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| Why does the surtax feel so confusing?

When you’re about to sell a home, the first thought is often: “Am I subject to a capital gains surtax?”

You may hear that owning two homes triggers surtax, or that selling in a regulated area is automatically risky. But in practice, it becomes much simpler once you follow a clear step-by-step flow.

This isn’t about guesswork — it’s about a process.
✔ Where is the home you’re selling located?
✔ How many homes are counted under the rules?
✔ Are there any exceptions that exclude surtax?
If you check these in order, you can quickly see whether surtax applies.

In this post, we’ll skip heavy legal wording and complex formulas, and focus on one thing only:
“If I sell this home now, will surtax apply or not?”

Let’s start with the most important part — Step 0.

| Step 0｜Is the home in a regulated area?

The very first thing to check is whether the home you’re selling is currently located in a regulated area.

This single check often determines most of the surtax outcome.

One common misunderstanding is this: what matters is the status at the time of sale, not when the home was purchased.

If the area is no longer regulated at the time of sale, the surtax does not apply — even for multiple-home owners.

If the home is still in a regulated area, the next step is to calculate how many homes are counted.

| Step 1｜Counting the number of homes

One common misunderstanding is that home counting only matters in regulated areas. In fact, home counting always applies.

What changes is which homes are included, depending on the region.

• Seoul metropolitan area, major cities, Sejong
  → All owned homes are counted
• Other regions
  → Only homes with an assessed value over KRW 300 million are counted

This is why some owners believe they are multi-home owners, but are not counted as such for surtax purposes.

There are also specific homes that are excluded by exception, which we’ll cover next.

| Step 1 Add-on｜Homes excluded from the count

This is one of the most commonly missed points. Even if you own multiple properties, some may not be counted for surtax purposes.

• Homes valued under KRW 100 million
• Qualified long-term rental homes
• Inherited homes within a limited period
• Homes due to marriage or family cohabitation
• Temporary two-home situations

Missing these exceptions often leads to overestimating your home count.

Next, we’ll look at cases where surtax does not apply even if you are considered a multi-home owner.

| Step 2｜When surtax does not apply

Even after counting the number of homes, surtax may be excluded under specific conditions.

• Qualified long-term rental homes
• Inherited homes sold within 5 years
• Homes from marriage or family cohabitation
• Temporary two-home situations
• Homes under KRW 100 million

If surtax is excluded, standard progressive tax rates apply instead.

| Common points of confusion

One of the most common misunderstandings is the timing. Surtax is determined based on the status at the time of sale, not at the time of purchase.

Even homes in metropolitan cities are not subject to surtax if the area is no longer regulated at the time of sale.

Owning two or more homes does not automatically trigger surtax. Location, value, exceptions, and timing all matter.

| Final summary

You can determine surtax eligibility by following three simple steps:

1. Check whether the home is in a regulated area
2. Count how many homes apply under the rules
3. See if any surtax exclusions apply

This step-by-step approach replaces uncertainty with clarity.

For a deeper explanation with real examples, you can also refer to the video linked above.