What modelo 202 is: the instalment payment of corporate tax
Corporate tax is filed once a year with the modelo 200 (the annual corporate tax return), but it is not all paid in one go. Article 40 of Act 27/2014 requires companies to make instalment payments on account of the tax for the period in progress. These payments are filed and paid with modelo 202, approved by Order HFP/227/2017.
The idea is the same as the self-employed person's modelo 130: the tax authority collects part of the tax in advance. The difference is that for an SL the most common calculation does not look at what you earn this year, but at what you declared in the last modelo 200 whose deadline has already passed. What you advance is neither a new tax nor an expense: it is money on account that is deducted at the end, in the 200.
Who has to file the 202 and who does not
In principle, every company subject to the tax, including a small single-shareholder SL. But the rules themselves exclude many:
- No positive tax due, no 202. Under the general method, the basis of the payment is the gross tax due on the last modelo 200 whose deadline has passed, less deductions, relief, withholdings and payments on account (art. 40.2). If that figure is zero or negative, because the SL made a loss or because withholdings covered the tax, there is nothing to pay.
- And if there is nothing to pay, you do not file. Article 1.3 of Order HFP/227/2017 says the 202 is not mandatory when no payment results, except for companies whose turnover exceeded 6 million euros in the 12 months before the start of the period: those always file it, even if it comes out at zero.
- Some entities are excluded by law, such as those in paragraphs 4 and 5 of article 29 (collective investment institutions and pension funds, among others), which do not affect a trading SL.
So an SL with a loss in its last 200 can go the whole year without filing any 202, and that is not an oversight: it is what the rules say.
Deadlines: 1 to 20 April, October and December
Payment is made in the first 20 calendar days of April, October and December (art. 40.1 and art. 5.1 of Order HFP/227/2017). If you pay by direct debit, the filing deadline ends on the 15th of those same months (art. 5.4 of the Order). When the last day falls on a weekend or a public holiday it moves to the next working day; in 2026 the December deadline runs to Monday 21st, because the 20th is a Sunday. You will find all the adjusted dates in the 2026-2027 tax calendar.
Note the detail that confuses people most: the April payment is calculated on the 200 from two financial years back, because the one for the previous year has not yet reached its deadline (it falls in July). The October and December payments already use the 200 filed that same July. So in April 2026 the 2024 modelo 200 was used, and in October and December 2026 the 2025 one is used.
How to calculate modelo 202 under the general method (18%)
This is the method for almost every small SL, and you do not have to request it. The basis is the gross tax due for the last period whose filing deadline had passed on the first day of the payment period, reduced by deductions, relief, withholdings and payments on account for that period. The 18% rate is applied to that basis (art. 40.2). If that last completed period lasted less than a year, as happens with the first financial year of an SL set up mid-year, the proportional part of the tax of earlier periods is also added until twelve months are completed (art. 40.2, second paragraph).
Example. A services SL filed in July 2026 the 2025 modelo 200 with gross tax due of 6,000 euros. It applied no deductions or relief and the bank withheld 150 euros on interest.
- Basis of the payment: 6,000 minus 150 = 5,850 euros.
- October 2026 payment: 18% of 5,850 = 1,053 euros.
- December 2026 payment: another 1,053 euros, because the basis is the same.
If the three payments of a year were calculated on the same tax figure, they would add up to 54% of it. If the company grows, the 202 falls short and the difference is paid in the 200; if the business shrinks, you may advance more than you end up owing, and you will recover it as a refund.
The accumulated-profit method: 5/7 of the rate on the year's profit
The second method, that of article 40.3, does look at the current year. The basis is the taxable base of the first 3, 9 or 11 months of the calendar year, calculated under the rules of the tax (for the April, October and December payments respectively). The percentage is the result of multiplying the tax rate by five sevenths, rounded down. For an SL taxed at the general rate of 25%, 5/7 of 25 is 17.86, which rounded down gives 17%. That 17% only holds for the general rate. With another rate the percentage changes: a newly created company at 15% gets 5/7 of 15, which is 10.71 and comes to 10%; and if your SL applies the 2026 micro-company scale (19% and 21%), the percentage is different and does not come from such a direct calculation. In those cases follow the instructions of the form on the AEAT website (the Spanish tax agency).
