Application Opens for Separate Tax Returns
The annual platform for submitting separate tax returns is now live in Greece, giving married couples until March 2 to choose between a joint or individual filing. The decision carries financial implications and can provide relief in specific situations involving debt or tax refunds.
A single spouse can activate the request through the independent authoritys online system, and the choice immediately applies to both partners. No action by the deadline results in an automatic joint return.
Couples who selected separate filing last year retain that status unless they wish to reverse it, which is permitted until the end of February.
When Separate Filing Provides an Advantage
Separate returns can benefit households in which one spouse carries overdue tax debts while the other expects a refund or requires tax clearance. This structure prevents automatic offsets between partners and ensures that one persons liabilities do not obstruct the others administrative needs.
The option has become increasingly popular among couples seeking to protect individual refunds or avoid complications tied to outstanding obligations.
Situations Where Separate Filing Can Increase Tax
The arrangement can prove costly for couples who rely on combined household income to cover imputed living expenses known as tekmeria. Each taxpayer is evaluated solely on personal income and personal imputed expenses, including housing, vehicles, education costs, or other assets.
Insufficient income to justify these indicators can lead to a higher tax bill, even if the couple as a whole meets the required thresholds.
Additional Rules and Limitations
No transfer of electronic receipts is allowed between spouses under separate filing, making it essential that each partner meets the prescribed minimum individually. Failure to reach the required amount can trigger additional charges.
Income earned by minor children is attributed to the parent with the higher income, although both parents list the children as dependents.
Eligibility for social benefits remains unchanged because such support is calculated on the basis of total family income rather than the outcome of each individual return.
Who Else Can Use This Option
The separate filing provision also applies to couples who have ended cohabitation or dissolved a civil partnership, as well as cases involving bankruptcy or legal guardianship. Proof of these circumstances must be provided to the tax authorities.
