Technical Improvements vs Repairs in Czech Real Estate:

What exactly constitutes a repair, and where technical improvements begin

Under Section 33 of the Income Taxes Act, this means expenditure on completed superstructures, extensions and building alterations, reconstructions and modernisations of assets, if it exceeds the threshold of CZK 80,000 for an individual asset for the tax period. While a repair is recognised immediately as an expense in the relevant tax period, a technical improvement increases the acquisition cost of the asset and is recognised as an expense gradually in the form of tax depreciation under Czech legislation.

In practice, this means that if you lease an office building and replace worn floor coverings for your tenants with new ones with similar characteristics, this is more likely to be a repair. However, if in the same building you reconstruct the entire electrical wiring and increase capacity for new server rooms and digitisation systems, then it is a technical improvement.

Czech tax legislation distinguishes between reconstruction, which results in a change of purpose or technical parameters, and modernisation, which is an expansion of the asset’s equipment or usability. The boundary between the two categories is, however, very thin—and this is where the most tricky issues lie, and where businesses most often make mistakes.

Related questions on technical improvements and repairs

1. If I replace wooden-framed windows with plastic ones of the same size, is it a repair or an improvement?
It is usually a repair. The General Financial Directorate’s Guideline GFŘ D-22 states that a mere change of material, including replacing wooden-framed windows with plastic ones, is not considered a change in technical parameters, provided the original dimensions and the number of glass panes are preserved.

2. What happens if I am unsure between the two categories?
The safest approach is to request a binding assessment from the tax administrator under Section 33a of the Income Taxes Act. This assessment will protect you against potential additional tax assessments in the Czech Republic, but it requires an administrative fee of CZK 10,000 and detailed documentation.

3. Must the CZK 80,000 threshold be complied with in every case?
This threshold applies for tax purposes under the Czech Income Taxes Act. Accounting entities may set a lower threshold for technical improvements in their internal policy, but for tax depreciation the statutory limit of CZK 80,000 is decisive.

Categorising investments and assessing technical improvements

In practice, you will face the first key decision point: you must determine whether the planned expenditure is truly a technical improvement, or whether it is a repair. Attorneys and financial experts agree that this requires comparing the original condition of the asset with its condition after the works have been carried out. Therefore, if you own an industrial property and decide to reconstruct it, the first step must be a detailed survey and photographic documentation of the existing condition.

According to established case law of the Supreme Administrative Court (the Czech Republic), this is an operation that brings a significant qualitative or quantitative change to the existing asset. Specifically, these are situations where there is a change in the functionality of the building, a change in technical parameters, or a construction/layout change. Other indicators include an expansion of equipment, such as adding new installations firmly connected to the building, or construction works such as an additional storey or an extension.

By way of a practical example, the owner of an office building decides to insulate the façade and replace the windows in order to significantly increase energy savings.

This is a technical improvement because the technical parameters have changed, whereas replacing existing broken windows with new ones with the same parameters would be a repair. In precisely these situations, many businesses do not realise that the categorisation decision in fact affects income tax for many years to come under Czech tax rules.

If a business owner should correctly classify an expense of CZK 150,000 as a technical improvement, instead of recording it as a repair, this has major consequences. The tax expense will not be applied immediately, but will be spread over decades, and the corporate income tax base will be significantly higher.

In reality, however, incorrect classification leads to additional tax assessments and related charges, which are difficult to explain to the Czech tax authority’s auditors. Individually, this may seem like merely shifting expenses over time, but the penalties can be devastating.

Related questions on classification and evidencing technical improvements

1. Are technical improvements for certain types of property more specific and do they require special treatment?
Yes—for example, for immovable cultural monuments, depreciation is governed by specific rules (Section 30(6) of the Income Taxes Act), where depreciation is applied on a straight-line basis over 15 years. If you own a property with this status, it is essential to consult ARROWS advokátní kancelář.

2. Can I choose whether something is a repair or an improvement?
No. In this respect, the Czech Income Taxes Act is mandatory, and classification is determined by the substantive nature of the intervention, not by the owner’s preference. If you attempt to purposefully classify a technical improvement as a repair, you risk additional tax assessments and penalties during a tax audit in the Czech Republic.

3. What role does project documentation play?
Without project documentation, the tax authorities will have significant doubts as to whether it was truly a repair or whether the works met the characteristics of a technical improvement. Project documentation is also part of the acquisition cost and should be available for evidentiary purposes.

When a tenant or user of property carries out technical improvements

The situation becomes significantly more complicated when technical improvements are made to property that does not belong to the person carrying them out. Typically, this involves a tenant of an office building adapting the leased premises to their needs, which often leads to surprises during tax audits in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Income Taxes Act allows a tenant to depreciate technical improvements made to leased tangible assets, provided key conditions are met. The technical improvements must be paid for by the tenant, the tenant must have the landlord’s written consent to depreciation, and the owner of the property must not increase the input (acquisition) value of their asset by these expenses.

