Greece's Rent Refund in 2026: One Month's Rent Back in November

Short answer: If you rent your home in Greece and your 2025 income was within the limits, Greece will pay you back one month of your 2025 rent, up to €800 (plus €50 per child), by the end of November 2026¹. You do not apply. AADE works it out from your 2025 tax return, your registered lease and the IBAN saved in myAADE. If any of those is wrong or missing, you simply do not get paid.

Will you actually get paid? Rent refund check, €39. We look at your 2025 E1, your lease and your IBAN in myAADE, and tell you in plain English whether your refund is on track. If something is missing, we tell you exactly how to fix it. Ask for the check →

Most expats who rent in Greece have never heard of this. Those who have usually assume it is only for Greeks. It is not. What matters is your tax return and your lease, not your passport.

1. What it is

The rent refund (in Greek, επιστροφή ενοικίου) is a yearly payment to tenants. It started in 2025. The money goes straight to your bank account once a year, in November, for the rent you paid the year before.

It is not the same as the OPEKA housing allowance (επίδομα στέγασης). That is a separate monthly benefit for low incomes, and you have to apply for it. The rent refund needs no application.

2. Who gets it

You need all of these:

• You rent your main home in Greece (or a home for a child who studies here) under a lease registered with AADE.
• You declared that rent in your 2025 tax return (E1), with the lease number.
• Your 2025 family income was within the limits:

Income counts in full, including tax-free income. If half your salary is tax-free under the 5C regime, that half still counts toward the limit.

• If you own property, its total value for ENFIA must be under €120,000, plus €20,000 for a spouse and for each child. This limit does not apply to student housing.

3. How much you get

The refund is one twelfth of the rent you actually paid in 2025, so one month’s rent. It is capped:

• €800 with no children
• €850 with one child
• €900 with two children, and €50 more for each extra child

If you pay €650 a month, you get €650. If you pay €1,100 a month, you get the cap. If you moved in halfway through 2025, it is one twelfth of what you paid that year, so less than a full month.

Teachers, doctors and nurses in the public sector who work outside Attica and Thessaloniki get two months’ rent under a separate scheme.

4. The 3 checks

Last year AADE used the tax returns filed by 30 September and paid by the end of November². Tenants who had declared less rent than they paid could still file an amended return until 30 December 2025 and were paid by mid January³. Check these three things in myAADE now:

1. Your 2025 E1 shows your rent. Rent for your main home goes in codes 811 to 816 of the E1, with the lease number. Student housing goes in codes 817 to 822. If you moved during 2025, each lease needs its own entry. If the rent is missing or wrong, an amended return fixes it. If you never filed a 2025 E1, a late one can still be filed. Our E1 guide explains the form.
2. Your lease is registered with AADE, and its details match your return. The landlord declares the lease online, and you accept it in TAXISnet with your own login. A lease only signed on paper does not count.
3. Your IBAN is saved in myAADE, in your own name. Last year tens of thousands of tenants qualified and were not paid because this was missing.

5. One for next year

From January 2026, rent must be paid through a bank (bank transfer, card or another electronic payment) to count. Rent paid in cash in 2026 will not qualify for the refund paid in November 2027. If you still pay cash, change it now.

6. Common mistakes

1. Assuming it is only for Greek citizens. It depends on your tax return and your lease, not your nationality.
2. Never accepting the lease in TAXISnet. The landlord declared it, but it is not finished until you accept it.
3. Leaving out the lease number in the E1. The rent is there, but AADE cannot match it.
4. No IBAN in myAADE. You qualify and the money has nowhere to go.
5. Forgetting tax-free income. It counts toward the income limit.

Not sure your return is right?

Our rent refund check costs €39, VAT included. We check your 2025 E1, your lease and your myAADE details in English, and tell you what is missing. If the return needs fixing, a licensed Greek accountant files the amended E1 for you, quoted separately before any work starts. If you expected a refund and nothing arrives by the end of November, write to us and we will find out why.

Ask for the rent refund check →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to apply for the rent refund? No. AADE pays it automatically based on your E1, your registered lease and your IBAN in myAADE.

When is it paid? By the end of November 2026, for rent paid in 2025.

Can foreigners get it? Yes, if you meet the conditions. What matters is that you file a Greek tax return, rent under a lease registered with AADE, and are within the income limits.

My landlord never registered the lease. What can I do? The lease has to be on the AADE system for the refund to work. Ask your landlord to declare it. Without it, the rent cannot be matched.

Is the refund taxed? No. It is paid as support, not income.

Income limits and caps from the official housing portal (checked 5 October 2026). We will update this page when AADE announces the 2026 payment.