Reminder from the Spanish Tax Agency on the tax rules for foreign pensioners living in Spain.
In recent weeks, many recipients of foreign pensions residing in Spain have received letters from the Spanish tax authorities reminding them of the obligation to pay tax on their foreign pensions, which are no longer exempt following recent changes to the “Treaties for the Avoidance of Double Taxation”. The letter is as follows:
On becoming aware of the existence of taxpayers liable to pay income tax on undeclared overseas pensions, the Spanish Tax Agency has had to take control actions.
Given the socially vulnerable nature of the group affected, i.e., pensioners, the Sole Additional Provision to Spanish Law 26/2014 of 27 November (published in the BOE Official Gazette on 28 November) introduces two exceptional measures of which you, the pensioner, are informed so you may determine whether you can take advantage of them.
The first measure entails the waiver of all penalties, surcharges or interest arising from a regularisation, regardless of whether the regularisation results from action taken by the Tax Agency or on the taxpayer’s initiative.
The second measure, aimed at encouraging the voluntary regularisation of these cases, entails granting a special deadline of 30 June 2015, before which income tax declarations that correctly declare all the pensions received for all non-expired periods up until 1 January 2015 may be presented.
Presenting declarations before the deadline requires paying all tax due but not the payment of any penalties, interest or surcharges.
After this special deadline, all regularisation procedures will be subject to general tax rules without exception.
Carlos Prieto Cid – Lawyer