Mass inspections of homes in Airbnb and Booking from National Revenue Agency

Mass inspections of property owners advertising through Airbnb and Booking has started from National Revenue Agency( NRA).

The National Revenue Agency (NRA) conducts massive checks for concealment of income among property owners for short-term rent through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking. In recent months, hundreds of people who cede their properties for temporary use in this way have received letters from the tax authorities.

NRA starts mass inspections of homes in Airbnb and Booking for tax evasion

The National Revenue Agency (NRA) conducts massive checks for concealment of income among property owners for short-term rent through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking. In recent months, hundreds of people who cede their properties for temporary use in this way have received letters from the tax authorities.

In them, the NRA requests information about all closed and active bank accounts of the property owners in the last 5 years, as well as about the persons who rent out the apartments, in case they are different from their legal owners.

NRA has already access to all bank accounts without need to notify owners

In addition, in response to the letters, the owners must explain how they receive money from guests - bank transfers, online platforms and more. The tax authorities require data on the amount received and the number of property reservations.

Renting through platforms like Airbnb and Booking become more difficult

Homeowners must also make a table with their income from the activity by years, it is clear from a letter from the National Revenue Agency, which newspaper "Trud" has. The NRA is adamant that if the owners refuse access to this information, they will request the disclosure of bank secrecy in order to obtain it.

In addition, the revenue agency insists that they be provided with passwords for access to all platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking, through which the properties are rented. They require information about registered / created accounts by the person - login username, e-mail, phone, usernames. The verification of the account is performed in the presence of the owner by specialists.

NRA already cooperate with Airbnb and Booking

The tax authorities also cooperate with the platforms themselves, requiring them to provide information on the transactions carried out in connection with the rental of the specific property. However, they cannot access users' accounts without the explicit consent of the account owners.

Those who rent out a property for a short period of time must provide the NRA with information on when and by what means the dwelling that was transferred for use was acquired.

In recent months, the tax authorities have also launched massive inspections of online retailers, as well as small businesses and individuals who sell goods by courier. If a few months ago the inspections were only for a turnover of over BGN 10,000 per year, now you can expect questions from the tax authorities for a turnover of BGN 2,000.

Transfer Bulgaria Group advice all property owners to check with a solicitor or accountant before starting to advertise their holiday properties in Bulgaria themselves or to find a legitimate Tour Operator renting their properties. Fines can be much bigger than the income received!