Brussels households increasingly struggling to pay property tax

A growing number of households in Brussels are facing difficulty paying their annual property tax and asking the tax authorities for assistance.

Last year, almost 73,000 Brussels residents requested an extension or payment plan to pay their property tax, according to figures shared by Bruxelles-Fiscalité, the Brussels administration responsible for collecting and recovering regional taxes.

The figure was about 65,000 in 2024 and almost 58,000 in 2023, indicating a steady increase that is mirrored in both Flanders and Wallonia as well.

There has also been a "significant" increase in late payments in Brussels, according to Bruxelles-Fiscalité.

In 2025, the total amount of tax notices for which payment plans were requested exceeded €100 million for the first time, reaching €106 million.

Additionally, according to the latest data, the number of reminders sent to taxpayers to pay their overdue property tax rose from 218,842 to 227,553, an increase of 4%.

The administration explained the increase in requests for payment plans and late payments by a significant increase in the amount of taxes, affected by inflation, and by the increase in additional municipal surcharges.

The amount of withholding tax is also generally higher in Brussels than in Flanders and Wallonia.