With just ten days remaining until Greece’s tax filing deadline on July 15, around 800,000 individual income tax returns have yet to be submitted through the country’s online platform, Taxisnet. This figure represents 13.5% of the total expected filings, as the tax authority, AADE, aims to process approximately 6.7 million declarations this year. So far, more than 5.8 million returns have been submitted.
Of those already processed, nearly 34% have resulted in tax bills, amounting to a total of €3.71 billion in assessed taxes - an average of €1,902 per taxpayer. On the other hand, about 22.5% of the filings qualify for tax refunds, with the average amount returned standing at around €365, for a total of €476 million. The remaining 44% of returns are neutral, meaning no payment or refund is due.
The filing process has generally proceeded smoothly, supported by digital upgrades introduced by AADE. These include pre-filled and automatically processed returns for roughly 1.5 million taxpayers, primarily salaried workers and pensioners. However, the system has experienced some recent strain. Users have reported technical issues and delays, attributed to a surge in online activity as other tax-related obligations - such as business reporting through the MyData system - are also being processed simultaneously.
In response, professional associations representing accountants and tax preparers have formally requested a two-week extension to the current deadline. The Panhellenic Federation of Tax Professionals and the Association of Tax Professionals of Thessaloniki have urged the Ministry of Finance and AADE to move the final deadline to July 30. They argue that July is already a demanding month for accounting offices, and that the extension would not impact government revenues, since the first tax installment is still due on July 31.
This year marks a turning point in Greece’s tax administration, with a standardized four-month filing period - from March 17 to July 15 - put in place for the first time following years of requests from the accounting sector. While this has improved predictability, tax professionals point out that practical obstacles remain, such as delays in data sharing by public entities, the full rollout of the MyData digital bookkeeping system, and increased auditing demands.
A decision on whether to grant an extension is expected soon from the Greek Finance Ministry and AADE. Any change would aim to ease the burden on taxpayers and professionals alike, streamline the final wave of submissions, and prevent further strain on the digital infrastructure - without affecting the government’s timeline for tax collection.
