Spanish tax glossary, in plain words
The official Spanish term, explained in two sentences. Because when the AEAT writes to you, you need to recognize the exact word.
A
AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency)
The AEAT is Spain's national tax authority, responsible for collecting and managing taxes such as VAT, income tax, and corporate tax.
Amortización (depreciation)
Amortización is the spreading of the cost of a long-lived asset (a computer, a vehicle, a machine) over the years it will be used, instead of deducting it all in the year of purchase.
Aplazamiento y fraccionamiento (tax deferral and payment in instalments)
Aplazamiento and fraccionamiento let you pay a tax debt later or in instalments when cash is tight; you request them at the sede electrónica, usually at the very moment of filing the return.
Asiento contable (journal entry)
An asiento contable is the record of one transaction in the accounting journal: it contains at least one debit and one credit, and the two sides must add up to exactly the same amount.
Autónomo (self-employed in Spain)
An autónomo is a self-employed individual who works independently in Spain and bears the financial risk of their own business.
Autónomo societario (corporate self-employed)
An autónomo societario is someone who runs or holds a significant stake in a company and therefore contributes to RETA instead of the general employee social security regime.
B
Balance de situación (balance sheet)
The balance de situación is a snapshot of the company at a specific date: what it owns and is owed (assets), what it owes to others (liabilities) and what belongs to the owners (equity).
Base de cotización (social security contribution base)
The base de cotización is the amount on which social security percentages are applied to calculate what you pay into the system.
Base imponible (taxable base)
The base imponible is the amount a tax is calculated on: on an invoice, it is the price of your goods or services before adding IVA (Spanish VAT) and before subtracting any IRPF withholding.
C
Capital social (share capital)
Capital social is what the partners contribute to the company, in money or assets, at incorporation or in later capital increases, divided into shares.
Casilla (tax form box)
A casilla is one of the numbered fields on a Spanish tax form or return where a specific figure or piece of data goes.
Certificado de residencia fiscal (tax residency certificate)
The certificado de residencia fiscal is the official document from the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) confirming that you are a tax resident of Spain for a given year.
Certificado digital (digital certificate)
A certificado digital is an electronic file, usually issued by the FNMT, that identifies a person or a company's legal representative and allows them to sign and file procedures online with full legal validity.
Cese de actividad (self-employed unemployment benefit)
Cese de actividad is the benefit covering self-employed workers forced to shut down, roughly the unemployment benefit for autónomos.
CIF (former Spanish company tax ID)
The CIF (código de identificación fiscal) formally disappeared in 2008, when it became the NIF (tax ID) of legal entities, but the term is still used every day.
Cl@ve (digital ID system)
Cl@ve is the electronic identification system used by Spanish public administrations, allowing access to online procedures without needing a digital certificate.
Conciliación bancaria (bank reconciliation)
Conciliación bancaria means matching every transaction on the bank statement against its corresponding entry in the accounting records, until the book balance and the bank balance agree.
Convenio de doble imposición (double taxation treaty, CDI)
A convenio de doble imposición (CDI) is a bilateral treaty between Spain and another country that allocates the right to tax each type of income, so you do not pay twice on the same money.
Criterio de caja, RECC (cash accounting VAT scheme)
The criterio de caja (RECC) is an optional VAT regime that lets you pay output VAT when your invoice is collected rather than when it is issued, available to businesses with up to 2 million euros in annual turnover.
Cuenta de pérdidas y ganancias (profit and loss account)
The cuenta de pérdidas y ganancias is the financial statement that summarizes the year's income and expenses: the difference between the two is the result, a profit or a loss.
Cuentas anuales (annual accounts)
Cuentas anuales are the financial statements every Spanish company must prepare at year end: at minimum the balance sheet, the profit and loss account, and the explanatory notes (memoria).
Cuota de autónomos (monthly self-employed contribution)
The cuota de autónomos is the monthly payment made to social security for being registered under RETA.
D
Declaración complementaria (supplementary tax return)
A declaración complementaria corrects a self-assessment you already filed when the correction means paying more, or getting a smaller refund, but today it survives only in the forms and periods where the autoliquidación rectificativa is not yet in place.
Declaración de la renta (annual income tax return, Modelo 100)
The declaración de la renta, filed on Modelo 100, is the annual Spanish personal income tax return: it adds up all your income for the year and reconciles it against the withholdings and advance payments already made.
Declaración responsable (self-certification)
A declaración responsable is a document in which a person or business certifies, under their own responsibility, that they meet the legal requirements to start an activity or access a procedure, without waiting for prior authorization from the administration.
Devengo (tax accrual point)
The devengo is the moment a tax obligation is born: for VAT, as a general rule, when you deliver the goods or complete the service, not when you get paid.
