# IMT Jovem Exemption Threshold Jumps to €330,539 for 2026

> Portugal's IMT Jovem property-tax exemption ceiling rises to €330,539 for 2026, cutting purchase costs for under-35 buyers, foreign residents included.

- Source: https://www.growinportugal.com/news/imt-jovem-exemption-threshold-jumps-to-330-539-for-2026-a-br-2026-10-10
- Publisher: GrowIN Portugal (https://www.growinportugal.com)
- Published: 2026-10-10
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-10
- Language: en

> **Key figures — as of 2026-10-10:** Full IMT Jovem exemption ceiling rises to **€330,539** for 2026 (up from €324,058 in 2025) — partial-exemption band now runs to **€660,982** — Azores/Madeira equivalents sit at **€413,174** and **€826,227** — more than **112,000** young buyers had already used the regime by June 2026.

## The number that matters

Portugal's under-35 property-tax break just got noticeably more generous. For 2026, the Autoridade Tributária's IMT Jovem regime exempts first-time buyers up to 35 from both IMT (the municipal property-transfer tax) and stamp duty on homes costing up to **€330,539**, a 2% rise on the 2025 ceiling of €324,058, in line with the annual update of the general IMT brackets. The IMT Jovem continues to fully exempt from IMT and stamp duty anyone buying property up to 330,539 euros, compared with 324,058 euros in 2025. Above that, a partial exemption applies on homes priced up to €660,982, with only the slice above €330,539 taxed. Between this value and 660,982 euros, a partial exemption applies: tax is only due on the difference between the house price and the 330,539 euros threshold, at an 8% rate.

For foreigners weighing a first purchase in Portugal, the detail that changes the calculus most is eligibility, not nationality. There is no income limit and no requirement of nationality or current residence. A binding ruling from the Autoridade Tributária confirms this isn't theoretical: in a December 2024 binding ruling, the tax authority accepted that an emigrant with tax residence in the Netherlands could use IMT Jovem on a first home in Portugal. That opens the door for younger foreign residents — digital nomads on a D8, recent arrivals under other visa routes, or EU citizens relocating — provided they file their own IRS return and meet the ownership-history rules.

## Who actually qualifies

The core conditions haven't changed: the buyer must be up to 35 years old, file taxes independently for IRS purposes, be purchasing a first home intended as permanent residence, cannot own or co-own a second property, and cannot have owned or co-owned property in the last three years. Age is assessed at the deed signing, not when the mortgage application starts — someone who turns 36 before the escritura loses the benefit entirely.

Joint purchases carry a trap worth flagging for couples. The exemption is assessed on the full property value, not each buyer's individual share: the limits are measured by the whole house, not by your half — if two young people buy a €545,000 home, each holds a €272,500 share, below the €330,539 ceiling, but full exemption doesn't apply because the house's total value falls into the partial-exemption bracket.

## GrowIN's reading of the numbers

The 2% bump sounds modest, but it's worth translating into euros. The ceiling moved up by €6,481 this year. Run that slice through the partial-exemption math — 8% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty on the excess — and a buyer purchasing right at the new ceiling avoids roughly €570 in tax that would have applied under 2025's lower threshold on that same portion of the price. It's a small adjustment on paper, but it matters most in Portugal's mid-tier metro markets, where apartment prices often sit exactly in that €320,000–€335,000 band.

The maximum benefit at the new ceiling is substantial on its own. The youngest member of a couple, up to 35 and meeting the eligibility requirements, would benefit from an exemption of €7,662.04 — the maximum available if the house cost €330,539. That's not pocket change against a deposit and moving costs.

**"A 2% increase in a tax ceiling rarely makes headlines, but for a buyer sitting right at €325,000, it's the difference between full exemption and a tax bill," says GrowIN Portugal Editorial.**

## Practical steps and what to watch

The exemption isn't automatic — buyers must submit Modelo 1 IMT before the deed and before paying any IMT, through the Portal das Finanças, an e-balcão appointment, a Finanças desk, or the relevant Câmara Municipal. Stamp duty on the mortgage loan itself (0.6% of the borrowed amount) still applies regardless; only stamp duty on the purchase price is covered. Since IMT Jovem interacts with Portugal's wider 2026 property-tax landscape — including the flat IMT rate that applies to non-resident buyers on standard purchases and the 0.8% stamp duty baseline — foreign buyers should get a written simulation from Finanças or a licensed credit intermediary before signing a promissory contract (CPCV).

The regime has already reached meaningful scale: by June 2026, according to government figures, the IMT and stamp duty exemption had already benefited more than 112,000 young people buying their first home. Thresholds are reviewed annually alongside the general IMT brackets, so next year's figure will likely move again with inflation — worth checking directly on the Portal das Finanças before budgeting a purchase for 2027. For broader guidance on NIFs, tax residency and the paperwork that underpins any Portuguese property purchase, see our [tax & NIF](/tax-and-nif/) hub, and reach out via [services](/services/) if you need help structuring a purchase as a newly arrived resident.

Buyers under 35 eyeing a home near the new ceiling have a genuine, quantifiable reason to move before the rules shift again.

## Sources

- [Doutor Finanças](https://www.doutorfinancas.pt/impostos/escaloes-do-imt-sobem-2-em-2026-e-jovens-ficam-isentos-ate-330-539-euros/)
- [DECO PROteste](https://www.deco.proteste.pt/dinheiro/comprar-vender-casa/noticias/isencao-imt-como-funciona-beneficio-para-jovens-ate-35-anos)
- [Literacia Financeira](https://www.literaciafinanceira.pt/artigos/imt-jovem)
- [Portal das Finanças (Autoridade Tributária)](https://www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt)

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© GrowIN Portugal. Cite as: GrowIN Portugal, "IMT Jovem Exemption Threshold Jumps to €330,539 for 2026", https://www.growinportugal.com/news/imt-jovem-exemption-threshold-jumps-to-330-539-for-2026-a-br-2026-10-10