IMU, the Imposta Municipale Unica, is Italy’s municipal property tax. It is calculated from the property’s cadastral value, not its market price, and the calculation has a revaluation step that many English guides skip. Skipping it understates the tax by 5%.
Step 1: find the rendita catastale
The rendita catastale is the official cadastral income figure for the property, shown on the cadastral record (visura catastale). It is not the rent and not the market value; it is a tax figure assigned to the property. If you bought recently, it appears in your purchase deed. If you cannot find it, request a visura from the Agenzia delle Entrate or ask a local professional.
Note the cadastral category too: A/2 to A/7 are ordinary homes, and the multiplier differs by category. The example below uses the residential multiplier.
Step 2: revalue and multiply
Taxable base = rendita catastale x 1.05 x multiplier. The 1.05 is the 5% revaluation that many guides omit. For homes in categories A/2 to A/7 the multiplier is 160. So a property with a rendita of 700 euros has a taxable base of 700 x 1.05 x 160 = 117,600 euros.
Other categories use other multipliers: 140 for some offices and labs, 80 for others, 55 for shops in category C/1. Using the wrong multiplier is the second common error after skipping the revaluation.
Step 3: apply the rate
IMU = taxable base x municipal rate. The standard base rate is 0.86%, and communes can raise it up to 1.06%, or 1.14% in deficit communes. Our example: at 0.86%, IMU = 117,600 x 0.0086 = 1,011.36 euros per year. At 1.06%, it is 117,600 x 0.0106 = 1,246.56 euros. Your commune’s rate is published on its website and in the national finance department tables.
IMU is normally paid in two instalments, June and December, with an option to pay the full year in June. Your main home (prima casa) is generally exempt, except for luxury categories A/1, A/8, and A/9, where a reduced rate and a small deduction apply. Second homes, rentals, and commercial property are normally fully taxable.
Mistakes to avoid
The top three errors are: using market value instead of rendita, skipping the 1.05 revaluation, and using the wrong multiplier. Together they can move the answer by tens of percent. Also confirm whether your property qualifies for any exemption before paying, and check the rate every year, since communes change rates and a rate rise is easy to miss.
IMU for rented and vacant property
IMU is normally paid by the owner, not the tenant, even when the property is rented out. The tenant pays rent; the owner pays IMU. Short-term rental platforms do not change that: the owner remains liable.
Vacant second homes are still taxable, which surprises owners who assume an empty property costs nothing. The only broad exemption is the main home, and even that excludes luxury categories. If you own a property you never use, IMU is part of its annual holding cost, alongside insurance and maintenance, and it should feature in any keep-or-sell decision.
A final timing note: if you buy or sell partway through a year, IMU is split by months of ownership, with a month counting to whoever owned the property for more than half of it. Check the split on the deed and the payment receipts, since the buyer and seller each owe their share, and the notary usually settles the division at signing.
Try it faster with the tool
You can follow every step above by hand, but the free Online Italy IMU (Imposta Municipale Unica) Calculator does the arithmetic for you. Enter your numbers and it gives the answer right away, so you can check your hand calculation or skip straight to the result.
Quick tips
- Base = rendita x 1.05 x 160 (for homes A/2-A/7).
- Standard rate 0.86%, up to 1.06% (1.14% deficit communes).
- Paid in June and December; main homes usually exempt.