On this page
- Why does the purchase year matter so much for the tax in Birmensdorf?
- What does the 2015 house figure say about a house in Birmensdorf today?
- Do you need to reckon with a value capture levy in Birmensdorf?
- What matters in Birmensdorf besides the price?
- Estate agent in Birmensdorf
- Frequently asked questions
- Nearby
Take two neighbours in Birmensdorf. One bought her flat in 2007, the other in 2015. Both paid about the median of the time: CHF 714,000 and CHF 710,000. If both sell in 2025 at the median of CHF 1,175,000, their gain is almost the same.
The tax is not. On a gain of CHF 461,000, the first pays CHF 97,328 after 18 years. With the same gain but 10 years of ownership, it would be CHF 139,040. Same place, same sale price, almost the same gain. What makes the difference here is the year in the purchase contract.
Why does the tax depend so much on the purchase year here?
Worked example
Worked example, Birmensdorf: condominium, 18 years of ownership
Assumption: bought in 2007 and sold in 2025, each at the Birmensdorf median for condominiums, without investments, costs or replacement purchase. There is no 2025 median for houses.
- Sale price (median 2025, provisional)
- CHF 1,175,000
- Purchase price (median 2007)
- – CHF 714,000
- Property gain
- CHF 461,000
- Tax per tariff, before reduction
- CHF 173,800
- Reduction for 18 full years: 44%
- – CHF 76,472
- Property gains tax
- CHF 97,328
- Remaining after tax, before mortgage
- CHF 1,077,672
Why does the purchase year matter so much for the tax in Birmensdorf?
Because, in the median, the gain came late. The median splits a year’s sales into a dearer and a cheaper half. For flats in Birmensdorf it was CHF 714,000 in 2007 and CHF 710,000 in 2015.2 By 2025 it had then risen by 65 per cent.
The tax, however, does not reward the timing of the rise but the length of ownership. After five full years the reduction is 5 per cent. Each further full year adds 3 percentage points, and after 20 years it is half.1 Anyone who bought in 2015 therefore has eight fewer years of ownership for almost the same gain, and so a smaller reduction.
What this means for you: look at the exact date in your purchase contract before selling. If your next full year of ownership is close, it may pay to time the sale accordingly. Whether that works out also depends on how the price develops in the meantime.
| Full years of ownership | Reduction | Property gains tax |
|---|---|---|
| 5 years | 5% | CHF 165,110 |
| 10 years | 20% | CHF 139,040 |
| 15 years | 35% | CHF 112,970 |
| 18 years (worked example) | 44% | CHF 97,328 |
| 20 years | 50% | CHF 86,900 |
What does the 2015 house figure say about a house in Birmensdorf today?
Little. For 2015 there is a house median of CHF 1,150,000, from exactly 15 sales.2 That is the threshold from which the canton publishes a median at all. In 2025 only 13 houses were sold on the open market, so there is no median.
Since 2015 the flat median has risen by 65 per cent. The cantonal land model rose from CHF 1,162 to CHF 2,039 per square metre. That is an increase of 75.5 per cent.10 Typically the model ranges here from CHF 1,447 to CHF 2,896. Projecting the old house figure forward with one of these rates would be convenient. It would not be backed by evidence, because a house is neither a flat nor bare land.
What this means for you: a house in Birmensdorf is valued on the house itself. Plot and zone, building and condition, plus the few comparable sales. That produces a figure that you and a buyer can follow.
Do you need to reckon with a value capture levy in Birmensdorf?
Today Birmensdorf charges no levy of its own. The valid building and zoning regulations date from 2008 and contain no article on it.6 The canton has pre-examined a draft, but it is not in force.7 As long as no municipal rule applies, no municipal levy is due.8
That may change as soon as a municipal rule comes into force. It would capture the added value from upzoning or rezoning and would fall due on development, not on a sale.9 The cantonal levy applies regardless. For land newly assigned to a building zone, the canton charges 20 per cent of the increase in value.8 That levy is also due on a sale.9
What this means for you: have the building authority confirm the current status before signing. If your plot was upzoned or rezoned, the question belongs in the sale contract. Who bears the levy and when it falls due should be stated there explicitly.
| Indicator | Birmensdorf | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Median condominium price (28 sales) | CHF 1,175,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Houses (13 sales) | no median, under 15 sales | 2025, provisional |
| Median house / flat (15 / 21 sales) | CHF 1,150,000 / CHF 710,000 | 2015 |
| Residential building land per m² (cantonal model) | CHF 2,039 (2015: CHF 1,162) | 2025, provisional |
| Residents, of whom 65 and over | 7,561, of whom 1,431 (18.9%) | 2025 |
| Tax rate municipal / total, excl. church | 112% / 207% | 2026 |
| Train from Birmensdorf ZH to Zürich HB | from 15 minutes (S 14) | October 2026 timetable |
| Municipal value capture levy | no levy today, draft pre-examined | October 2026 |
What matters in Birmensdorf besides the price?