The principle is simple, but in practice a crucial detail in the lease agreement is often overlooked. The agreement must explicitly state that the tenant will depreciate the technical improvements and that the landlord will provide the necessary information on the asset’s classification.

The lease agreement must be drafted so that it explicitly states that the tenant will depreciate the technical improvements and that the landlord provides the necessary information. Further complications arise upon termination of the lease, when a non-monetary income may arise for the landlord, which the landlord must tax under Czech law.

If the tenant has carried out technical improvements and does not restore the leased premises to their original condition, a settlement issue arises. At the same time, the tenant cannot claim the tax residual value as a tax-deductible expense unless the landlord reimburses the costs.

If the tenant hands over the premises with the technical improvements free of charge, this may be treated for VAT purposes as a supply of goods or provision of services. The attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, regularly handle situations where entrepreneurs prepare lease agreements without legal oversight and later face tax consequences in the Czech Republic.

The result is then a reassessment of tax positions and a fine—something that could have been easily avoided with a properly prepared agreement. That is why it is important for companies to have their contracts prepared by professionals. Email us at consultation@arws.cz and we will ensure your agreement is handled safely.

Related questions on technical improvements from the tenant’s perspective

1. As a tenant, can I depreciate over time the technical improvements I made to someone else’s property?
Yes, if you have the landlord’s written consent, the improvements exceed CZK 80,000, and the landlord does not increase the input value of the property. As a rule, you should have this consent addressed contractually.

2. What happens if the lease ends and I leave the improvements in the premises?
If there is no financial settlement, a non-monetary income arises for the landlord, and as the tenant you cannot claim the remaining tax residual value as a tax-deductible expense. We recommend agreeing that the landlord will buy out the improvements.

3. What is the difference between routine maintenance that I carry out and technical improvements?
Routine maintenance and minor repairs are tax-deductible expenses in the year you perform them, whereas technical improvements are depreciated over time. If you are unsure, contact consultation@arws.cz.

VAT on technical improvements

This is exactly where the issue expands into another dimension, because it is not only about income tax but also about value added tax (VAT) in the Czech Republic. ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, deals with situations where entrepreneurs correctly classify technical improvements for income tax purposes, but then run into VAT problems.

If it concerns an office or industrial building, the standard 21% rate applies, while for residential property a reduced rate may apply. For 2026, if construction and installation works relate to a residential building or social housing, a reduced VAT rate of 12% applies.

But here comes another layer of complexity concerning the VAT exemption on the sale of real estate. The sale of real estate is generally VAT-exempt after 5 years from the issuance of the first final inspection approval (occupancy permit) or from first use.

If you carry out technical improvements to a property that are considered a substantial change, the five-year time test for VAT exemption may restart. Under the Czech VAT Act, a substantial change is such an improvement where the costs exceed 30% of the value of the building before the modification is made.

A practical case may arise when an investor owns an office building acquired 10 years ago and carries out an extensive reconstruction. If the reconstruction costs exceed the 30% threshold, a substantial change to the building occurs and the time period restarts.

If the investor wanted to sell the building in 2027, the sale would not be VAT-exempt, even though the building is old. If the investor, unaware of this rule, proceeded incorrectly, they could face an unexpected VAT burden in the millions of Czech crowns.

Expert tax strategy must therefore be prepared before you embark on reconstruction and sale. If you have doubts, contact ARROWS advokátní kancelář at consultation@arws.cz – the lawyers at ARROWS advokátní kancelář will safely calculate the impacts.

Related questions on VAT and tax risks of construction modifications

1. If I am a VAT payer and I carry out technical improvements in-house, do I have to account for VAT?
Yes, if you create a fixed asset in-house, an obligation to declare VAT arises if, upon acquisition from another person, you would not have been entitled to a full deduction. The rules are complex—have it explained at consultation@arws.cz.

2. Can I avoid VAT if I do not record the technical improvements in my accounts?
No, the VAT obligation does not depend only on accounting treatment, but on the actual occurrence of a taxable supply. Concealing the facts is tax evasion with criminal-law consequences.

3. How long do I have to monitor changes to real estate for VAT input deduction adjustment purposes?
For real estate, a ten-year period is monitored for VAT input deduction adjustments. If, during these 10 years, a VAT-exempt sale occurs or the purpose of use changes, you must repay part of the originally claimed VAT input deduction.

Practical examples of categorisation in common situations

To make everything clearer, let’s look at specific practical situations encountered by entrepreneurs and handled by the attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm.

The owner of an industrial building has a rusted sheet-metal roof covering and decides to replace it with a new, functionally similar covering, with costs of CZK 680,000. This is a repair, because the asset has been restored to an operable condition and there has been no change in technical parameters or function. The expense is claimed as a one-off in that tax year.

The second case involves an entrepreneur who decides to expand the electrical wiring in an office building by adding new circuits for air conditioning. The key moment here is completion, because the asset is included in depreciation only in the year in which the improvement is completed and put into use at its total value.

The building owner insulates the façade, including coatings and insulation materials, and replaces the windows with new triple-glazed units, whereas the original ones were single-glazed. In this case, it is a technical improvement, because the technical parameters have changed in a way that reduces energy consumption. The expense will be depreciated over time and the building’s acquisition cost will increase.

