If you are wondering by when you must sell your existing home ahead of the autumn moving season, you should first check whether the deadline for disposing of a temporary second home changes as of October 1, 2026. This is because the three-year period previously understood to apply equally to all homes.
The key point of this amendment is the case of switching homes located in designated adjustment areas. The temporary two-home special provision requires considering the location of the home and the timing of the contract, acquisition, and transfer together, and it is not a system that uniformly takes two years starting from October 1. I will organize the application criteria in order below.
The disposal period for adjustment target areas is reduced to two years.
The temporary two-home special provision is a system that provides benefits on capital gains tax and comprehensive real estate tax by treating the previous home as a single-home household, provided the requirements are met, in cases where one temporarily owns two homes during the process of moving or switching homes. The special provision is maintained only if the previous home is sold within a specified period.
Based on the amendment announced on August 3, 2026, the deadline for disposing of a temporary two-home ownership in a designated adjustment area is from the date of acquisition of the new home. It is scheduled to be shortened from the existing 3 years to 2 years.On the other hand, the 3-year standard is maintained for non-adjustment target areas.
Starting October 1, the time limit for all temporary two-home ownership does not become two years; instead, the location of the adjustment area and the timing of application must be determined together.
You need to consider the regional conditions of both houses together.
Regional requirements are important. You cannot assume that the 2-year rule applies immediately simply because the new home is located in an adjustment area; you must examine the criteria for shortening the period based on cases where both the previous and new homes are located in an adjustment area.
In Seoul, all 25 autonomous districts have been designated as adjustment target areas, while in Gyeonggi Province, 12 locations including Gwacheon, Gwangmyeong, parts of Seongnam and Suwon, Anyang Dongan, Yongin Suji, Uiwang, and Hanam have been mentioned as adjustment target areas. In the case of moving from one Seoul to another, since both homes are highly likely to fall under regulated areas, the two-year standard is examined first.
Conversely, if either the existing home or the new home is located in a non-designated adjustment area, the 3-year standard may apply. Whether an area is designated as an adjustment area must be determined by keeping separate records from the time of contract and acquisition, and by basing the judgment on government announcements and local government notices.
The contract and acquisition dates differ around August 3rd.
The key point is the transitional provision. It was proposed that if a new housing purchase contract was concluded and the down payment was made before August 3, 2026, the previous three-year rule would apply even if the final payment or acquisition takes place after that date.
Conversely, for new homes acquired in designated adjustment areas after August 4, 2026, a standard applying a two-year disposal period is scheduled. Therefore, you should not look only at the contract date, but also keep the transfer records and receipts showing the date the down payment was made.
The acquisition date of a new home is determined based on the date of final payment.
The starting point for the disposal period is the date of acquisition of the new home. Generally, the acquisition date is determined based on the earlier of the date of final payment settlement and the date of filing for the transfer of ownership registration; therefore, simply recording the final payment date may lead to calculation errors.
For example, if the balance payment was made on September 20, 2026, and the registration was filed on September 25, the acquisition date is calculated based on the date of balance payment settlement. You must determine the transfer date of the previous residence by counting two or three years from that day.
There is another requirement as well. The structure applies such that there must be a gap of at least one year between acquiring the previous home and acquiring the new home to satisfy the requirements for the temporary two-home special exemption. Organizing the order and dates of home purchases in a table makes the assessment much easier.
Capital gains tax and comprehensive real estate tax have different calculation standards.
In capital gains tax, you must sell your previous home within the disposal deadline to qualify for the special exemption for one-household, one-home ownership. If you miss the deadline, the determination of tax exemption under the temporary two-home special exemption may change, even if you meet other requirements such as the holding period, residency period, and home price.
The assessment date for the Comprehensive Real Estate Tax is June 1st of every year. If you own both homes on this date, you may be taxed as a two-home owner for that year, regardless of whether you meet the deadline for disposing of your previous home.
For example, in a simple case where a previous home is acquired for 500 million won and sold for 1 billion won, there may be a significant difference in taxes depending on whether the special provisions are applied, but the actual tax amount varies depending on necessary expenses, the timing of acquisition and transfer, and household composition. Why You Must Manage Capital Gains Tax Filing Schedule and Holding Status as of June 1st SeparatelyIt is here.
For mutually beneficial rental housing, you must also consider the timing of the sale.
| division | Disposal period criteria | Data for judgment |
|---|---|---|
| Payment of contract and deposit before August 3 | Previous 3-year standard | Sales contract, down payment details |
| Acquisition of new homes in designated adjustment areas after August 4 | Scheduled based on a 2-year period | Acquisition date, region designation status |
| Cases related to non-adjustment areas | Maintain for 3 years | Regional division of the two houses |
| Transfer of previous home after October 1 | New regulations scheduled to take effect | Actual transfer date |
Those utilizing the special provisions for mutually beneficial rental housing should also examine the lease contract conditions. It was introduced as a system where the 2-year residency requirement is waived if the rent is increased by no more than 51 TP3T compared to the previous contract and the set lease period is met.
However, the amendment proposes that the property must be sold within one year of the contract's termination to maintain the exemption from the residency requirement. The restriction on the timing of the sale does not disappear simply because the lease period has been fulfilled.
The application period for the special provisions for mutually beneficial rental housing is set to expire on December 31, 2026. If you record the lease agreement date, rent increase rate, contract termination date, and sale date on separate lines, you can reduce the error of judging them by mixing them with the special provisions for temporary two-home ownership.
Organize the dates into a single sheet around October.
To briefly summarize this, first, you must check whether both the previous and new homes are located in designated adjustment areas, and next, examine whether more than one year has passed between the date of acquisition of the previous home and the date of acquisition of the new home. Then, you should compare the acquisition date of the new home with whether a contract or down payment was made around August 3, 2026.
If you plan to transfer your previous home after October 1, 2026, please mark on your schedule whether the new regulations apply. The current standard is the government amendment announced on August 3, 2026, and it has been announced that the legislative notice will run from August 4 to 20, followed by submission to the regular session of the National Assembly in early September.
Region, Down payment date, New home acquisition date, Previous home transfer date, Holding status as of June 1stThis is the key to the final judgment. Since the effective date and transitional provisions may change during the National Assembly's deliberation process, if the date of sale is imminent, it is safer to review your contract and registration schedule together through the National Tax Service (126) or by consulting a tax expert.