How to pay less tax in Spain

Although we know that taxes are positive for society as a whole, because they create infrastructure and public services, nobody wants to pay more for the income they receive. That’s why there are always ways to try to reduce tax payments in Spain as much as possible.

Tax planning

To save on taxes, a good tip is to plan in advance everything you are going to do with your assets throughout the year. For example, income tax (IRPF), which is filed in April of the year following the tax year being declared, can change from year to year. If we know there will be changes in advance, we can sell an asset we want to get rid of in the current year or wait until the following year to benefit from paying less tax.

Understanding and applying regional tax deductions

Both income tax returns and other taxes have significant differences depending on the Autonomous Community where you reside. Therefore, researching and comparing the tax advantages of the different Spanish regions is a very good idea. For example, there are usually housing deductions for the purchase of a primary residence, tax exemptions for certain age groups for mortgage amortization or the transfer of a property, etc.

Offset losses with gains

Following the advice of tax planning at this point, if you have obtained significant profits from the sale or donation of assets but, on the other hand, you have losses from other operations, you can offset the losses with the gains.

But this point is delicate, so before doing so, you need to make sure that you can offset it against the main taxes and that everything you do will comply with the regulations.

Keep receipts for expenses

Most purchases or service contracts made by a company can be deducted from the taxes it will have to pay.

But it is important to keep safe the invoices and receipts for those transactions that justify that the payment has been made.

Please note that you can only include expenses related to your business activity in your tax returns. The Tax Agency is increasingly conducting random inspections, requesting all available documentation and, if necessary, modifying previously filed tax returns and imposing penalties.

Request to transfer tax residency to Spain

When transferring an employee to work in Spain through a company, it can apply for tax residency. If this is the case, and the requirements are met, it may be able to benefit from the Beckham Law.

The so-called Beckham Law or Law for expatriates allows foreigners to work in Spain with lower taxes, without declaring income from other countries. This began to be applied in 2005, requiring foreign residents for more than 183 days to pay tax rates of up to 47%. In other words, expatriates will be taxed on their employment income from anywhere in Spain, but not on other income, except for that generated in Spain, such as pension plans or bank interest. The tax rate is 24% for the first 600,000 euros and 47% for the rest. Furthermore, the employee would be considered a tax resident in Spain and would not have to pay taxes in his/her country of origin or would do so at very low rates.

All the benefits of the Beckham Law can be applied to people who are in this situation and their children under 25 years of age or disabled, being considered for the purposes of the Tax Agency as tax residents, although they will be taxed in Spain as non-residents with a very low rate.

Summary

Among the things you can do to pay less tax in Spain are tax planning, researching the various regional tax deductions, offsetting losses and gains, deducting the maximum amount of expenses, or requesting a transfer of tax residency to Spain. It is important to emphasize that everything you do must comply with current regulations. In case of doubt, we always recommend seeking the services of a tax advisor.

Further information

This article is part of our service Taxes in Spain for foreigners. Visit this section where you will find all the useful information on this topic, including a complete guide Taxes in Spain for non-residents and foreigners.

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