German with property in Greece - where do I pay my taxes

[Emilia688]

Hi everyone, I am a new host in Athens. I recently bought an apartment here and sometimes I rent it out on Airbnb. I do not live in Greece. but in Germany, doing my taxes in Germany, 

1.⁠ ⁠When I set up my Airbnb for the Athens flat, I said my main residence is in Germany, so Airbnb asked me for my German tax number. Now, I also have a German VAT number - should I add that as well? The German VAT number I use for my other business - does anyone know is this relevantŻ
2.⁠ ⁠⁠where do I pay Airbnb taxes , in Greece or Germany? I thought in Greece but then why do they want the German tax number too?
3.⁠ ⁠⁠do I have to declare this income in my German tax report?
4.⁠ ⁠⁠does anyone have a good accountant in Greece who takes care of Airbnb taxes for you here?

Would be grateful for some tips from local German hosts. thank you

[Hugo990]

Hi @Emilia688,

It sounds like you’re juggling a lot between your properties in Greece and your tax obligations in Germany—totally understandable! When it comes to your German VAT number, since it’s for a different business, you probably wouldn’t need to include it for your Airbnb rental unless you’re offering VAT-applicable services, like cleaning or added extras for guests. Best to get some professional advice on that!

As for taxes, because your property is in Greece, the income from renting it out would typically need to be reported there, so paying taxes in Greece makes sense. The reason Airbnb asks for your German tax number is likely because you’re a tax resident in Germany, even though you’re earning rental income abroad.

Now, since you’re living in Germany, there’s a good chance you’ll need to declare that global income, including from Greece, on your German tax return. The good news is that there are usually tax agreements between countries, like the double taxation agreement between Germany and Greece, which can help avoid paying taxes twice on the same income.

Finding a local accountant in Greece who’s familiar with Airbnb-related taxes could be super helpful to navigate everything smoothly. It’s always worth getting expert advice to make sure all your bases are covered!

Hope this helps, and good luck with everything!

[Bhumika]

Hi @Emilia688 , welcome to the community center! Did you manage to find more information on the topic?

Hugo has also shared a relevant advice below. Have you had a chance to explore it yet? I'm also inviting hosts from the region : @Rafael-And-Aline0 @Till-and-Jutta0 @Nicoleta-Maria0 @Tatiana1018 @Annik244 to see if they can help us with some insights in this regards. Thank you in advance everyone!

I'd also recommend you to post in our 👉German speaking community center👈 to see if hosts have any ideas for you there.

[Kenchy0]

As I understand it, you pay taxes on the income where you live. I have a property in Brazil and I pay taxes on the income in the US where I live.  But it might depend on where your property and the laws are there.  

[Elaine701]

@Emilia688 

If you're tax resident in Germany, then although you pay income tax on your Greek Airbnb in Greece, you still need to declare any profit from your Airbnb in Greece to the finanzamt.

Because you are German tax resident, the finanzamt will tax you on whatever profit you made (gross income minus expenses and taxes paid in Greece). You will effectively be taxed twice. 

Sorry, but it's the finanzamt. If you aren't declaring it and they find out, well, you know how they are. It won't be pretty. 

Good luck with that.