Buying a Flat in Poland with Cash: Source of Funds, Transfers from Abroad, Taxes (2026)

When people say "buying a flat with cash" in Poland, in practice they mean buying without a mortgage and paying by bank transfer, not in banknotes. Developers accept payments to bank accounts, the notary and the bank check where the money comes from, and you need to be able to document the origin of your funds. Below we explain step by step: whether you can pay in banknotes, what is checked during the transaction, how to send money from abroad, how to handle a gift from your parents and what discount you can expect. The payment itself is described in more detail, with a ready-flat example, in buying a flat with cash from a developer.

In brief

• A flat under construction is paid for by transfer to an escrow account (mieszkaniowy rachunek powierniczy), and the amounts depend on construction progress under the schedule; you do not pay everything at once (art. 8 of the Developer Act).
• The notary and the bank are "obligated institutions" under the anti-money-laundering act: they may ask about the source of funds, and transactions above EUR 15,000 are reported to the GIIF. This is routine, not suspicion.
• If your spending is not covered by documented income, the tax office may treat the excess as income from undisclosed sources, taxed at 75% (art. 25b and 25e of the PIT Act).
• Money from your parents above PLN 36,120 is exempt from gift tax if you report it on form SD-Z2 within 6 months and receive it by transfer into your account.
• In our catalogue (4 October 2026), 56 of 114 investments in Warsaw and 41 of 89 in Wroclaw are already completed; payment for a ready flat is simpler and faster.

Can you pay for a flat in banknotes?

For a flat under construction the Developer Act gives the answer: the buyer pays into an escrow account, and the amount of payments depends on the actual progress of the stages in the schedule (art. 8). You therefore pay by transfer to the account named in the contract and, even if you have the whole amount, you pay it in line with construction progress. Typical schedules, including the 10/90 model, are described in 10/90 payment schedule at a developer.

For a ready flat bought straight away under a sales contract, the whole price is paid at the deed, normally cashless, for example through a notarial deposit.

The PLN 15,000 limit on cash payments in art. 19 of the Entrepreneurs' Law applies to transactions between businesses. If you buy as a private person it does not apply to you, but in practice that makes no difference: a transfer is your proof of both payment and the origin of the money. If you keep savings in banknotes, pay them into your own account well in advance. The bank may also ask about the source, and cash deposits above the equivalent of EUR 15,000 are reported to the GIIF.

Buying without a mortgage in five steps

1. Prepare the funds. Gather the money in a single account in Poland: break deposits, sell bonds, accept a gift by transfer. Check your bank's daily transfer limit and raise it in advance.
2. Reservation. The reservation fee may not exceed 1% of the price in the prospectus and is credited towards the price (art. 32 of the Developer Act). Refund rules are in reservation agreement with a developer.
3. Contract. For a flat under construction, a developer agreement (umowa deweloperska); for a ready flat, a sales contract. See developer agreement in Poland.
4. Payments. Under construction: into the escrow account after the stages are completed; for a ready flat, the whole price at the deed.
5. Handover and deed. The Act requires a handover inspection with a protocol before ownership is transferred; then the notary identifies the parties, asks about the funds, charges the notarial fee and court fees and files the land register application. The general route is in how to buy a new-build apartment in Poland.

Origin of funds: what the notary and the bank check

A notary selling real estate is an obligated institution (art. 2(1)(13) of the AML Act). The notary identifies the parties and, where justified, examines the source of the assets; transactions worth more than EUR 15,000 are reported to the GIIF. The Act contains no closed list of documents; usually it is enough to show a logical "chain": how the money got into your account.

Source of funds	Example documents
Savings from work	certificate of earnings or employment contract, tax return, several months of account statements
Sale of property	sale contract, confirmation that the price reached your account
Business	tax return, financial statements, dividend resolution
Gift from family	gift agreement, transfer confirmation, donor's statement
Inheritance	document confirming the inheritance, transfer confirmation
Loan or credit	loan agreement, confirmation of disbursement

You do not have to report the purchase itself to the tax office, but the office may take an interest in spending not covered by income. The excess of spending over documented income (taxed or exempt) is income from undisclosed sources, taxed at 75%. What to do after the purchase is covered in where to report buying a flat in Poland.

