Featured Posts

  • Mexican Financial Stereotypes

    The world over has stereotypical ideas about Mexico and particularly about Mexico's financial situation. Richard Fisher, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve in Dallas, thinks it ...

    Read More
  • Employment in Mexico

    Employment law in Mexico has its own set of rules and regulations that must be followed, whether you are a corporation, a small business or running a ...

    Read More
  • IVA Increase and Facturas

    On January 1, 2010, the amount of Mexico's Value Added Tax, called IVA, increased by one percent. Here's a quick take on how corporations should deal with ...

    Read More
  • Taxation in Mexico

    Taxes are confusing enough in your own country, let alone in a foreign country. Add to that the language difference, and you've got a recipe for confusion. ...

    Read More
  • Hiring and Firing Employees

    Employment law in Mexico has a set of rules you may not be familiar with if you previously ran a business in the USA or Canada. This ...

    Read More
  • Read More

    More
    • Page Views 12149

    Taxation in Mexico

    The most significant taxes in Mexico for corporations and individuals, measured in the amount of pesos collected, are the business flat tax (IETU), income tax (ISR), value added tax (IVA) and tax on cash deposits (IDE). The following is a brief description of each major type of Mexican tax:

    Business Flat Tax (Impuesto Empresarial de Tarifa Única – IETU)
    This tax is paid by resident Mexican business entities, such as corporations and partnerships, as well as individuals on their worldwide income received as compensation for the sale of goods, for independent services rendered and for leased goods.

    The tax is calculated and paid monthly on a cash-flow basis at a rate of 17% for 2009 and 17.5% for 2010. For example, if August is the current month, taxpayers apply the tax rate to the difference between sales (from January to July) minus expenses (from January to July). From this result, payments from prior months can be deducted.

    Income Tax (Impuesto Sobre la Renta – ISR)
    All revenues for entities and individuals, including those obtained abroad, are taxed according to the income tax law. The rate for corporations is 28%. Individuals pay this tax using a progressive table from 0% to 28%. The tax is calculated on an annual basis, with monthly payments in advance. Expenses are not counted as deductions on the monthly payments. Deductions are applied only when the annual tax calculation is prepared.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Taxpayers do not pay the total of both IETU and ISR. The amount of ISR and IETU tax due is calculated each month and the taxes due are compared. Taxpayers only pay the highest amount in the following way: If the highest amount is ISR then the taxpayer only pays the ISR tax, but if the highest amount is IETU, then the taxpayer pays the ISR amount plus any IETU over that amount.

    According to the income tax law in Mexico, a corporation also has taxable income when they issue an invoice to collect money from a client. In other words, if a corporation issues an invoice in May but does not collect until July, the corporation is compelled to pay taxes in May.

    An interesting note is that any increase in the value of liabilities due to inflation is added to taxable income. On the other hand, any increase in current assets due to inflation becomes an additional tax deduction. After calculating the net of these amounts, the corporation may have an extra tax deduction or extra taxable income. Stockholders of companies in Mexico should be aware that if their corporation repays debt, it may result in extra taxable income because the original amount will be repaid but will likely be less than the inflated debt on the books.

    The calculations for individuals are the same as for corporations, with the difference being that the taxation rate is variable depending on the taxable basis. The higher the income, the higher the rate.

    For individuals whose only source of income is from a salary, the government pays a subsidy called the “employment subsidy” which is a deduction from the payable income tax. This deduction is an amount that also changes depending on the level of income. Again, the more income, the lower the employment subsidy and the less income, the higher the employment subsidy. The employment subsidy is paid by the government through the employer and the employer can deduct the employment subsidy payments from their tax payments.

    It is important to know that for corporations, the calculations for deductions are the same as for income. In other words, the corporation can deduct an expense in the year that the invoice is issued by the supplier, whether or not that invoice actually gets paid in the current OR subsequent year. This is not true for individuals, who only deduct expenses when they pay (when the check is cashed) and accumulate income when they are paid (when they cash the check paid to them).

    Value Added Tax (Impuesto al Valor Agregado – IVA)
    IVA is a sales tax applied to the value added to products and services through the chain of production, taxing the final price paid by the consumer.
    All individuals and entities engaging in the activities listed below are required to pay value added tax:

    • Sale of assets
    • Rendering of independent services
    • Grant of temporary use or sale of assets
    • Import of goods or services

    Taxpayers have the right to deduct the VAT paid by them when purchasing goods or services that are bought in conducting the main activities of their business. Here is an example of how that formula works:

     Value added tax collected from clients
    -Value added tax paid to suppliers
    = Payable IVA or IVA a favor

    As with the case of income tax for individuals, both corporations and individuals accumulate this tax a pagar (payable to the government) when they receive the money from sales that include IVA. From that amount, they can deduct the amount of IVA paid when they pay their suppliers.

    Tax on Cash Deposits (Impuesto sobre Depositos en Efectivo – IDE)
    The tax on cash deposits is a fairly new tax that was put into effect in July 2008. This tax is calculated at a 3% rate on the deposits made in cash to an account maintained with any Mexican financial institution. It is also applicable when the aggregate deposits in any month exceed MXN $15,000. The tax is collected by the institutions receiving the deposits, who issue the corresponding certificates of withholding to the taxpayers so they can deduct this tax from other taxes paid in Mexico.

