2024 TAX SEASON – FAQ
The tax year in Portugal runs according to the calendar year, meaning it starts on the 1st January of every year and end on the 31st December of the same year.
You only have to report your income from the time you became tax resident in Portugal until the 31st December or until you ceased to be tax resident.
You will need to file two separate tax returns, one for the period when you were not a tax resident and one for only the period when you became tax resident up until the end of December.
Tax season commences on the 1st April and ends on the 30th June. You can not file before this.
Yes, if you have foreign income and are required to file a foreign tax return you are eligible to obtain an extension. You will only be able to get an extension should you apply for it before the 30th June
If you applied for an extension the deadline to file is the end of December
Portugal works on the residence basis of taxation, this means if you have any income anywhere in the world you are required to file a tax return in Portugal if you are tax resident.
If you have a foreign bank account or investment account, then you have to disclose these account numbers in your annual tax return. Therefore even if you have no income but have foreign accounts you are required to file a tax return.
No, in Portugal you have access to your tax file via the tax portal https://www.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/, all you need to gain access is your NIF and Passcode (Senha)
Although it is not a legislative requirement to use a tax practitioner/accountant to file your tax return it is recommended that you do use a professional to file your tax return.
Once you have filed your tax return the system will capture it and verify that it is correct. This means that the tax office will confirm that there is no information contained in the tax return that is in contradiction to information that they may have at their disposal.
Once they have confirmed its validity they will send you an email confirming this or if they identified an error they will inform you.
If they have accepted your tax return and validated it, it will move onto an assessor who will assess the return and raise a tax assessment. This assessment will be posted to you via CTT to your registered address.
There is no fixed time frame from the time you file your return until an assessment has been raised.
On the assumption that the tax return was filed before the deadline (end of June) then the payment deadline is the last working day of August.
If you have a Portuguese bank account, then select on your electronic banking profile the option payments, then select either Public Services or State , enter your tax number, payment reference number (which will appear on the assessment) and the amount.
Yes, you can apply for a payment plan over 12 months or more depending on the value. Should the value be considerable then the tax office may require a guarantee to be provided.
Yes, in Portugal you can raise an objection, it is called a “Reclamacao Graciosa”. It is important to understand that the submission of the objection does not stay the requirement to pay the tax. Should the objection not be resolved prior to the payment deadline you would be required to settle the tax and if the objection results in your favour then a refund will be issued.
Yes, before the deadline of June you are permitted to submit as many tax returns as you like, however after June there are certain rules that determine whether you can or can’t resubmit your tax return.
No, on submission of the tax return you do not need to upload any supporting documents. This will only become a requirement if the tax office select to review your tax return and may ask you for specific documents to corroborate the numbers on your tax return.
Yes, Portugal permit the filing of individual returns or joint returns. You are permitted to choose every year which option you would like to use. In the majority of the situations a joint tax return will result in a better tax result.