Another example is a building manager who decides to install a passenger lift in an older four-storey building for CZK 800,000. This is a technical improvement, because it is a modernisation and construction alteration that expands the building’s amenities.

The examples show how decision-making can differ significantly in these cases, and the attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, analyse these situations on a daily basis. If you have doubts about your specific situation, contact consultation@arws.cz.

Depreciation of technical improvements

We now move on to further aspects that many entrepreneurs understand less well, because the decision whether something is a repair or a technical improvement is only the beginning. Once an investment is classified as a technical improvement, the question arises as to how it will be depreciated—where we encounter the difference between tax depreciation and accounting depreciation under Czech legislation.

Accounting depreciation reflects the actual wear and tear of an asset, while tax depreciation is fixed by the Czech Income Taxes Act and follows depreciation groups. A material difference exists already at the start of depreciation: accounting depreciation typically begins after the asset is put into use, whereas tax depreciation can be applied for the entire period.

If you carry out a technical improvement on an asset that you are already depreciating, the acquisition cost or tax residual value increases. For real estate, this often means an extension of the depreciation period, which may affect the company’s financial plans.

If you carry out a technical improvement on an asset that you are already depreciating, the acquisition cost or residual value increases. Let me give you a specific example involving a car acquired in 2024, into which you install special refrigeration equipment in 2026.

This is a technical improvement, so you increase the acquisition cost and continue depreciating from the increased cost, which affects the amount of depreciation in subsequent years. At this point, the situation becomes considerably more complex and requires precise calculations.

A seemingly simple decision on how to categorise an investment affects a business’s tax position for years to come, which is why the attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, can assist you with this step. There is no room here for a detailed calculation of all variants, but it is important to understand the long-term impact.

Related questions on the rules for depreciating technical improvements

1. Do I have to depreciate a technical improvement over the same period as the original asset?
Under Czech tax law, a technical improvement becomes part of the acquisition cost and is depreciated together with the asset in the relevant depreciation group, which in practice extends the depreciation period of the whole.

2. Can I choose straight-line or accelerated depreciation for a technical improvement?
You must keep the depreciation method that was chosen for the original asset. For technical improvements to third-party assets, the tenant chooses the method upon classification.

3. What happens if a technical improvement extends the useful life of the asset?
In accounting, you should adjust the depreciation plan and extend the depreciation period, but for tax purposes in the Czech Republic, the statutory rates and coefficients for the increased cost are applied.

The dependence of categorisation on a tax audit

Here we come to the point that is most serious for many entrepreneurs: what happens if the Czech tax office reassesses your asset classification during an audit. The attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, have been through it all and know the typical scenarios in which inspectors from the Czech Financial Administration challenge classifications.

Inspectors from the Czech Financial Administration very often challenge classifications, and the burden of proof always lies with the taxpayer. How to meet this burden of proof depends on the quality and scope of your documentation.

The most important thing is to have sufficient documents proving the technical condition of the asset before the intervention, the scope of the work performed, and the content of the supplier’s invoice. Construction documentation is essential if it exists for the intervention. If you are not sure, there is a legal tool to protect you in the form of an application for a binding assessment from the tax administrator in the Czech Republic.

The tax administrator will issue a decision that is binding during an audit, provided you stated truthful information in the application. It costs CZK 10,000 as an administrative fee, but for investments in the millions, this certainty is worth it.

The Czech legal team at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, routinely prepares applications for binding assessments and knows the formal requirements that are necessary. If you are considering this route, contact consultation@arws.cz.

Conclusion of the article

The distinction between a repair and a technical improvement may seem straightforward on paper, but in practice it is a complex legal and factual issue under Czech law. Incorrect classification results in an additional tax assessment, a 20% penalty on the additionally assessed amount, late-payment interest, and financial losses that could have been easily avoided.

The attorneys at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, deal with this issue on a daily basis and have experience from thousands of cases. We know where the pitfalls lie and how to assess borderline situations correctly, and ARROWS’ portfolio includes hundreds of companies.

If you are not sure whether your investment is a repair or a technical improvement, the safest solution is to turn to experts. The specialists at ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, will help you with legal advice as well as with preparing documentation for a tax audit in the Czech Republic.

Would you like to clarify your specific situation? Email us at consultation@arws.cz and arrange a consultation with an attorney who will assess your matter professionally and with full awareness of all Czech tax implications.

Notice:The information contained in this article is of a general informational nature only and is intended for basic guidance based on the legal status in 2026. Although we take maximum care to ensure accuracy, legal regulations and their interpretation evolve over time. To verify the current wording of the regulations and their application to your specific situation in the Czech Republic, it is therefore necessary to contact ARROWS, a Prague-based law firm, directly (consultation@arws.cz). We accept no liability for any damages or complications arising from the independent use of the information in this article without our prior individual legal consultation and expert assessment. Each case requires a tailored solution, so please do not hesitate to contact us.

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