Sep 30, 2026 · by BalayHub Admin · 7 min read

Zonal Value vs Market Value vs Assessed Value: Philippines

Zonal value vs market value vs assessed value: which one sets the 6% capital gains tax, which one sets amilyar, and what RA 12001 changes in 2026.

Zonal Value vs Market Value vs Assessed Value: Philippines

Zonal value vs market value is the comparison that decides how much tax a property sale costs in the Philippines, and most owners meet it for the first time at the BIR counter, when the examiner ignores the price in the deed and computes the tax on a higher number. There is a third figure as well, the assessed value, which sets the yearly amilyar and is far lower than either. This guide explains who sets each value, which tax uses which, how to look yours up, and where the 2024 law meant to merge them stands today.

Three values and who sets each

The zonal value is the Bureau of Internal Revenue's price per square meter for a street, barangay or condominium project. It is fixed by the BIR, approved by the Secretary of Finance, and organized by Revenue District Office.

The market value on the tax declaration comes from the city or provincial assessor, who keeps a schedule of market values for every class of land and building in the locality. It is the figure printed on your tax declaration, and in many towns it has not been revised for years; a September 2026 report on the valuation reform noted that some local governments still use schedules from 1991 or earlier.

The assessed value is that assessor's market value multiplied by an assessment level, the percentage the local government applies to each class of property. Residential property is commonly assessed at about 20%, commercial and industrial property much higher. The assessed value is the base for real property tax and nothing else, and because it is only a fraction of the assessor's figure it is normally the smallest of the three. Our amilyar guide walks through that computation line by line.

None of the three is the price a buyer will pay. That fourth number, the real market price, is the one you negotiate, and it can sit above or below the official figures.

Which tax uses which value

On a sale between individuals, capital gains tax is 6% of the gross selling price or the fair market value, whichever is higher, and the fair market value is itself the higher of the BIR zonal value and the assessor's market value. In practice the examiner lines up three figures, the price in the deed, the zonal value and the value on the tax declaration, and taxes the largest. Documentary stamp tax, at 1.5%, follows the same base. Where a street or barangay has no zonal value at all, the tax declaration value stands in for it.

The local transfer tax, 0.5% to 0.75% depending on the city or province, is charged by the local treasurer on the same kind of comparison. Estate tax and donor's tax rely on the official values too, since an inheritance or a donation has no selling price to compare.

Real property tax is the exception. It ignores the zonal value and the selling price entirely and runs on the assessed value: 2% in a city or a Metro Manila municipality, 1% in a province, plus 1% for the Special Education Fund. The full list of rates, and who customarily pays each, is in our guide to property taxes in the Philippines.

One lot, three numbers, three tax bills

Take a 100 square meter residential lot in a city, sold for ₱3,000,000 (about $47,800 / €42,100). Suppose the zonal value of the street is ₱35,000 (about $558 / €492) per square meter, which puts the lot at ₱3,500,000 (about $55,800 / €49,200), and the tax declaration carries a market value of ₱1,200,000 (about $19,100 / €16,900).

The BIR taxes the highest figure, the zonal ₱3,500,000 (about $55,800 / €49,200). Capital gains tax is 6% of that, ₱210,000 (about $3,350 / €2,950), not the ₱180,000 (about $2,870 / €2,530) the seller expected from the deed price. Documentary stamp tax is 1.5% of the same base, ₱52,500 (about $837 / €737). The assessed value, at a 20% assessment level on ₱1,200,000 (about $19,100 / €16,900), is ₱240,000 (about $3,830 / €3,370), and the yearly real property tax at 3% is ₱7,200 (about $115 / €101).

The figures are invented for the arithmetic, but the pattern is real: a seller who prices below zonal value still pays tax on the zonal value, and an owner whose tax declaration is decades old pays very little amilyar on a property worth many times the declared figure.

How to find each value for your property

The assessor's market value and the assessed value are both on the tax declaration, the same document our guide on tax declaration vs land title explains. Ask the city or municipal assessor for a certified copy of the current one.

The zonal value is published by the BIR per Revenue District Office, and the district office that covers the property will confirm the figure that applies to a specific street, classification and date of sale. Get it confirmed before you sign, since the figure depends on the exact location and on the classification the BIR applies to it.

For the real market price there is no government table. Our price per square meter tool shows median asking prices by city from our listing price sample, the land price guide breaks lots down by province, and the property valuation tool gives a range for a specific home.

