnb. It has its own rules for declaration, tax and registration.
- Tax assessment noticeThe notice the tax authority issues after your return, showing the final tax due or the refund.
- Tax rateThe percentage applied to the taxable base to calculate the tax. Under progressive scales, each slice of income has its own rate.
- Tax reductionAn amount taken directly off the tax you calculated.
- Transfer taxThe tax paid when a property changes hands, usually by the buyer. It is based on the objective value.
- VAT (value added tax)An indirect tax added to most sales of goods and services. The final buyer pays it, and businesses pass it on to the state.