Nearly 870,000 taxpayers will receive notices from the Tax Office to declare rental income on their tax returns.

The 2025 Income Tax Campaign has officially begun with a new wave of notifications from the Tax Agency to taxpayers. More than three million citizens will see a message from the tax authorities in their draft tax return, whether related to renting out primary residences or tourist apartments, investing in cryptocurrencies, or receiving income abroad.

"This year, we will continue to promote voluntary compliance through a series of preventative notifications to avoid errors and omissions that could later lead to a possible adjustment," explains the tax authority.

Specifically, the Tax Agency will notify 867,000 taxpayers this year that it has records of receiving income from renting properties, information obtained from the deposits held by the corresponding agencies in each autonomous community. Compared to last year, the volume of these messages has increased by approximately 31,000.

These notifications are now a decade old, designed to encourage taxpayers to voluntarily declare income received from renting out properties, thus avoiding a subsequent tax adjustment. Therefore, their purpose is to remind taxpayers that they must declare this income, although they are free to do so or not.

The tax authorities first introduced this tool in the 2015 tax return season, and it has gained prominence over the years. During the first season, only 21,000 taxpayers received a notification regarding income linked to property rentals, while a year later the number of notifications increased more than tenfold (reaching approximately 136,000 in the 2016 tax year). In recent years, the volume has stabilized at over 800,000 messages.

Reports of tourist rentals, included in income tax returns from online sales platforms, are also gaining momentum. This year, they are expected to reach 437,000 messages, compared to 330,000 in the 2024 tax year. In addition to property rentals, the vast majority of which are for tourist purposes, this category of reports also includes the sale of goods, the provision of services, and the rental of transportation.

Regarding tourist apartments, it's worth noting that the Tax Agency has several sources of information for obtaining data. One of these is Form 179, which must be filed quarterly by individuals and companies acting as intermediaries in holiday rentals. Another is the single registration code for short-term rentals, which came into effect last July and is required to market tourist, temporary, or room rental properties on digital platforms.

In addition to those related to rental income, messages concerning virtual currencies and income from other countries are also increasing compared to the previous tax season. In the case of cryptocurrencies, the tax authorities will send 1.24 million notices, compared to 1.02 million last year; to which will be added another 1.012 million for foreign income, after reaching approximately 998,000 in the 2024 tax year.

Revenue soars

Throughout this tax season, which began on April 8 and will end on June 30, the Tax Agency expects 25,251,000 tax returns to be filed, 2.1% more than last year, due to the boost in job creation, while revenue is expected to reach €24,628 million, 18.4% more than the previous year. However, the amount to be refunded to taxpayers will be 3.2% lower, at €13.271 billion.

As explained by Soledad Fernández, Director General of the Tax Agency, during the official presentation of the 2025 Income Tax Return, among the reasons for the strong revenue growth this year are the higher capital gains of taxpayers, mainly from the sale of real estate; and the significant increase in investment income, given the rise in shares of listed companies.

Regarding the Wealth Tax forecast, the Tax Agency anticipates total revenue of €2.473 billion, a 15.4% increase, with a total number of returns of 220,797, a 2.5% decrease.