Dietas (meal allowances for work travel)
Dietas are an autónomo's meal expenses during work related travel, deductible only under strict conditions: eating at a restaurant or hospitality establishment, paying electronically (never in cash), and being able to show the link to your business activity.
Domiciliación bancaria (direct debit)
Domiciliación bancaria is the authorization you give to a body or company to collect a payment directly from your bank account on a recurring basis.
E
Ejercicio fiscal (fiscal year)
The ejercicio fiscal is the period over which a company measures its results and its taxes; it can never exceed 12 months and, by default, it matches the calendar year.
Epígrafe IAE (business activity code)
The epígrafe IAE is the activity code you declare when registering with the tax agency on form 036, taken from the IAE (economic activities tax) classification.
Estimación directa simplificada (simplified direct estimation)
Estimación directa simplificada is the standard method most self-employed workers use to calculate net income: you subtract documented deductible expenses from income, plus a flat deduction for hard-to-justify expenses of 5%, capped at 2,000 euros a year.
Estimación objetiva (módulos)
Estimación objetiva, commonly called módulos, is an alternative method to calculate net income based on objective indicators of your business, such as premises size, staff, or electrical power, rather than your actual income and expenses.
F
Factura electrónica (mandatory B2B e-invoicing)
A factura electrónica is an invoice issued and received in a structured electronic format, and the Crea y Crece law (Ley 18/2022) will make it mandatory for transactions between businesses and self-employed workers in Spain.
Factura proforma (proforma invoice)
A factura proforma is a commercial document that previews what an invoice will look like (items, amounts, VAT) before the deal is closed, but it has no tax validity: it is not booked, not reported, and gives no right to deduct anything.
Factura rectificativa (corrective invoice)
A factura rectificativa is an invoice that corrects or cancels a previously issued invoice, due to errors, returns, later discounts or unpaid debts.
Factura simplificada (simplified invoice)
A factura simplificada is a reduced invoice format, the successor to the old paper ticket, which does not require the customer's full details and is used mainly for retail sales or low-value transactions.
G
Gastos deducibles (deductible business expenses)
An autónomo's deductible expenses are those tied to the business activity, backed by supporting documents (normally an invoice), and recorded in your books: only when all three conditions are met do they reduce your taxable net income.
Gestoría (tax and admin agency)
A gestoría is a professional firm that handles your tax, labor, and administrative filings with the tax agency, social security, and other bodies on your behalf.
I
Impuesto de Sociedades (corporate tax)
Impuesto de Sociedades is the tax charged on the profits earned by Spanish companies, such as an SL or SA, instead of the personal income tax that individuals pay.
Inversión del sujeto pasivo (VAT reverse charge)
Inversión del sujeto pasivo is a VAT mechanism in which the recipient of the transaction, rather than the party issuing the invoice, is the one who declares and pays the corresponding VAT.
IRNR (Non-Resident Income Tax)
The IRNR is Spain's Non-Resident Income Tax, paid by individuals and entities that are not tax resident in Spain but earn income here: rent, one-off work, dividends, or other Spanish-source income.
IRPF (personal income tax)
IRPF is Spain's personal income tax, applied to the earnings of individuals, including self-employed workers.
IVA (VAT)
IVA is Spain's value added tax, charged on the sale of goods and services; the general rate is 21%.
IVA repercutido (output VAT)
IVA repercutido is the VAT you add to your invoices and collect from your clients on your sales.
IVA soportado (input VAT)
IVA soportado is the VAT you pay on your business purchases and expenses: equipment, software, professional services, utilities.
L
Ley Beckham (Beckham Law, special inpatriate tax regime)
The Beckham Law is Spain's special inpatriate regime under article 93 of the personal income tax law, which lets certain workers who relocate to Spain be taxed for several years as non-residents, at a flat 24% on their employment income up to a threshold.
Libro diario (accounting journal)
The libro diario is the accounting book where every transaction of the business is recorded in chronological order as journal entries.
Libros registro de IVA (VAT record books)
The libros registro de IVA are the VAT record books where you log every invoice issued, every invoice received, and the investment goods of your business; the figures of the quarterly VAT return come straight from them.
M
MEI (intergenerational equity mechanism)
The MEI (mecanismo de equidad intergeneracional) is an earmarked extra social security contribution that feeds Spain's pension reserve fund.
Modelo 036 (census registration form)
Modelo 036 is the census registration form used to register, update or deregister a self-employed activity or company with the Spanish tax agency, covering the economic activity, VAT regime and other tax details.
Modelo 037 (simplified registration form, now abolished)
Modelo 037 was the simplified version of the census registration form, the short form many freelancers used to register with the Spanish tax agency.
