Paying rental income tax as a UK non-resident in Spain

The good news is that you don’t have to pay it in both. You are required to pay tax on your rental income in Spain even if you’re not a resident here. However, the double tax agreement between the UK and Spain means that you do not have to pay twice.

The rental income should be declared in the country where you are a tax-resident, but the tax already paid in Spain can normally be deducted as double taxation.

Quarterly collections
Rental tax in Spain is collected quarterly:

• 20th April – first quarter (January, February, March)
• 20th July – second quarter (April, May, June)
• 20th October – third quarter (July, August, September)
• 20th January – fourth quarter (October, November, December)

There are allowances made for some expenses, but, only for tax residents in a country within the  European Union, Norway and Iceland and these reduce the amount on which tax is payable. This includes a proportional part of the house insurance, IBI, the community fee, water and electricity if paid by the house owner.

When the property is rented out and tax is paid on this income , then, there are adjustments made to the calculation for the normal non-resident tax paid for the year, which deducts the days that property was occuped hence this tax is based only on the number of days the property was unoccuped by tenants.

Changes to tax rates
Changes to the amount of tax that non-residents have to pay were implemented from the 1st of January 2016. The changes that non-residents should be aware of include:

• for the year 2017, it will remain the rental income tax to 19% for those non-resident  who are tax resident  in a country within the  European Union, Norway and Iceland and 24% for tax residents outside these areas.
• a lowering of non-resident income tax  for  period 2016  from 19.5% to 19%  for those non-resident  who are tax resident  in a country within the  European Union, Norway and Iceland.Remaining 24% for tax residents outside these areas.

It is important to note that the amount you pay as a non-resident is dependent on the country in which you are currently fiscal resident and not your nationality. There have been cases, for example where people with a British passport have moved to live in a country outside the EEC and consequently their Spanish property is now taxed more heavily.

Letting out your property in Spain is a good option for many people as it can provide a steady income that helps maintain other property abroad. However, do make sure you are prepared for the tax implications and don’t leave yourself vulnerable to the Spanish Tax Authority.