Tax on selling an investment apartment: 2% of the sale price, and how to work out real profit

Basis: Personal Income Tax Law No. 109/2025/QH15 (effective 01/07/2026), Decree 253/2026/NĐ-CP; Tax Administration Law No. 108/2025/QH15, Decree 252/2026/NĐ-CP; Real Estate Business Law No. 29/2023/QH15, Decree 96/2024/NĐ-CP; 2024 Land Law · Updated 24/10/2026.

When you resell an investment apartment, the sure payment is personal income tax of 2% of the transfer price. The tax is calculated on the sale price, not on the profit, and the purchase price, loan interest and renovation costs are not deductible. So an investor's real profit is usually much lower than the figure "bought at 2.4 billion, sold at 3 billion, profit 600 million".

2% personal income tax: legal basis and calculation

• Formula: tax = transfer price × 2%. Sell for 3 billion VND → 60 million VND; sell for 2 billion VND → 40 million VND.
• Taxable price: the price stated in the transfer contract. If the stated price is lower than the land price list or the home registration-fee price set by the provincial or city People's Committee, the tax authority uses the provincial or city price.
• Selling at a loss still pays tax: buy for 3 billion, sell for 2.8 billion and you still pay 56 million VND.
• Payer: the seller. The parties may agree that the buyer pays on their behalf — state this clearly in the deposit contract and the transfer contract, because it directly affects the amount you receive.
• Old rules: contracts effective before 01/07/2026 follow the old Personal Income Tax Law and Circular 111/2013/TT-BTC (amended by Circular 92/2015/TT-BTC) — the rate was also 2% of the transfer price. The new law keeps this rate.

The sole-home exemption usually does not apply to investors: it only applies when the home is the only one in Vietnam, owned for 183 days or more and the whole unit is sold. If you own other housing (including homes to be formed in the future) there is no exemption; a unit without a pink book is not covered either.

Costs to deduct when working out profit

Item	Amount	Note
Notary fee for the sale contract	3 billion unit: 2.2 million VND	Ministry of Finance fee schedule, by contract value; who pays is agreed by the parties; plus drafting fee as posted
Brokerage / consignment fee	per the service contract	agreed by the parties; at HPR, negotiated per unit and written in the contract before marketing
Fee for confirming a contract transfer (unit without pink book)	0 VND	the developer may not charge anything for the confirmation
Loan settlement	outstanding balance + interest to the settlement date + early-repayment fee	per the credit contract — ask the bank for a settlement statement with a specific date
Costs at purchase	registration fee 0.5%, notary fee (if you paid)	already spent at purchase, must be added back when working out profit

For the full notary fee schedule, registration fee and mortgage-release costs, see costs when selling a home.

Example: bought for 2.4 billion, sold for 3 billion — how much real profit remains

Assumptions for illustration (not the price of a specific project): a unit with a pink book, bought for 2.4 billion VND, with a 1.2 billion VND loan at 10% a year (the average home-loan rate cited in the press in August 2026), interest-only with the balance unchanged; held 3 years, not rented out; sold for 3 billion VND, brokerage assumed at 1%, the bank charges no early-repayment fee; no tax exemption.

Item	Amount
Difference between sale price and purchase price	600 million VND
Registration fee at purchase (0.5% × 2.4 billion)	− 12 million VND
Notary fee at purchase (assumed you paid)	− 1.84 million VND
3 years of loan interest (1.2 billion × 10% × 3)	− 360 million VND
Personal income tax on sale (2% × 3 billion)	− 60 million VND
Notary fee on sale	− 2.2 million VND
Brokerage fee (assumed 1%)	− 30 million VND
Real profit	about 134 million VND

The money you actually put in is about 1.21 billion VND at purchase plus 360 million VND of interest paid over time — about 1.57 billion VND. A real profit of about 134 million VND is about 8.5% over 3 years, under 3% a year (spread evenly).

For the same unit without a loan: costs are about 106 million VND, real profit about 494 million VND on 2.41 billion of capital — about 20.5% over 3 years. In this example the price rose more slowly than the loan interest, so leverage reduces profit; see how much borrowing is safe.

The break-even sale price in the case with a loan: about 2.86 billion VND. Selling below this is a loss even though the sale price is still 460 million VND above the purchase price.

If the unit was rented out, add net rent (after management fees, vacant months and rental tax) — see how to calculate in gross and net rental yield.

Selling a unit without a pink book (contract transfer) and one with a pink book

	Unit without a pink book — transfer of the sale contract	Unit with a pink book
Document	contract transfer agreement (form per Decree 96/2024/NĐ-CP), an individual seller must have it notarised	apartment sale contract, notarised
Conditions	pink book application not yet filed, no dispute, no seizure; if mortgaged, the bank must agree	pink book in your name; if mortgaged, release it or get the bank's consent
Tax	2% of the transfer price	2% of the transfer price
Sole-home exemption	does not apply	applies if conditions are met
When tax is determined	when the tax declaration is filed	when the contract takes effect (notarisation complete)
Deadline to file the tax declaration	no later than the 10th day from the day after the transfer contract takes effect	no later than the last day of the deadline for registering changes (title transfer) — 30 days from the transfer under the 2024 Land Law
After paying tax	the developer confirms within 5 working days; the buyer continues to pay the remaining instalments	the buyer does the title-transfer procedure and pays the registration fee

For a unit without a pink book, the buyer continues to pay the remaining instalments to the developer, so the amount you receive is lower than the unit's price. Ask the tax authority where the apartment is located how the taxable price is determined before you fix the price. Procedure details: transferring an apartment sale contract.