    For example (in pesos):

    $20,000 total amount deposited in cash by taxpayer into his bank account
    $15,000 exemption
    $ 5,000 taxable amount
    $ 150 tax due (3%)

    NOTE: Only cash deposits are taxed. Wire transfers, check deposits, and deposits in currencies other than Mexican pesos are not taxed.

    We hope that this introduction will give you some idea of the tax laws in Mexico. Obviously, there are more details and other taxes related to individuals or business, and a myriad of deductions and ways to calculate taxes. There are also treaties between Mexico and other countries to prevent double taxation, but specific analysis is required for each particular case.

    For further information, we welcome comments or questions below. For more complicated issues, we invite you to contact the YES offices.

    Share This Article

    Hiring and Firing Employees

    Next Story »

    IVA Increase and Facturas

    15 Comments

    1. Wade in Canada
      November 26, 2009

      I started a F.O.M.C- Sunpalm in Feb.2009 to buy & sell Real estate in Mexico. I have bought 2 lots in the Yucatan but have not sold anything yet so I have no profit at this time. Do I owe any tax ? & how & when do I do my taxes? Thank you –Wade

    2. November 27, 2009

      Hello, I am not clear on what F.O.M.C. means but in general, Mexican Corporations will have to buy their properties with money previously deposited in their corporate bank account. If you do it this way, you have the right to claim the cost of the lot as an expense. No income tax will be due until you sell the property and determine your capital gains on it.

      If the corporation has liabilities as a result of a loan from shareholders to buy the property, then the corporation will have to pay income tax on the inflation effect on the amount of the loan.

      Either way Mexican corporations are obligated to submit monthly tax statements to the authorities regardless of whether or not there is a payment attached. We will gladly do a deeper analysis if you want us to, and let you know what kind of obligations you need to fulfill and any risks you are exposed to. Give us a call or send an email!

    3. france sullivan
      July 7, 2010

      I have a corporation issued in 2006 – it is passive since we used to purchase a lot and build a house in which we reside. Unfortunately the notary who started the process wrote this corporation as a construction company.
      I would wish to close the corporation and transform our assets – lot on the Bahia and the house built on it.
      Is it possible without having to pay huge sum of money in taxes since I brought the funds from the USA who were already taxed and those funds once transfered here were used to purchase the land and build on it. I did not wish to make any business but was misled in the process. I am really scared of my reality.
      Thanks,
      France in Chetumal

    4. france sullivan
      July 7, 2010

      I meant to close the corporation and open a trust.
      Is that possible and could you help me here in Chetumal.
      Regards,
      France

    5. July 8, 2010

      Hi France,
      Yes it is possible to close the corporation and to open a trust that holds title of your property, however there are costs related not only to taxes but to the closing of the corporation and the set up of the trust that you must be aware of. You need legal assistance to guide you in the process, timing and costs. Please contact our associate attorney Mr. Ignacio Puerto at ipuerto@puertoypino.com, he is in Merida. Another option is that you contact the firm DFK which has offices in Chetumal, they could assist you locally, write to Mr. Fernando Lopez at flopezjr@dfk.com.mx, also an associate of YES.

    6. Gloria Cauley
      September 9, 2010

      We are currently researching a move to Mexico. We are acutally interested in Baja Calif. Sur, expecially San Jose del Cabo. I find your web site very informative. Are you able to officer advice and contact information for our area of interest? Thanks for your help.

    7. September 13, 2010

      Gloria, we may be able to help you, depending on the specific type of assistance that you need. Email me at adriana@yucatanyes.com with your specific requirements and we can go from there.

    8. Dave
      September 20, 2010

      I have a U.S based tour company that brings in clients to Mexico for tours and they all pay me in the U.S. before coming into Mexico for the tours . I of course pay U.S. taxes . I live here in Mexico as a Inmigrado so do I pay and Mexican tax ?

    9. September 23, 2010

      Dave, as long as your company doesn´t have branches that render services in Mexico and as long as you are not receiving income in Mexico, you don´t have to pay taxes here.

    10. Amy
      February 8, 2012

      Does the IVA rate vary? I teach private English classes and my accountant told me I have to pay the 17.5% IETU and 16% IVA, for a total of 33% of my income each month. Is there a way to drop the IVA rate? I have very few deductions.

    11. February 8, 2012

      Amy, no, the IVA rate does not vary. It is 16% in Yucatan and most of Mexican States. Only border States (as Quintana Roo, for example) pay 11% IVA.

    12. Maria Kanto
      November 29, 2016

      I will rent my town house in Saltillo, MX., but II do not know where to start. I live in McAllen, TX; and I have a Real Estate rental LLC on which I had paid taxes for 20 yrs.in the U.S. But I do not know where do I have to pay taxes – in Mexico or in the U.S. ; and how to report the rental income from the Saltillo, MX. rental house, which is still vacant.

      Thanks in advance for your knowledge, Maria Kanto

    13. Yucatan Expatriate Services
      November 30, 2016

      Maria, for a property in Mexico, for which rental you will receive income in Mexico, you’ll need to pay taxes in Mexico. We’d suggest you to hire the services of an accountant in Saltillo or nearby to assist you with the payment of your taxes.

    14. Nancy
      February 22, 2022

      How do you apply for and RFC?

    15. Yucatan Expatriate Services
      February 23, 2022

      Nancy, first you need to be a resident of Mexico and then request an appointment at the SAT office to get the RFC. You should also get suppport from an accountant to keep your income and expenses and report your taxes.

    Leave a comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    WPChat