TIC-TAC Non-resident income tax countdown

The deadline for the non-resident income tax declarations, December 31st, , approaches and many questions arise. Here your have, some useful answers.

Am I a resident or a non-resident?

If you live in Spain for more than 183 days a year then you are a resident here. Any less and you are a non-resident.

As a non-resident you must pay two non-resident property taxes.

What property taxes must I pay?

You must pay two taxes:

–          IBI (Impuesto Sobre Bienes Inmuebles) or council tax

–          Income tax or rental tax (in some cases a combination of the two)

What is IBI?

IBI (Impuesto Sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is a council tax that must be paid by every home owner.

 IBI is:

• Paid directly to the town hall or the SUMA offices
• Collected annually
• Collected at different times of the year according to the area
• Based upon the rateable value of your property or valor catastral

Why do I have to pay income tax in Spain when I don’t live there?

The income tax is payable by non-resident property owners who do not rent out their property and so do not pay rental income tax. The idea is that you could rent out your property if you wished.

Income tax:

–          is paid on a second home that is not rented out

–          is declared in the non-resident annual tax declaration

–          is paid to the Spanish Tax Authority

Why haven’t I heard about income tax before?

The system of collecting taxes is different to that in many other countries. For example:

–          you will not necessarily be reminded that you owe tax

–          it is your responsibility to make sure your tax is paid

–          overdue taxes must be settled before you sell or inherit

What happens on the 31st December?

The 31st December is the deadline every year by which time non-residents must have made their annual non-resident tax declaration. The non-resident tax declaration:

–          covers the previous year

–          is when your imputed income tax is calculated

–          is the means by which income of interest to Spain is declared

What happens if I don’t pay?

If you miss paying one or both your non-resident taxes then:

–          the debt is held against your property until it is either sold or bequeathed

–          you cannot change the names on the Title Deed until the debt is settled

–          you may have to pay late payment interest as well as sanctions

–          you might be caught out through one of the Spanish Tax Authority’s anti-tax fraud campaigns

–          your bank account can be embargoed leading to missed utility bill payments

What should I do?

We recommend that non-residents have a fiscal representative like MSP easylife to:.

–          make sure your non-resident taxes are paid on time

–          represent you to the Spanish Tax Authority

–          be in a position to receive notifications

–          alert you to changes in the tax law

–          answer any queries you might have throughout the year

For further information please contact info@msp-easylife.com