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How to complete Spain’s Declaración de la Renta tax return at the last minute

With the deadline for Spain's 2022-2023 'Declaración de la Renta' (annual income tax return) just over a week away, this step-by-step guide can help you complete the process successfully.

How to complete Spain's Declaración de la Renta tax return at the last minute
Here are the steps you should follow when doing your annual income tax declaration in Spain. Photo: Brum Naus/Unsplash

Taxes in Spain can be very confusing, particularly if you’re new here or you have multiple sources of income.

So if you have lots of doubts it may be advisable to contact a gestor to go over your situation and help you to complete la declaración de la renta.

However, if you want to cut out extra costs and your income source is fairly straightforward (contract worker), this guide will help you with the different steps to fill out and submit your annual income tax declaration.

You can do it online, provided you have a Digital Certificate or a Cl@ve pin.

Anyone resident in Spain who earned over €22,000 from a single employer in 2022 must present an income tax return (over €15,000 if you earn from multiple clients), although can find more details here. 

The campaign for 2022 opened on April 11th 2023 and will close on June 30th 2023. 

READ ALSO – La Renta: The important income tax deadlines in Spain in 2023

To begin, click here to access the Agencia Tributaria website, then click the link that says ‘Servicio de tramitación borrador/declaración (Renta WEB)’, under Gestiones destacadas. This will take you to the declaration form.

Step 1: 

The first screen will ask you to identify yourself using your Digital Certificate or Cl@ve pin. You are also able to identify yourself with your NIE, but only if you completed the Declaración de la Renta in the previous year and have the reference number.

If you’ve identified yourself with your Digital Certificate or Cl@ve pin, you will be taken to a screen containing your personal details, such as name and address. If everything is correct, you want to click on the button that says ‘ratificar’. If you need to change certain details, click on ‘modificar’, then press ‘continuar’ to continue to the next page.

Spanish tax return

Check that all your details are correct to continue. Photo: Agencia Tributaria

Step 2: 

If you identified yourself with your NIE and reference number, you will be taken directly to the next page.

Here, you will see a page listing the different ‘Servicios Disponibles’ or Available Services. Click on ‘Borrador/Declaración (RENTA WEB)‘ to access and complete your tax return.

On the next screen, you will again see a summary of your personal details – name, address, birthdate, NIE etc. You will need to make sure that these are correct before continuing. You will also need to know the referencia catastral of the property you’re living in. If you own your property, this should be on the deeds to your house, but if you are renting, you can find it out here

The form will also ask you questions about your marital status and give you the option of declaring as an individual or together with your spouse. You may want to contact a gestor or a tax lawyer to find out which would be best for you, because it could mean paying more or less tax, depending on your individual circumstances.

READ ALSO: Is it better to do a joint or separate tax declaration if you’re a couple in Spain?

Spain tax return

Fill out all your personal details. Photo: Agencia Tributaria

If you want to do it as an individual, check the box that says ‘Si desea que el programa solamente calcula de la declaración individual del declarante, marque aqui’.

When you’re done checking and completing all your personal details, click on ‘Aceptar’ to continue.

Step 3:

On the next page, you will see lots of numbers, detailing all the tax deductions and payments made by you in 2022. If you were employed, rather than self-employed you can click on ‘ver datos fiscales’ in order to check that everything is the same as on the certificado de retenciones or withholding certificate issued by your employer.

If you are self-employed, you can check that all the amounts match the amounts you declared and paid in each trimester of 2022 as you should have already submitted tax returns for the four trimesters of last year.

If there is anything you need to add in manually, you can do this by clicking on the button at the top which says ‘Ver datos trasladados’. Here, you can add anything that was not already incorporated. When you’re done with this click on ‘Volver’ to return to the main page.

Check that all the amounts for 2022 are correct. Photo: Agencia Tributaria.

Step 4:

You will now see a 58-page document detailing a huge range of questions and scenarios. This includes everything from asking if you want to donate money to the Catholic church to any interest you may have earned on savings or anything you might have inherited during the previous year. You can click the arrows to move through each page or click on ‘Apartados‘ in the top left-hand corner to see a drop-down menu of each section and go directly to different parts of the form. 

