In Portugal, the term IRS ("Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares") is used to refer to personal income tax.
This tax applies to the income of citizens residing in Portugal and to non-residents who obtain income in Portugal.
As of 1 April each year, the taxpayer, identified as a "sujeto passivo", is invited to fill in his "Declaração de IRS" (modelo 3) for the income of the previous year.
The taxpayer has until 30 June of the year in question to submit, in Portuguese and online only, his IRS declaration on the Portal das Finanças https://www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/ .
Beware, by submitting the IRS after this date, the taxpayer is liable to a fine of between €150 and €3,750.
Once the IRS declaration is completed, the taxpayer confirms its submission by clicking on "Entregar". It is possible to check the status of the declaration, in the "Consultar Declaração" option, as soon as you receive an e-mail from Finanças informing you that the declaration is validated.
Indicative schedule :
July: the Tax Authority (AT for Autoridade Tributária) validates the declaration.
Refund: about 20 days after submission.
Tax must be paid before 31 August of the year in which you file your tax return.
Before 15 February, declare any change in the number of people in your tax household (agregado familiar).
Before 25 February each year, in order to be eligible for refunds, the taxpayer must check online that his invoices and receipts have been correctly encoded in the appropriate expenditure sector (health, catering, transport, ...) on the Portal das Finanças.
Before 15 March, you can choose the entity to which you will deposit 0.5% of your IRS, and, if you wish, your VAT refunds.
Monitoring the process :
On the Portal das Finanças, once you have submitted your declaration, you can follow the successive stages of its progress online through the "Movimentos Financeiros" section:
declaration validated (within about 5-10 days)
declaration processed (refund amount to be received or paid is identified)
refund issued (tax authority has made the transfer)
payment confirmed (actual payment into your bank account).
Income categories in Portugal :
Category A = dependent work income (for employees, automatic IRS)
Category B = labour income for self-employed persons (no automatic IRS)
Category E = capital income
Category F = property income
Category G = capital gains
Category H = pensions
NHR (Non Habitual Residents) status :
The taxpayer has to file a tax return and declare all income, even exempt income: declare foreign pensions, rents, capital gains, sales of shares, life insurance redemptions, etc. The system will take care of exemptions. NHR: Annex L.
If the taxpayer has no income :
It is still necessary to complete the IRS declaration to report foreign bank accounts (with Annex J, box 11.).
If no income and no foreign bank account, then no obligation to file an IRS declaration.
If you are an employee or pensioner with an annual income of less than €8,500 without withholding tax, then you do not need to fill in the IRS declaration.
⚠️ Obligation to declare foreign bank accounts :
The taxpayer must declare not only the bank accounts of which he/she is the holder but also those for which he/she has power of attorney to make transactions.
Financial transactions between EU countries and other countries are monitored by the respective tax authorities, in particular with a view to combating tax fraud and money laundering. It is not illegal to hold a bank account or life insurance policy in another country, but there are penalties for not reporting it to the tax authorities when filing a tax declaration.
All bank accounts or life insurance policies used abroad are covered by this reporting obligation. This obligation applies even if the account has been closed during the year. If you are a tax resident in Portugal, you must therefore enter this information on Annex J. If you have omitted it, you should make an amending declaration.
Income from abroad :
To be reported in Annex J.
4 years :
This is the period to which the Portuguese tax authorities can go back to verify the elements of the declaration.
In Portugal, each child has a NIF and personal access codes to the online Public Finance system:
This is particularly important in order to be able to deduct the school's expenses in the tax household.
Any questions? Visit the "E-balcão" :
In case of specific questions, the taxpayer can ask them directly online on the dedicated space of the Portal des Finanças. Follow these indications:
on https://www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/, once you have logged in to your space via "Iniciar Sessão" with your NIF and your access code, fill in the search field where it says "Indique o que pretende efetuar" (next to the loupe) and type "e-balcao"; then in front of "Atendimento e-balcão" click on "Aceder". To ask a new question click on "registar nova questão".