What RA 12001 changes, and where it stands

Republic Act 12001, the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act, was signed on June 13, 2024 and took effect on July 5, 2024. It replaces the two official schedules with one. Local assessors prepare a single Schedule of Market Values under national valuation standards, the Bureau of Local Government Finance reviews it, and the Secretary of Finance certifies it. Once a locality's schedule is approved, the BIR must compute its taxes on that schedule or the actual selling price, whichever is higher, and the local government uses the same schedule for real property tax. Schedules are to be updated every three years.

The law gave assessors two years, to July 2026, to produce the new schedules and kept the existing BIR zonal values in force until each one is replaced. It also softened the landing: in the first year a new schedule applies, the increase in real property tax is capped at 6%, and a two year amnesty on penalties and interest for unpaid real property tax ran until July 2026.

The rollout has since slowed. In early August 2026 the President asked Congress to suspend the law's implementation temporarily, citing the cost to businesses and the need for a gradual transition, and on September 22 the infrastructure group of the Private Sector Advisory Council asked for a four year delay, which would move implementation to 2031, with tax increases capped at 6% a year for the first three years. At the time of writing, in late September 2026, the President's request is still before Congress. A regional director of the Bureau of Local Government Finance summed up the official position at a Central Visayas housing summit in September: "Market value is not equal to tax due", since the tax still depends on the assessment level and rate each local government sets.

In practical terms, until your city's new schedule is certified, the old rules apply: zonal value for the BIR, the assessor's schedule for amilyar. When the new schedule arrives, expect both figures to move toward real prices, and expect the tax base on a sale to rise where zonal values were stale.

What to do before you sign

Check the zonal value before you agree on a price, not after. If it is above your price, the taxes will follow the zonal value, and the split of those taxes between buyer and seller is worth settling in writing; our seller's guide to costs and process shows the customary split. Do not understate the price in the deed to save tax: the BIR taxes the higher figure anyway, and an understated deed weakens the buyer's position in any later dispute. And if you are buying, compare the asking price with what similar homes list for, using our guide on what a property is worth, because no government value tells you that.

This article is general information, not tax advice. Zonal values, assessment levels and rates differ by locality and change over time; confirm the figures for your property with the BIR district office and the local assessor before you commit.

Dollar and euro figures are approximate conversions at ₱62.7 per US dollar and ₱71.2 per euro (ECB reference rates, 2026-09-30).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between zonal value, market value and assessed value?

Zonal value is the price per square meter the BIR assigns to a street or area, used for taxes on a transfer. The market value on the tax declaration is set by the city or provincial assessor from a local schedule of values. Assessed value is that assessor's market value multiplied by an assessment level, commonly about 20% for residential property, and it is the base for yearly real property tax. None of the three is the price a buyer actually pays.

Is capital gains tax based on the zonal value or the selling price?

On whichever is higher. Capital gains tax is 6% of the gross selling price or the fair market value, and the fair market value is the higher of the BIR zonal value and the assessor's market value on the tax declaration. If a lot sells for ₱3,000,000 (about $47,800 / €42,100) but its zonal value is ₱3,500,000 (about $55,800 / €49,200), the tax is 6% of ₱3,500,000 (about $55,800 / €49,200), or ₱210,000 (about $3,350 / €2,950). Documentary stamp tax at 1.5% uses the same base.

How do I find the zonal value of my property?

Zonal values are published by the BIR per Revenue District Office and expressed in pesos per square meter for each street, barangay or condominium project. The district office covering the property can confirm the figure that applies on the date of sale. Check it before agreeing on a price. Where no zonal value exists for the location, the market value on the tax declaration is used instead.

Why is the assessed value so much lower than the market value?

Because it is only a fraction of it by design. The assessor's market value is multiplied by an assessment level, commonly about 20% for residential property, to get the assessed value, and real property tax is charged on that smaller figure. On top of that, many local schedules of market values are old, some dating back decades, so the starting number is already far below current prices.

Has RA 12001 already replaced BIR zonal values?

Not yet. Republic Act 12001, in effect since July 5, 2024, calls for a single Schedule of Market Values prepared by local assessors and certified by the Secretary of Finance, which the BIR and local governments would both use. Existing zonal values stay in force until each locality's new schedule is approved. In August 2026 the President asked Congress to suspend implementation temporarily, and the proposal was still pending in late September 2026.

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