Estimate total tax for Greek professionals: income tax at 9%-44%, EFKA at 13.87%, and advance tax prepayment. See annual net income after all obligations.
Enter your annual professional income to see income tax, EFKA, advance tax estimate, and your net take-home as a Greek professional.
Net Annual Income
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Income tax
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EFKA contributions
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Advance tax
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Effective rate (incl. advance)
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Your breakdown
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How professional tax works in Greece
Greek professionals face a two-component tax burden: income tax on the profit after EFKA deduction, and mandatory EFKA social contributions. The advance tax prepayment adds a further cash-flow obligation but is credited against the following year. In practice, a well-managed professional sets aside roughly 35-40% of all income collected to cover all tax and contribution obligations.
Example calculation
A lawyer earns 35,000 EUR. EFKA = 35,000 x 13.87% = 4,855 EUR. Taxable income = 30,145 EUR. Income tax = (10,000 x 9%) + (10,000 x 22%) + (10,000 x 28%) + (145 x 36%) = 900 + 2,200 + 2,800 + 52 = 5,952 EUR. Advance tax (100%) = 5,952 EUR. Net after tax and EFKA but before advance: 35,000 - 4,855 - 5,952 = 24,193 EUR. After advance: 18,241 EUR (but advance is recouped next year).
Tips and considerations
The advance tax is not an additional permanent burden; it is a timing difference. Once established in practice, you are in effect paying this year's tax in advance each year, which stabilises over time. Budget carefully in the first two years when the advance creates a temporary cash shortfall.
Frequently asked questions
What is the professional tax (epaggelmatikos foros) in Greece?
The term professional tax in Greece most commonly refers to the income tax payable by self-employed individuals and freelance professionals on their business income, calculated under the progressive brackets of the Income Tax Code. There is no separate stand-alone professional licence fee at the national level in Greece (unlike some countries), although certain regulated professions require annual membership fees to their chambers (e.g., Greek Bar Association, Technical Chamber TEE, Medical Association), which are deductible expenses. The main fiscal obligation for Greek professionals is the combination of progressive income tax, EFKA social contributions, and the advance tax prepayment.
How does the 100% advance tax prepayment work for Greek professionals?
Under the Greek Income Tax Code, self-employed professionals must pay an advance (prokatavoli) equal to 100% of the income tax assessed for the previous fiscal year. This advance is paid in two instalments with the annual tax return filing. For the first year of activity, the advance is calculated at 55% of the year-one tax. The advance is credited against the next year's final tax. This means that in any given year, a growing professional effectively pays both the current year's tax and an advance on the following year, requiring careful cash-flow management. Setting aside 35-45% of income for tax obligations is typically sufficient.
Are there special tax regimes for returning Greek professionals?
Yes. Law 4758/2020 introduced a special regime (Article 5C of the Income Tax Code) for returning Greek professionals and employed persons who were tax residents abroad for at least 5 of the previous 6 years. Under this regime, 50% of employment or business income is exempt from income tax for 7 years from the year of transfer of tax residency to Greece. This halves the effective income tax rate. Additionally, Article 5D offers a flat annual tax of 100,000 EUR on all foreign-source income for qualifying high-net-worth individuals who invest at least 500,000 EUR in Greece within 3 years.
What are the deductible professional expenses that reduce taxable income?
Greek professionals can deduct a range of business expenses: EFKA contributions (the single largest deduction), professional membership fees, office rent, professional liability insurance, software subscriptions, books and professional development costs, travel for business purposes (with documentation), a proportion of telephone and internet costs used for business, and depreciation on professional equipment. A home office deduction is available proportional to the business area of the home. Expenses must be documented through myDATA electronic invoices; cash payments above 500 EUR are not deductible. The burden of proof rests on the professional to demonstrate that expenses were genuinely business-related.