Preparing documents and when to pay tax

• Personal income tax declaration for real estate transfer on the Ministry of Finance form.
• Original / copy of the notarised contract (sale contract or contract transfer agreement).
• Pink book (unit with a pink book) or sale contract with the developer and proof of payments made (unit without a pink book).
• ID documents of the parties; documents proving a tax exemption, if any.
• Where to file: a unit with a pink book is usually filed together with the title-transfer dossier at the one-stop counter where the apartment is located (or online); a unit without a pink book files with the tax authority to obtain proof of tax payment before the developer confirms.

The tax filing deadline runs from the day the contract takes effect, so prepare all documents before the notarisation date. For a mortgaged unit: get the bank's written consent or a settlement plan before accepting a deposit.

Common mistakes when estimating profit

1. Thinking tax is on the profit. Tax is 2% of the sale price — selling at a loss still pays.
2. Forgetting the loan interest already paid. In the example above, 360 million VND of interest is the largest item, 6 times the tax.
3. Forgetting costs at purchase (registration fee, notary, renovation, furniture) and the early-repayment fee when settling.
4. Assuming a tax exemption because "I only have one unit" — while owning another unit or selling one without a pink book.
5. Stating a contract price lower than the real price to cut tax. A price below the provincial or city price list is still taxed by the list; a false declaration also risks back-tax, penalties and disputes with the buyer.
6. Calculating the return on the unit's price instead of on the capital actually put in, and not dividing by the years held.
7. Not agreeing who pays tax and fees in the deposit contract — this easily breaks the deal at notarisation.

Handed-over units HPR accepts for resale consignment

If you own a unit at The Marq, Vista Verde, Léman Luxury or The Habitat Binh Duong, HPR prepares a real-profit worksheet for your exact unit — asking price, tax, fees, outstanding balance — before you decide to sell. See also consigning an apartment for resale and sell or keep renting.

This article is for reference, and the examples use assumed figures; it does not replace tax or legal advice for a specific case. Ask the tax authority and the notary office where the apartment is located before you sign.

1. Record the purchase price and every cost at purchase: registration fee, notary, renovation, furniture.
2. Add up all loan interest paid from the loan date to the planned sale date.
3. Ask the bank for a settlement statement with a specific date: outstanding balance, interest, early-repayment fee.
4. Calculate personal income tax = 2% × planned sale price (check the price is not below the provincial or city price list).
5. Add the notary fee, notary remuneration and the brokerage fee per the service contract.
6. If rented out: add the net rent received (after fees, vacant months and rental tax).
7. Real profit = sale price − purchase price − all the costs above (+ net rent). Divide by the capital actually put in and the number of years held.
8. Calculate the break-even sale price to know the lowest you can accept when negotiating.
9. Agree clearly who pays tax and fees in the deposit contract; prepare the tax declaration dossier before the notarisation date.

• Government Web Portal — Quy định thuế thu nhập cá nhân đối với thu nhập từ chuyển nhượng bất động sản, 27/03/2026 (Personal Income Tax Law No. 109/2025/QH15, Article 14).
• Government Web Portal — Thuế thu nhập cá nhân đối với thu nhập từ chuyển nhượng bất động sản, 04/07/2026 (Decree 253/2026/NĐ-CP — 2% rate, taxable price, when tax is determined, buyer paying on behalf).
• Bao Chinh phu (Government Newspaper) — Trường hợp nào được miễn thuế thu nhập cá nhân khi chuyển nhượng bất động sản?, 02/07/2026 (Decree 253/2026/NĐ-CP).
• VnExpress — Chuyển nhượng bất động sản tiếp tục chịu thuế 2%, 10/12/2025.
• Thu vien Phap luat — Căn cứ tính thuế thu nhập cá nhân đối với thu nhập từ chuyển nhượng bất động sản (Article 12 of Circular 111/2013/TT-BTC, amended by Article 17 of Circular 92/2015/TT-BTC — rules before 01/07/2026), read 24/10/2026.
• VOV — 10 mốc thời hạn nộp hồ sơ khai thuế người nộp thuế cần lưu ý từ 1/7/2026, 16/07/2026 (Decree 252/2026/NĐ-CP guiding Tax Administration Law No. 108/2025/QH15 — filing deadline for real estate transfers).
• Can Tho Department of Justice — Trường hợp nào phải đăng ký biến động đất đai trong thời hạn 30 ngày? (Article 133 of the 2024 Land Law), read 24/10/2026.
• National Assembly — Real Estate Business Law No. 29/2023/QH15 — Điều 50. Điều kiện chuyển nhượng hợp đồng kinh doanh bất động sản, read 20/10/2026.
• Government — Nghị định 96/2024/NĐ-CP quy định chi tiết một số điều của Luật Kinh doanh bất động sản, dated 24/07/2024 (Article 13 — developer confirms within 5 working days, no fee).
• Caselaw — Thông tư 257/2016/TT-BTC quy định mức thu phí công chứng (Article 4; amended by Circulars 111/2017/TT-BTC and 74/2022/TT-BTC).
• Thu vien Nha dat — Mức thu lệ phí trước bạ nhà đất năm 2026 là bao nhiêu?, 19/12/2025 (Decree 10/2022/NĐ-CP, amended by Decree 175/2025/NĐ-CP — 0.5%).
• Nha Dau Tu — Lãi suất vay mua nhà bình quân đã vượt 10%/năm, 28/08/2026 (basis for choosing the assumed 10% a year rate in the example).