property capital gains tax checklist

Simpletax publishes a revised property capital gains tax checklistIt lists the most important documents and receipts needed to complete your tax return quickly.

Property capital gains tax checklist: which deadlines apply?

Most cantonal tax offices only have 30 days to submit a tax return. Depending on the property and documentation, the documents can fill up a file. It is therefore advisable to check with the tax office and request an extension.

The Simpletax You can easily delegate the property capital gains tax and save time and taxes. The property capital gains tax checklist helps you to efficiently collect the documents.

This checklist was developed primarily for the cantons of Zurich, Aargau, Bern, St. Gallen and Lucerne. We would be happy to clarify the situation in other cantons where the properties have been sold. 

documents and information

To prepare a property gains tax return, a tax advisor needs the following documents:

• • Property data such as address, town/canton, property number in the land register, if known

• • property description, sales documentation

• • Construction description for construction and conversions

• • Advance payment, if already made by the notary, or transfer to a blocked account

• • Contracts: Purchase contracts, notarizations, sales contracts: down payment, transaction

• • Exact contract data for calculating the holding period

• • For replacement property: Purchase agreement for deferral of property capital gains tax

• • Tax return and assessment estimate from the tax office: This is generally triggered by advance notification, notification of land register entry or advice from the notary

• • Receipts for sales costs: notary, fees, consultants, fixed-price broker or broker's commission (approx. 1-2% of the sales price + VAT)

• • Other sales costs, advertisements, online portals, expenses

• • Mortgage: bank fees, exit costs, so-called prepayment penalty
    a bank or insurance company

• • Non-real estate assets: Renewal Fund

• • All deductions and receipts for large, value-increasing or partially value-increasing
    investments, conversions and renovations

• • In the case of inheritance/gift, taxes, inheritance certificate, gift contract or certificate

• • Information on financing and funds required for purchase

Documents Real Estate Capital Gains Tax Canton of Aargau

The canton of Aargau is one of the few cantons that allows lump sum deductions. This can simplify the tax return, but tax optimization, whichever approach is more cost-effective, should still be carried out. This means that documents and papers should be collected either way. 

Background of the property gains tax

The property gains tax was introduced in the Switzerland at the federal level introduced to prevent speculation in real estate and to unnecessarily fuel the market. The property gains tax is paid by the seller.

As with the property capital gains tax, an additional transfer tax is due on the sale, which is proportional (1% - 3.3%) and is usually split between the buyer and the seller.

Please note that the cantons of Zurich, Aargau and others levy property capital gains tax, but not land tax or property tax (which is levied regularly).

Further information is available here.