SL Taxes in Spain: Corporate Income Tax and IVA

What taxes does an SL pay in Spain?

The full filing calendar for autónomos and SLs is covered in the article autónomo and SL reporting. How to set up a company is described in the article how to set up an SL as a non-resident.

How is an SL’s corporate income tax calculated?

The Impuesto sobre Sociedades is governed by Ley 27/2014. An SL is resident in Spain for this tax because it is incorporated under Spanish law (article 8) [1]. The base is the accounting result adjusted under the rules of the law (article 10.3), minus losses from previous years [1]. The rate is applied to the base to get the cuota íntegra, then bonificaciones and deducciones are subtracted, as well as withholdings and pagos fraccionados already paid.

Losses are carried forward with no time limit, but in a period you can offset no more than 70% of the base, while up to €1 million is always available (article 26.1). In the first three profitable periods of a new SL the 70% limit does not apply (article 26.3) [1]. Transactions between the SL and its partners, directors and their relatives are valued at market value (article 18): you cannot understate or overstate prices among yourselves [1].

Which corporate income tax rates apply in 2026?

For an SL with turnover up to €10 million the law has already set out the reduction: 22% in 2027 and 21% in 2028 (transitional provision 44, paras. 3 and 4) [1]. For an SL with turnover up to €1 million, from 2027 the scale in article 29.1 applies: 17% up to €50,000 and 20% above [1].

The reduced rates do not apply to an entidad patrimonial: this is a company where more than half of the assets are securities or are not linked to an economic activity (article 5.2) [1]. Rates depend on turnover and year, so check them again before each period. If the SL is new, the 15% rate cannot be applied when the activity was previously carried on by a related company or by an individual who owns more than 50% of the new SL, or if the SL belongs to a group (article 29.1) [1].

What are pagos fraccionados and when are they paid?

Pagos fraccionados are advance payments of the Impuesto sobre Sociedades. They are paid in the first 20 days of April, October and December (article 40.1) using modelo 202; with direct debit the deadline for electronic filing is the 1st to the 15th [1][6]. As a general rule the base is the cuota íntegra of the last period whose filing deadline has already passed, at a rate of 18%. An SL can choose to calculate on current profit for 3, 9 or 11 months; for those whose turnover exceeded €6 million this method is mandatory (article 40.2 and 40.3) [1]. An empresa emergente is exempt from pagos fraccionados for the period following each of the first two with a positive base (Ley 28/2022, art. 8.2) [8].

How does IVA work for an SL?

IVA, value added tax. For IVA purposes a company is presumed to be a business unless proven otherwise (Article 5 of Ley 37/1992) [2]. The general rate is 21%, the reduced rates are 10% and 4%, and some transactions are taxed at 0% [3]. The tax is included in the price and borne by the buyer, while the SL pays it over to the state. The SL deducts input IVA on supplier invoices if the goods and services are used for transactions that carry the right to deduct (Article 92) [2].

More on rates: what IVA is in Spain. The rates of 21, 10 and 4% are as at 2 October 2026. From 01.12.2026, under Real Decreto-ley 29/2026, the 10% rate applies to renovation work on homes and to letting furnished housing to a single tenant for no more than 30 nights, which is exempt from IVA until that date [13].

The quarterly modelo 303 return is filed from 1 to 20 April, July and October; for the fourth quarter from 1 to 30 January. With direct debit of the payment, filing runs from the 1st to the 15th, and in January from the 1st to the 25th [4]. If there is nothing to pay, you file a return showing no activity, an amount to carry forward or a refund.

The annual summary modelo 390 is filed, except in the cases listed by the AEAT [4]. If the SL works with clients and suppliers in the EU, it needs a NIF-IVA (alta in the intracomunitarios register via modelo 036) and modelo 349; the AEAT offers the tools “Localizador de entrega de bienes” and “Localizador de prestación de servicios” to work out where a transaction is taxed and who pays the IVA [7].

What taxes arise when profit goes to the owner?

Money moves from the SL to a partner through dividends, a director’s salary or loans, and each route has its own taxes. Dividends of a Spanish resident go into the IRPF savings base (articles 46 and 49 Ley 35/2006) [10].

A non-resident of Spain who receives dividends from an SL pays the Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes: the general rate for dividends is 19% (article 25.1.f), there are exemptions, for example for EU parent companies under the conditions of article 14.1.h; in practice double taxation treaties also apply [9]. We described the general picture in the article taxes for residents and non-residents, and gave a general overview of income tax in IRPF. Check the treaty between your country and Spain separately for your specific case.

Common mistakes with SL taxes

• The reduced rate is applied without checking. The 15% rate for a new SL cannot be applied if the activity was carried on by a related company or by an individual with a stake of more than 50%, and it does not apply to groups or an entidad patrimonial [1].
• Money is taken out of the SL as if it were an autónomo. Any withdrawal of money must be documented as a dividend, salary or loan and valued at market value [1].
• Pagos fraccionados are forgotten. Modelo 202 is filed in April, October and December, regardless of the final return [6].
• IVA is deducted on an ineligible invoice. The deduction is possible as long as the expense is linked to transactions that give the right to deduct [2].
• The 303 return is not filed when the result is zero. You need a return showing no activity, an amount to carry forward or a refund [4].
• Rates are taken from last year. For small and medium-sized SLs the law has spread the rates over 2025-2028 [1].

When do you need an individual review?

You need a review when the SL owns property or securities and could become an entidad patrimonial, when the partners include non-residents and companies, when you have to choose between dividends and salary, when the company works with the EU and non-EU countries, and when you want to use the empresa emergente benefits. This depends on your case; check with a lawyer or gestor before the period closes.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team in Barcelona looks at the tax side of your status together with the immigration side: how the SL’s taxes relate to your residence permit and your tax residence. The tax and administrative side is handled by the team’s graduada social, the legal side by the lawyer. We do not replace the company’s accountant and do not promise a tax result. First consultation: 15 minutes free; full consultation: €121 for 45 minutes. Book: consultation. Service page: documents and support.

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.