Modelo 111 (quarterly IRPF withholding return)
Modelo 111 is the quarterly return for IRPF (personal income tax) withholdings applied to employees' payroll, to professionals who issue invoices with withholding, and to other recipients.
Modelo 115 (quarterly rental withholding return)
Modelo 115 is the quarterly return for IRPF withholdings applied to the rent paid for premises or offices used for an economic activity.
Modelo 130 (quarterly IRPF prepayment)
Modelo 130 is the quarterly IRPF prepayment for self-employed individuals under direct estimation (estimación directa) whose income is not largely covered by withholdings.
Modelo 180 (annual rental withholding summary)
Modelo 180 is the annual summary of Modelo 115, detailing the withholdings applied during the year to premises rentals.
Modelo 190 (annual withholding summary)
Modelo 190 is the annual summary of Modelo 111, listing by recipient all the IRPF withholdings applied during the year to payroll and professional invoices.
Modelo 200 (annual Corporate Tax return)
Modelo 200 is the annual Corporate Tax return, where an SL settles the tax due on its profit for the year.
Modelo 202 (Corporate Tax installment payment)
Modelo 202 covers the Corporate Tax installment prepayments that an SL makes during the fiscal year itself, based on the current result or the previous year's tax liability.
Modelo 210 (non-resident income tax return)
Modelo 210 is the self-assessment form for the IRNR (Non-Resident Income Tax), used by non-residents to declare and pay tax on income obtained in Spain.
Modelo 303 (quarterly VAT return)
Modelo 303 is the quarterly VAT self-assessment, where you declare the VAT charged on your invoices and deduct the VAT paid on eligible purchases and expenses.
Modelo 347 (annual third party transactions return)
Modelo 347 is the annual statement of transactions with third parties, reporting every client or supplier with whom you exceeded 3,005.06 € in combined transactions over the year.
Modelo 349 (EU transactions statement)
Modelo 349 is the recapitulative statement of intra-Community operations, reporting sales and purchases of goods and services with VAT-registered businesses in other EU countries.
Modelo 390 (annual VAT summary)
Modelo 390 is the annual VAT summary, which compiles and reconciles the four quarterly Modelo 303 returns filed during the year.
Modelo 720 (foreign assets declaration)
Modelo 720 is an informative declaration of assets held abroad by Spanish tax residents: bank accounts, securities and insurance, and real estate, whenever any of those blocks exceeds 50,000 euros.
N
NIE (foreigner ID number)
The NIE is the identity number assigned to foreigners in Spain, required for virtually any official procedure, including tax and social security registration.
NIF (tax ID number)
The NIF is the tax identification number used to identify you or your company before the Spanish tax authorities for any fiscal procedure.
Norma 43 (Spanish bank statement file format)
Norma 43 (also called cuaderno 43) is the standard format defined by Spanish banking for exporting account transactions as a file that accounting software can read.
Notificaciones electrónicas (mandatory electronic notifications, DEHu)
Notificaciones electrónicas are the official communications that the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) and other public bodies place in a digital mailbox, the DEHu, instead of sending you a paper letter; for companies the system is mandatory.
O
Objeto social (corporate purpose)
The objeto social is the description of the activities the company will carry out, written into its articles of association and registered at the Registro Mercantil.
Operación exenta (VAT-exempt transaction)
An operación exenta is a transaction that falls within Spanish VAT but where, by law, no VAT is charged on the invoice: this covers healthcare, education or residential rentals, among other activities listed in article 20 of the VAT law.
P
Pago fraccionado (advance tax payment)
A pago fraccionado is an advance payment of tax made during the year itself: quarterly Modelo 130 or 131 for personal income tax, and Modelo 202 for corporate tax.
Partida doble (double-entry bookkeeping)
Partida doble is the method all real accounting is built on: every transaction is recorded twice, as a debit in one account and a credit in another, for the same total amount.
Plan General de Contabilidad (PGC, Spanish general accounting plan)
The Plan General de Contabilidad (PGC) is Spain's official accounting framework: it sets the principles, the valuation rules, the annual accounts templates, and a standardized chart of accounts used by every company.
Pluriactividad (being employed and self-employed at once)
Pluriactividad means being an employee and self-employed at the same time, contributing simultaneously to the general regime and to RETA (the self-employed scheme).
R
Recargo de equivalencia (retail VAT surcharge scheme)
The recargo de equivalencia is a special VAT scheme that is mandatory for retail traders operating as individuals who resell products without transforming them.
Recargo por declaración extemporánea (late filing surcharge)
The recargo por declaración extemporánea is what you pay for filing a return late on your own initiative, before the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) demands it: a flat 1% plus 1% for each complete month of delay, with no penalty and no interest during the first 12 months.