Click on the arrows to move through each page and answer the questions. Photo: Agencia Tributaria
 
Step 5:
 
When you’ve filled everything out, click on ‘Validar‘ in the top left-hand corner in order to see if you have made any errors or mistakes. It will highlight anything you need to look at in yellow and let you know what you’ve done wrong. 
 

Click on ‘Validar’ to see if you’ve made any mistakes. Photo: Agencia Tributaria
 
Step 6:
 
When you’ve checked everything through, go back to the main page to see the final result of how much tax you need to pay or indeed if you’re owed a tax rebate. When you’re happy with everything, click on ‘Presentar Declaración’ at the top. It will ask you who is declaring, you as the Declarante or your spouse Conyuge. Remember that even if you are presenting your tax return together, you will still have to also make sure you present your declaration separately and log in again, it’s just that the calculations for both will be taken into account. 
 

Present your tax return by clicking here. Photo: Agencia Tributaria
 
Lastly, you will be taken to a page where you will need to fill out your bank details if you are owed money or the payment details, if you have to pay. You can choose if you want to pay in instalments or all at once. Finally, click on ‘Aceptar‘ to finalise and submit everything. Remember, if at any time you want to stop and continue later, you can always click on ‘Guardar‘ or Save at the top and come back to it. 

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For members

TAXES

The big tax declaration change Spain’s self-employed need to know

If you're self-employed in Spain there are a few new changes you need to be aware of when it comes to submitting your income tax return this year.

The big tax declaration change Spain's self-employed need to know

As if being self-employed in Spain wasn’t complicated enough, there are several new changes you should know about for 2024. 

The Personal Income Tax (IRPF) campaign for 2023 campaign runs from April 3rd to July 1st this year. This means you must submit your annual Declaración de Renta for the money you earned last year between these dates. 

This year is different for autónomos because you’ll be required to present your tax return whether you had losses or profits in 2023. In previous years, it was only necessary if you had profits over a certain threshold or if it was your first year filing it.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes for self-employed workers in Spain in 2024 

But this year, even if your business has not performed as expected and you actually incurred a loss, it will still be mandatory to present these to the Tax Agency. 

According to experts from the financial comparison site Banqmi, “The Tax Agency does not have complete information on the activity of each self-employed person and that is why an adequate check and verification must always be carried out”. 

The second change that’s new for this year is that the percentage of expenses you are allowed to deduct has been raised from 5 to 7 percent. 

READ ALSO – La Renta: What items can you deduct on your Spanish tax return?

Banqmi expert Antonio Gallardo, states: “It is important to note that only the self-employed who carry out professional activities who are not an actual business, and who do so through the direct estimation regime, are entitled to this right, therefore, those who do it by modules are excluded”. 

The direct estimation regime is when taxes are calculated based on the actual income and expenses of the business during the fiscal year. This means that net profit or loss is calculated by subtracting the deductible expenses of the activity.

READ ALSO: Nine mistakes to avoid when filing your Spanish tax return

The types of tax deductions those on this type of regime can apply include:

  • Monthly Social Security contributions
  • Deductions for the vehicle usage (if it applies to your business)
  • Deductions for business-related training expenses
  • Special deductions, such as research and development expenses
  • Tax relief at a regional level

When it comes to regional tax deductions, self-employed workers have access to special rates depending on the region they live and work in. For example, Madrid, Asturias and the Canary Islands offer these types of tax reliefs.

READ ALSO – Q&A: What is Spain’s flat fee for new self-employed workers?

Additionally, during the first year of being registered as self-employed, 20 percent of your profits can be deducted. If this is the case, you have the right to apply the same deductions as a company registered for Corporate Tax (25 percent of research and development expenses for example).  

One of the main obstacles for self-employed workers when filing their annual personal income tax return is that the Tax Agency does not have complete information on all transactions carried out. 

“Although they receive information about part of your expenses and income, this is incomplete, so you must always carry out adequate verification to avoid errors and the hassle of making rectifications or complementary statements,” Banqmi experts conclude. 

If you’re unsure about any of your tax returns this year, whether you have to file, and exactly what you can deduct, it’s important to contact your gestor or a tax advisor. Remember that everyone’s situation is slightly different. 

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