From the resulting amount you deduct relief, withholdings and payments on account, and instalment payments already made in that same period.
Example. An SL at the general rate that has chosen this method has a taxable base of 12,000 euros at 31 March, 40,000 at 30 September and 52,000 at 30 November, with no withholdings.
- April: 17% of 12,000 = 2,040 euros.
- October: 17% of 40,000 = 6,800, less 2,040 already paid = 4,760 euros.
- December: 17% of 52,000 = 8,840, less 6,800 already paid = 2,040 euros.
This method is mandatory if turnover exceeded 6 million euros in the 12 months before the start of the period. Companies that reach 10 million also have their own rules, with a different percentage and a minimum payment (fourteenth additional provision of the Act), which are outside the scope of this guide.
Summary table of the two modelo 202 methods
| General method (art. 40.2) | Accumulated profit (art. 40.3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Gross tax due on the last 200 past its deadline, less deductions, relief and withholdings | Taxable base of the first 3, 9 or 11 months of the current year |
| Percentage | 18% | 5/7 of the rate, rounded down: 17% at the general rate of 25%, 10% at the 15% rate for new companies; with the micro-company scale, per the instructions of the form |
| Deducted | Nothing else: the basis is already reduced | Relief, withholdings and earlier instalment payments of the period |
| Who uses it | By default, any small SL | Whoever opts for it, and compulsorily whoever exceeds 6 million in turnover |
| When you do not file | If the basis is not positive | If no payment results, unless turnover exceeds 6 million |
| How to choose it | Nothing to do | Modelo 036 in February; binding until you withdraw |
How to opt for the accumulated-profit method with modelo 036
The option is exercised in the census declaration, that is, in modelo 036, during the month of February of the year in which you want to apply it, if your SL's financial year matches the calendar year (art. 40.3). If it does not, you have two months from the start of the period, or less if the first payment falls due sooner. Once chosen, the method binds you for that period and the following ones until you withdraw, again with the 036 and within the same deadlines.
When is it worthwhile? Mostly when the current year is clearly going worse than the last one declared: under the general method you would be advancing on a profit that no longer exists. If the business is growing, the general method is usually cheaper in cash terms, because it is calculated on a weaker year. Since the choice lasts several years, decide it with the numbers in front of you.
The SL's first year, the credit in the 200 and the accounting
First year. In its first financial year the SL has no earlier 200, so under the general method the basis is zero and it files no 202. For an SL incorporated in 2026, the April 2027 payment is also zero, because the 2026 modelo 200 has not yet reached its deadline. The first 202 with an amount would come in October 2027, if the 2026 200 shows positive tax due. The guide to corporate tax in the first year explains this in more detail.
Credit in the 200. Instalment payments are deducted from the net tax due on the modelo 200 for the same financial year, just like withholdings (art. 41). If they add up to more than the tax due, the tax authority refunds the excess automatically (art. 127).
Accounting. Each payment is debited to 473 (Hacienda Pública, withholdings and payments on account) with a credit to 572, the bank: it is not an expense. At year end, 6300 is debited for the year's tax, 473 is credited for the payments and withholdings, and the remainder stays in 4752 (within 475) until you pay the 200. If the payments exceed the tax due, the excess goes to 4709.
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 473 (October payment) | 1,053 | |
| 572 Banks | 1,053 |
If you miss a deadline with an amount to pay, file as soon as possible: the surcharge starts at 1% (art. 27 of the General Tax Act). The guide I missed a tax deadline covers it.
Frequently asked questions
What is modelo 202?
How is modelo 202 calculated?
Do I have to file modelo 202 if my SL made a loss?
Do I have to file the 202 at zero?
When is modelo 202 filed?
Does a new SL pay the 202 in its first year?
Which account is modelo 202 booked to?
Keep reading
Modelo 200: the annual corporate tax return of a Spanish SL, step by step
Corporate income tax in Spain: your SL's first year
When Corporate Tax is paid in Spain: modelo 200 and modelo 202 dates in 2026 and 2027
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