Money from abroad

A transfer from abroad to buy a flat is entirely ordinary in Poland: the money goes to the developer's escrow account or to a notarial deposit, and the price is in zloty. Every such purchase goes through AML checks: the bank and the notary establish who you are, for whom you are buying and where the funds come from. A transfer from abroad above the equivalent of EUR 15,000 is reported by the bank to the GIIF, and cash of EUR 10,000 or more brought into or taken out of the EU must be declared at the border together with its origin.

Which documents may be needed, what SEPA and SWIFT transfers cost and how the euro rate changes the price of a flat are covered in transferring money from abroad to buy a flat. Take the account number only from the contract signed at the notary: fraud with a swapped account number targets exactly large transfers.

A gift from parents towards a flat: by transfer only

A gift from a spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings, stepchildren or step-parents is exempt from inheritance and gift tax if you report it to the head of the tax office on form SD-Z2 within 6 months. If the gift is money and its value, together with what you received from the same person in that year and in the previous 5 years, exceeds PLN 36,120, you must also document receipt by transfer to your own account or by postal money order. Money handed over "from hand to hand" does not meet that condition and you lose the exemption.

The simplest route: a transfer from your parents' account to yours with the description "gift towards the purchase of a flat", a written gift agreement and form SD-Z2. Only then do you pay the developer from your own account.

Is there a discount for cash?

Developers do not publish "cash discounts", and it is not possible to quote an honest figure in advance. But you have arguments that a buyer with a mortgage does not: no risk of a loan refusal (and hence of a refund of the reservation fee), a quick signing of the deed and, for a ready flat, immediate payment of the whole price. The most room usually comes with flats in completed buildings that the developer wants to sell before the investment is closed.

For orientation: according to the NBP, the average transaction price on the primary market in Q2 2026 was about 9% below the asking price in Warsaw (PLN 16,783 against PLN 18,488 per m²) and about 8% in Wroclaw (PLN 14,312 against PLN 15,575 per m²). These come from different samples of flats and are not a discount on a particular unit, but they show that a conversation about price and terms is worthwhile. Besides the price, negotiate the parking space, the key handover date and fixes before acceptance.

Ready flats are in the catalogue: new flats in Warsaw and new flats in Wroclaw; prices and availability are updated daily. Costs on top of the price (notary, court, taxes) are described in costs of buying an apartment in Poland.

Buying without a mortgage and want a smooth closing? We can help with buying a flat from a developer, in most cases without a commission for you, because the developer usually pays our fee. The consultation and the selection of offers are free of charge.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

Buying with cash means buying without a mortgage: payment by transfer, documents on the origin of funds ready and, for a flat under construction, payments into the escrow account under the schedule. Prepare your account, document the source of the money, take any family gift by transfer and file form SD-Z2, and the transaction will go through without delays.

Position as of 4 October 2026. This article is for information only and is not legal or tax advice; in difficult cases consult a notary or a tax adviser.

Sources

• Act on the protection of the rights of buyers of residential units and the Developer Guarantee Fund (Ustawa deweloperska), consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 880 (art. 8, 32, 34, 41).
• Entrepreneurs' Law (Prawo przedsiębiorców), consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 item 1480 (art. 19).
• Act on counteracting money laundering and terrorist financing, consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 item 644 (art. 2, 34, 35, 43, 72).
• Inheritance and Gift Tax Act, consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 478 (art. 4a).
• Personal Income Tax Act (PIT), consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 592 (art. 25b–25e).
• Notary Law (Prawo o notariacie), consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 614 (art. 108).
• gov.pl, report receipt of an inheritance or gift (SD-Z2).
• Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 on controls of cash, art. 3.
• NBP, residential real estate price database: asking and transaction prices, primary market, Q2 2026.
• Availability and prices of flats: TM Invest investment catalogue, as of 4 October 2026.