The ultimate guide about tax in Spain for residents

Would you like to know more about tax in Spain for residents?

Look no further, this is your article :-)

Before we start: This article is only about tax, at the end of the article I will put links to other useful content about Spanish residency, NIE number, visas, healthcare in Spain.

Perhaps you are thinking about moving to Spain or perhaps you already live here.

Either way, you should be aware that if you are in Spain for more than 183 days in a calendar year (and these need not be sequential) then you are a resident.

As a resident you have certain obligations tax wise:

• Local Taxes (Council Tax, IBI)
• Resident income tax

Local taxes

Residents have one tax to pay on their property provided it is their main residence. This is the council tax or IBI (Impuesto Sobre Bienes Inmuebles). The time when it is due depends upon the region you live in. In some areas it is paid directly to the town hall whereas in others a third party, such as SUMA, is responsible for collecting it.

This tax goes towards paying for local services such as the maintenance of facilities, parks and leisure areas and other infrastructure provided by the Town Hall. Rubbish collection is charged for separately either as part of your water bill or as a separate service charge issued by the Town Hall or SUMA.

Income tax in Spain

Tax in Spain for residents can be complex. Perhaps what worries people most is the prospect of paying income tax in Spain. According to certain criteria, every resident is required to complete a resident tax declaration before the end of June each year.

This resident tax declaration covers the period of income for the year before. So at the 25^th June 2020 deadline, the tax period in question will be from January 2019 to December 2019. In your declaration you should declare all the world-wide income you have including any interest received from savings, any rental income or any capital gains from the sale of a house or other assets.

You will also declare at this point any earned income, either from work you are still doing or from a pension that you have. If you have a civil service pension that has already had the tax deducted at source, then you will not be taxed on this twice. However, it is now taken into consideration when working out your total income and can make a difference to your tax band.

The amount of tax in Spain for residents you are charged depends upon your allowance and your income.  Your personal allowance is based upon your circumstances including age and if you have a disability.

If you are working in Spain and are on a contract then you will already have had a “retention” from your salary which means that you have the predicted tax already deducted from your wage. When it comes to tax declaration time you should not have much, if any, tax still to pay and may even have some returned to you.

Autonomos (the self-employed) pay their tax quarterly and usually require an accountant to calculate it. At the resident tax declaration time, the exact amount of tax they should have paid for that calendar year is calculated and again, some tax may be returned or further payment might be needed.

Not everyone must make a resident tax declaration. For example, if you receive only one pension that is less than 12,000€ you are exempt from having to make one unless you have other income like interests, capital gain or dividend. However, we still recommend that you complete a tax return as a means of showing that you are a fiscal resident and compliant with Spanish tax law. It is possible to make one and submit a nil return.

Tax in Spain for residents: Tax Allowances

Everyone has an “allowance” below which their income will not be taxed. Working out exactly what this allowance will be can be quite complicated. Any tables about tax in Spain for residents, such as that below, should be used as a rough guide and your exact tax bill should be calculated by a fiscal expert.

Tax Year 2019

The amount of tax you will pay depends upon which band your earnings fall into. You will not pay tax on your “allowance” but on the remaining amount.

On Investment Income, Capital Gains and Interest the bands are:

Tax Bands

So, for example. If you are a single person of 66 years old, with an annual income of 28,000€ made up from three separate pensions, your tax in Spain for residents calculation before June 25^th 2020 might go something like this:

Personal allowance:   5,550€

Over the age of 65:      1,150€

                      Total:  6.700€

Up to 6,700€=      tax free + 2,000€ deduction

                     Total to pay =     4,672.75€

How to make a resident tax declaration 

The annual resident tax declaration must be completed and presented before the June 25^th 2020 each year.  A fiscal representative like Ábaco Advisers submits these on behalf of its clients and can give you the advice you need about the documents to bring to the appointment.

The appointment at Ábaco usually takes about hour, we check how much the tax will be and can tell people straight away if there is anything to pay or not.

If you are in the fortunate position of having overpaid tax and are due a refund, the Spanish Tax Authority is required to return it within 6 months. Any refunds are paid directly into your bank account.

It might seem something of a mammoth tax at first. Take it one step at a time, with advice from the professionals and paying your resident taxes will become as familiar a process as it was in your home country.

Ábaco Advisers is a well-respected and independent firm of lawyers and legal advisers based in Torrevieja and Alicante. They specialise in Spanish property law and have been helping people to purchase property safely and easily in Spain since 1999.

Please click on the following link to know how Abaco Advisers can help you:

https://www.abacoadvisers.com/taxes

Yours Free

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If you would like to read about other important points for living / moving to Spain, here are other useful articles we wrote:

• Spanish residency
• NIE Number
• Spanish visas
• Healthcare
• Property
• Tax for residents
• Non-resident Tax