Birmensdorf has 7,561 residents, 1,431 of them aged 65 or over, 18.9 per cent.4 From Birmensdorf ZH station the S 14 runs to Zürich HB without changing, from 15 minutes.5 For buyers who commute to the city, the train counts.
Birmensdorf’s tax rate is 112 per cent, or 207 per cent with the canton.3 It applies to income and wealth, not to the property gain. On the same income, Uitikon means about 16 per cent less cantonal and municipal tax, Dietikon about 4 per cent more.
I calculate the tax with your exact purchase date, for today and for the next years of ownership. Then you see what the timing is worth. Without sales pressure.
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
Estate agent in Birmensdorf
Selling in Birmensdorf with Immosmile: four phases, one contact person
I support sales throughout the Canton of Zurich, including Birmensdorf. Through all four phases you have one contact person: me, Dominik Devaja, managing director of Immosmile. You pay nothing beforehand. Our fee falls due only when you sign the contract at the notary (Beurkundung).
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Clarity
Independent valuation, net calculation after taxes and costs, a look at what comes after. You decide on figures, not on hearsay.
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Preview
Before anyone sees your house, film, photography and exposé are produced. Then we show it to vetted buyers first – not yet on the portals.
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Market decision
You receive the demand report and every offer immediately. Then you choose the path to the best price: accept, bidding round – or the broad public phase on the portals, the normal case.
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Completion & move
Notary appointment, key handover, documents for what comes after – and, if you wish, guidance into your next home. Our fee only falls due now, with the notarised deed.
The full process in detail What is your property in Birmensdorf worth?
What else do owners in Birmensdorf ask?
How do I find the right estate agent in Birmensdorf?
Ask whether the tax is calculated with your exact purchase date and where the price comes from. I handle sales across the whole Canton of Zurich. For comparing several offers there are the 12 checking questions.
Is it worth waiting to sell until 20 years of ownership?
In the Birmensdorf example the tax falls from CHF 97,328 to CHF 86,900. Whether waiting pays depends on your gain, your plans and how the price develops by then. That can only be judged with your figures.
By when must I declare the property gain?
Within 30 days of the transfer, you file the property gains tax return with the Birmensdorf municipal tax office. If you need longer, apply for an extension.
Nearby
Selling property in neighbouring municipalities
Sources
- Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG ZH, LS 631.1), §§ 205, 219, 225, 226 (Nachtrag 132), in German · as of 1.4.2026, retrieved 15.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: Freihandverkäufe von Immobilien inkl. Medianpreisen seit 2007 (KTZH_00000077) · data as of 2025/Q4, 2023–2025 values provisional, retrieved 15.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: municipal tax rates 2026, in German · as of 24.03.2026, final
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: population by municipality and age (KTZH_00000254) · year 2025, retrieved 15.10.2026
- SBB online timetable: Birmensdorf ZH – Zürich HB, fastest connection departing 09:00–09:59 · October 2026 timetable, queried for 20 and 22.10.2026
- Birmensdorf building and zoning regulations, valid version of 7 November 2008, in German · retrieved 15.10.2026
- Building Department, Canton of Zurich: status of value capture levies in the municipalities (map), in German · retrieved 15.10.2026
- Value Capture Act of the Canton of Zurich (MAG, LS 700.9), §§ 2, 4, 6, 10, 19, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Value Capture Ordinance of the Canton of Zurich (MAV, LS 700.91), §§ 20, 21, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: Immobilienpreise im Kanton Zürich (KTZH_00003158), residential building land, model value by municipality in CHF/m² with quartiles, in German · data as of 2025/Q4, 2022–2025 values provisional, retrieved 15.10.2026
- Government Council, Canton of Zurich: RRB No. 42/2026, cantonal tax rate 2026 (95%), in German · dated 14.01.2026
General information without guarantee, not individual advice. The law, the tax assessment and advice from professionals for your situation are what count. Terms of use
