Share Deals in the Housing Industry: Real Estate Transfer Tax at Signing and Closing
May 18, 2026
In its ruling of July 9, 2025 (Case No. II B 13/25), the Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) expressed serious doubts regarding the tax authorities’ previous practice of assessing real estate transfer tax twice for the same share deal when the signing and closing occurred at different times, provided that the tax office was already aware at the time of assessment that the closing had taken place.
The background involves a typical share deal: domestic real estate is not transferred directly through the sale of the property itself, but rather through the acquisition of company shares. If several days or weeks elapse between the signing of the purchase agreement and the actual transfer of the shares (closing), the question arises as to whether this constitutes one or two separate transactions for real estate transfer tax purposes.
Nach der bisherigen Verwaltungspraxis konnte es in solchen Fällen zu einer doppelten Besteuerung kommen. Eine Korrektur war nur unter engen Voraussetzungen möglich, insbesondere wenn die erforderlichen Anzeigen vollständig und fristgerecht erfolgt waren.
Genau hier setzt der BFH an: Der Senat hält es für rechtlich zweifelhaft, ob bei Kenntnis des bereits erfolgten Closings zusätzlich noch Grunderwerbsteuer nach dem Signing festgesetzt werden darf. Insbesondere stellt das Gericht in Frage, ob die doppelte Steuerfestsetzung allein deshalb gerechtfertigt ist, weil eine Anzeige verspätet, fehlerhaft oder unvollständig abgegeben wurde.
This is precisely where the Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) comes in: The Senate considers it legally questionable whether land transfer tax may be assessed after the signing if it is known that the closing has already taken place. In particular, the court questions whether the double assessment of tax is justified solely because a notification was submitted late, incorrectly, or incompletely.
The Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) notes that the wording of § 1(3) of the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act (GrEStG) provides for the priority of taxation under § 1(2b) GrEStG, to the extent that such taxation is applicable. The wording does not readily suggest a temporal limitation to transactions occurring on the same day.
In the court’s view, the correction provision in § 16(4a) of the Real Estate Transfer Tax Act (GrEStG) does not alter the fact that the substantive legal situation must be examined more closely.
This is relevant in practice because real estate transfer tax filings often involve uncertainties in complex structures. Particularly in the case of medium-sized companies undergoing changes in corporate law or transaction structures, it is therefore important to carefully verify whether filing and deadline requirements have been met.
It remains to be seen whether the Federal Fiscal Court will uphold this position in the main proceedings. However, it may already be worthwhile for affected companies to review ongoing or pending cases.
https://www.bundesfinanzhof.de/de/entscheidung/entscheidungen-online/detail/STRE202520204/
We are happy to assist you in structuring share deals in a way that complies with real estate transfer tax regulations and helps you avoid transaction risks early on.