Registro de facturación (Verifactu invoicing record)
A registro de facturación is the electronic record that, under Verifactu, the software generates when issuing each invoice, holding its essential data, a hash chained to the previous record's hash, and backing the verification QR code on the invoice itself.
Registro Mercantil (Spanish companies registry)
The Registro Mercantil is the public registry where Spanish companies and their key acts are recorded: incorporation, articles, directors, powers of attorney, or changes of address.
Regla de prorrata (pro rata rule)
The regla de prorrata determines how much of your input VAT you can deduct when you carry out both transactions with a right to deduct and exempt transactions without that right.
Regularización de cuotas (annual adjustment of self-employed contributions)
The regularización de cuotas is the annual RETA true-up: the following year, social security compares the contributions you paid against your real net income as reported by the tax agency.
Rendimiento neto (net income)
Rendimiento neto is your income from self-employment minus the deductible expenses of your activity; it is the figure used to calculate both your income tax and your RETA contribution bracket.
Representante fiscal (tax representative in Spain)
A representante fiscal is the person or firm established in Spain that acts before the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) on behalf of a non-resident taxpayer: receiving notifications, filing their returns, and answering formal notices.
Requerimiento (formal notice from the tax agency)
A requerimiento is a formal notice from the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) that obliges you to do something specific: provide invoices or supporting documents, clarify a figure in a return, or file a missing form.
Residencia fiscal (tax residency in Spain)
You are a tax resident in Spain if you spend more than 183 days here in a calendar year or if your center of economic interests is in Spain; in addition, you are presumed resident, unless you prove otherwise, when your spouse (not legally separated) and minor children live in Spain.
RETA (self-employed social security regime)
RETA is the special social security scheme that self-employed workers, including corporate autónomos, contribute to in Spain.
Retención (withholding)
Retención is the portion of an invoice or payslip that the payer withholds and pays directly to the tax agency on account of the recipient's income tax.
ROI y VIES (EU VAT registers)
ROI is the Register of Intra-Community Operators, which must be requested via Modelo 036 in order to invoice EU businesses without VAT, and VIES is the EU wide system used to check whether a company's VAT number is registered.
S
Sanción tributaria (tax penalty)
A sanción tributaria is the fine the AEAT (Spanish Tax Agency) imposes for breaching a tax obligation, and infringements are classified as minor, serious, or very serious depending on the harm caused and whether there was concealment or fraudulent means.
Sede electrónica (online office / e-government portal)
A sede electrónica is the official online portal where you file returns, check notifications, and complete procedures with a public body such as the tax agency.
Serie de facturación (invoice numbering series)
A serie de facturación is a self-contained numbering block within which invoices are numbered consecutively and without gaps; you can use a single series or several, for example per business line or per year.
SII (Immediate Supply of Information, near real-time VAT reporting)
The SII is the AEAT system through which certain taxpayers keep their VAT record books directly on the tax agency's electronic portal, submitting the details of each invoice within a few days.
SMI (Spain's minimum wage)
The SMI (salario mínimo interprofesional) is Spain's legal minimum wage for a full-time job: 1,221 euros per month in 2026 (Royal Decree 126/2026).
Sociedad limitada (SL, Spanish private limited company)
A sociedad limitada (SL) is the standard company form for small and medium businesses in Spain: a legal entity of its own whose capital is divided into shares called participaciones.
Suplido (disbursement on behalf of a client)
A suplido is a payment you make in your client's name and on their behalf, under their instruction, and then pass on for the exact amount: a typical example is an official fee a gestoría pays for its client.
T
Tarifa plana (flat-rate contribution)
The tarifa plana is a reduced monthly social security payment of 80 euros for the first 12 months after registering as self-employed, meant to ease the cost of starting a business.
TGSS (Social Security Treasury)
The TGSS is the body that manages registration, deregistration, and collection of social security contributions in Spain, including the monthly quota paid by self-employed workers.
TicketBAI (Basque invoicing system)
TicketBAI is the certified-software invoicing system of the three Basque provincial tax authorities (Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa): each invoice generates a signed, chained file that is submitted to the provincial tax authority, and the invoice itself carries its identifying code and a QR.
Tipo impositivo (tax rate)
The tipo impositivo is the percentage applied to the taxable base to work out the tax due.
V
Ventanilla única OSS (One Stop Shop)
The ventanilla única OSS is the EU system that lets you report the VAT on your B2C sales to consumers in other EU countries from Spain, without registering country by country.
Verifactu
Verifactu is the new invoicing system that requires software to generate secure, chained invoicing records that can be verified by the tax agency.
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