Letting a Spanish property as a non-resident
Rental income is where the most money is won or lost by getting the rule wrong, because the treatment changes completely depending on where you live: some are taxed on the profit, others on the full rent.
What is declared
The income from letting a property located in Spain. It is filed quarterly, grouping income of the same type from the same payer into one return. For income accruing from 1 January 2024 there is also the option to group the whole calendar year into a single annual return.
Who declares it
The non-resident owner, for their share. If your tenant is a company or a professional, they may already have withheld tax and paid it over on Modelo 216 — that withholding is credited against your bill. The tenant's withholding form is Modelo 216, not 115. Form 115 is for resident landlords.
The distinction that changes everything
If you are resident in an EU member state, or in Iceland or Norway with effective exchange of tax information, you are taxed on NET income: you may deduct the expenses allowed under Spain's personal income tax law, provided you can show they relate directly to the Spanish income and have a direct and inseparable economic link with the activity carried on in Spain. If you live anywhere else, you are taxed on GROSS income, with nothing deductible at all. A British owner post-Brexit, or an American one, pays 24% on every euro of rent received.
Which expenses are deductible
For those entitled to deduct them: IBI, refuse charges, community fees, building insurance, mortgage interest, maintenance and repairs, utilities paid by the owner, agency fees and depreciation. One detail gets missed: annual expenses are deductible only for the days the property was actually let. A flat let for six months deducts half the IBI, not all of it. And the depreciation you deduct now comes back years later — it increases the capital gain when you sell.
When to file
Quarterly by default: the 1st to the 20th of the month after each quarter ends. Since 2024 you may instead elect to group the whole year and file once in January.
Common mistakes
Deducting expenses without being entitled to, because you do not live in the EU. Deducting a full year's IBI on a flat let for six months. Forgetting to credit the Modelo 216 withholding and paying twice. Not declaring imputed income for the days the flat stood empty. And missing the quarterly deadline in the belief that rent is declared once a year.
The rate that applies
The rate is applied to different bases depending on the case: to net income for residents of the EU, Iceland and Norway, and to gross income for everyone else.
Residents of the EU, Iceland or Norway
19%
Everyone else
24%
These are Spain's domestic rates. The double-taxation treaty between Spain and your country of residence may cap them lower, particularly on dividends, interest, royalties and pensions. miDeclaro does not apply a treaty rate automatically: it flags the case and routes it to a human rather than overcharging you.
A worked example with real figures
A flat let for all twelve months at €900 a month, with IBI, community fees and insurance as deductible expenses, owned outright by an EU resident.
- Gross income
- €10,800.00
- Deductible expenses
- − €1,590.00
- Taxable base
- €9,210.00
- Rate applied
- 19%
- Tax due
- €1,749.90
- To pay
- €1,749.90
Computed with rate table 2025.1 — the same one miDeclaro uses to generate your return. Not a rounded estimate.
Deadlines
Quarterly (the default)
1 July 2025 — 20 July 2025
The 1st to the 20th of the month following the quarter the income accrued in. The dates shown are for the second quarter; the other three follow the same rule, shifted.
Direct debit available until 15 July 2025
Annual grouping (income from 2024 onwards)
1 January 2026 — 20 January 2026
A single return between 1 and 20 January of the following year, covering all the year's rental income. It is optional and has to be elected.
Direct debit available until 15 January 2026
Work out the tax on your rent
miDeclaro applies the treatment your residence entitles you to, pro-rates expenses across the days let, and shows you the full breakdown.
Calculate my returnRates and deadlines for the 2025 tax year. Source: AEAT Non-Resident Taxation Manual (May 2025); docs/non_resident_tax_rates_spain.xlsx.