You have submitted your annual personal income tax return and, having been notified of the settlement notice, you realise that you will have to pay tax.
You should know that, in these situations, you can voluntarily request payment of the owed amount in instalments.
In order to do so, you must apply electronically to pay your IRS in instalments within 15 days of the deadline for voluntary payment (August 31st). This means that you can do so by September 15th, drawing up your plan taking into account the period over which you intend to settle your debt and, of course, the amount of the debt.
Under the terms of this plan, you can offer to pay the owed tax over a maximum of 36 months, as long as each monthly instalment has a minimum value of 25,50€.
Interest on arrears is added to each instalment, from the end of the period for voluntary payment, until the month of payment. In 2024, the default interest rate applicable to State debts is 8,876%,, according to the “Aviso n.º 678/2024”.
If you choose this model, there will be situations in which you will have to provide a guarantee, if the owed amount is more than €5.000,00€, unless, even if the debt is higher, you propose to pay it in less than 12 instalments.
Once the proposed plan has been accepted by the Tax Authority, not only will you be able to check the respective payment reference on the tax portal each month and make the payment using the details provided, but you can also request payment by direct debit.
As long as you are covered by the instalment plan and pay monthly, your tax situation is considered to be regularised. However, failure to pay one instalment means that the next instalments are due immediately and a debt certificate is issued for the amount in question.
Natacha Branquinho,
Associate Lawyer