Property-sale capital-gain records in Türkiye
A sale does not automatically mean that the whole sale price is taxable income, and the five-year question cannot be answered by looking only at the purchase and sale calendar years. For individuals, Türkiye’s value-increase-gain rules can apply when real estate was acquired for consideration and disposed of within the statutory five-year period. The core of a reliable file is therefore evidence: how and when the asset was acquired, acquisition cost, disposal date and price, deductible transaction costs, indexation and the exemption for the year of sale.
1. Paid acquisition or gratuitous acquisition?
GİB explains that real estate acquired for consideration and disposed of within five years can generate a taxable value-increase gain. Property acquired without consideration, including inheritance or other gratuitous acquisition within the statutory treatment, is not brought into this category simply because it is sold within five years. The file should therefore begin with the legal basis of acquisition: purchase, inheritance, gift or another event. A title date without the acquisition cause is incomplete evidence.
2. Establish the correct acquisition date
The Revenue Administration guide generally treats the land-registry registration date as the acquisition date for this capital-gain analysis. It also recognises special situations where the property was placed in the owner’s actual use before title registration and that earlier use can be supported by documents such as a delivery record or utility evidence. Special rules can also arise for newly received units in land-for-construction arrangements. A reservation date or first instalment should not automatically replace the legally relevant acquisition date.
3. Count five years by calendar day
GİB’s updated material states that the five-year period is calculated by calendar day. Record the full acquisition and disposal dates rather than merely writing “bought 2021, sold 2026.” A sale just before or after the five-year anniversary can have a different tax result. Where an earlier physical handover is asserted, preserve the contemporaneous proof and obtain tax advice rather than selecting the date that produces the desired answer.
4. Tax is based on net gain, not gross sale price
The gain is determined after deducting the acquisition cost, adjusted by indexation when the statutory condition is satisfied, together with qualifying expenses borne by the seller in connection with disposal and deductible taxes and fees. Keep the original purchase agreement and title data, registration expenses, invoices for qualifying sale costs and the final sale evidence. A cost that cannot be documented or linked to the property should not be inserted into the calculation simply because it sounds commercially plausible.
5. Yİ-ÜFE indexation of acquisition cost
GİB permits acquisition-cost indexation by the Domestic Producer Price Index, Yİ-ÜFE, where the increase reaches at least 10%. The official method uses the relevant index periods and excludes the disposal month in the manner described by the guide. If the increase is below 10%, the cost is not indexed under this rule. Retain the index values, their source and the arithmetic so that the calculation can be reproduced.
6. The exemption belongs to the sale year
The Revenue Administration states a value-increase-gain exemption of TRY 120,000 for gains realised in 2025 and TRY 150,000 for gains realised in 2026. The exemption applies to the calculated gain under the statutory framework, not to the gross selling price. A 2025 sale uses the 2025 exemption even though its return is submitted in 2026. Using the filing year’s threshold is a common source of error.
7. Filing and payment timing
For reportable 2025 gains, GİB’s 2026 guide states that the annual return is filed from 1 through 31 March 2026 and the income tax is paid in the announced March and July instalments. A disposal occurring in 2026 belongs to the following filing cycle. A good article therefore explains the principle rather than hard-coding one historic March date as if it governed every sale year.
8. Construction-for-land and transformed-property cases
The official guide provides examples in which units received from a developer in return for land can constitute a new acquisition for determining the date, while gratuitous acquisition can retain different treatment in specified circumstances. Redevelopment files should therefore be reviewed from the original ownership through the construction agreement, new title registration and actual delivery. A generic “five years from the first family ownership” statement can be wrong.
9. Red flags
- Counting five years only by year number rather than calendar day.
- Treating every sale within five years as taxable even though the property was inherited or gratuitously acquired.
- Using the 2026 exemption for a sale realised in 2025.
- Indexing the cost when the Yİ-ÜFE increase does not reach 10%.
- Deducting unsupported expenses.
- A declared sale value that conflicts with closing and bank evidence without explanation.
- Missing original acquisition or early-delivery evidence in a new-build file.
10. Evidence file
Retain the acquisition instrument, title registration date, earlier delivery proof if relevant, purchase price, acquisition fees, Yİ-ÜFE inputs, sale agreement, genuine consideration and bank transfers, disposal expenses, gain worksheet, exemption used, annual return and tax receipts. The file should permit a second reviewer to reconstruct the taxable result from source documents.
Frequently asked questions
Is an inherited property sold within five years automatically subject to this capital-gain rule? No. GİB explains that gratuitous acquisitions such as inheritance are outside this category merely because of a sale within five years.
What is the exemption for gains realised in 2026? TRY 150,000.
Can acquisition cost always be indexed? No. The Yİ-ÜFE increase must meet the 10% statutory condition.