The short version: owning a home in Mallorca involves taxes at four moments: when you buy, every year you own it, if you rent it out and when you sell. They are collected by three administrations, the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT), the Balearic Tax Agency (ATIB) and the town hall, and the Catastro keeps the official record of the property that several of them rely on. This guide sets out which taxes exist, who collects each one and where the official information is. It deliberately gives no rates or amounts. Those depend on your residence, your income and how you hold the property, and they are for a tax adviser. We work with one and are happy to introduce you.
How we explain taxes to our clients
Taxes come up in almost every first conversation with an American buyer, usually as one question: how much will I pay? Our answer is always the same: we explain what exists, which office collects it and when it appears, so that nothing comes as a surprise. The figures for your case come from a tax adviser, because in Spain the same house can be taxed very differently depending on whether its owner lives here or not, rents it out or keeps it for family use.
We make sure you reach that meeting knowing the names of the taxes and the questions to ask. And because buyers ask us constantly, we work with a tax adviser we trust and introduce our clients to them.
Who collects what
- The AEAT (Agencia Tributaria), Spain’s national tax agency: income tax for residents and non-residents, VAT and the information returns on assets abroad.
- The ATIB (Agència Tributària de les Illes Balears), the Balearic Islands’ own tax agency: the tax on property transfers, the tax on inheritances and gifts and the wealth tax for Balearic residents. It also collects local taxes on behalf of most of Mallorca’s town halls.
- The town hall (ajuntament): the annual property tax, the municipal tax on the increase in land value and local fees such as waste collection.
- The Catastro (Sede Electrónica del Catastro): not a tax office, but the official property register whose cadastral reference and cadastral value several of these taxes use.
When you buy
The tax on the purchase depends on who sells. On a resale home, bought from a private owner, the buyer pays the Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales, the property transfer tax, which in the Balearic Islands is managed by the ATIB. On a new home bought directly from a developer, the purchase carries VAT, IVA, managed by the AEAT, together with the stamp duty on the deed, Actos Jurídicos Documentados, which also goes through the ATIB.
Notary and land registry fees are paid at the same time, but they are fees for a service, not taxes. The full calculation is one of the first things to ask your adviser for.
Every year you own the home
The IBI. The Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles is the annual property tax. It belongs to the town hall and is calculated on the cadastral value recorded by the Catastro. In Santanyí, Ses Salines and Campos, the IBI and the municipal waste collection fee arrive as annual receipts collected by the ATIB on the town hall’s behalf, according to the ATIB’s own local tax calendar for 2026. They can be paid by direct debit from a Spanish bank account.
Non-resident income tax. If you are not a tax resident in Spain, owning a home here has its own income tax, the Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes, filed with the AEAT on Form 210. It applies even when the house is kept for your own use and never rented: the AEAT then taxes an imputed income from the property.
Wealth tax. Spain has a wealth tax, the Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio, which in general terms affects individuals whose net assets exceed an exempt amount set by law. For residents of the Balearic Islands it is managed by the ATIB, and the Balearic government sets its own exempt amount and rates. Non-residents can also be affected for the assets they hold in Spain. The return is filed on Form 714. Whether it concerns you is a question for your first meeting with an adviser.
If you become a resident. Once you are a tax resident in Spain, the home becomes part of your Spanish income tax return, the IRPF, instead of the non-resident tax.
If you rent it out
Rental income is taxed in Spain. A non-resident owner declares it with the AEAT, also on Form 210; a resident owner includes it in the IRPF. Renting in the Balearic Islands also has its own rules depending on the type of rental, a subject for your lawyer as much as for your tax adviser.
When you sell
A sale has two taxes worth knowing by name. The first is municipal: the Impuesto sobre el Incremento del Valor de los Terrenos de Naturaleza Urbana, known everywhere as the plusvalía municipal. It belongs to the town hall and is regulated by the Local Finance Act; the ATIB, which collects local taxes for most municipalities in Mallorca, has an information page on it.
The second is the tax on the capital gain, the difference between what the home cost and what it sells for. A resident declares it in the IRPF; a non-resident declares it as non-resident income with the AEAT. When the seller is a non-resident, the buyer withholds part of the price and pays it to the AEAT on Form 211, as an advance on the seller’s tax. It surprises many American sellers, so it is worth knowing before you list.
If the home is inherited or given
When a home in Mallorca passes to heirs or is given during the owner’s lifetime, the Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones applies, managed in the Balearic Islands by the ATIB. For families with heirs in more than one country, it is worth discussing with an adviser early.
For Americans: the US side
The United States taxes its citizens wherever they live, and the IRS explains how filing works from abroad. Three names come up with every American client:
- FATCA, the US law under which foreign banks report accounts held by US persons; the IRS describes it.
- FBAR, the report of foreign bank and financial accounts, also explained by the IRS.
- The Spain–United States tax treaty, signed in 1990 and amended by a protocol published in 2019, which decides which country taxes what and how double taxation is avoided. Its text is published in Spain’s official gazette, the BOE, and on the IRS treaty page.
On the Spanish side, residents with assets abroad file an information return, Form 720. How it all fits together is for your advisers in both countries to look at jointly.
Who to ask, and what to bring
The right person is a tax adviser who knows Spanish taxation and works regularly with Americans. When we introduce a client to ours, the meeting goes faster with your passport and NIE, the property’s cadastral reference, the deeds or the draft contract, your last US tax return and a clear idea of how you will use the house: your own use, family, rental or a future move. Questions worth asking at that first meeting: what will I pay when I buy, what every year, what if I rent, what if I sell, and what changes if I become a resident.
What you need to know
What taxes do you pay when you own a home in Mallorca?
Every year, the IBI property tax and local fees such as waste collection; if you are a non-resident, the non-resident income tax; and, depending on your assets, the wealth tax. Buying, renting out and selling each have their own taxes.
Who collects property taxes in Mallorca?
The AEAT collects national taxes, the ATIB collects the Balearic taxes and, for most town halls, the IBI and local fees, and the town hall owns the municipal taxes.
Do non-residents pay tax on a home they do not rent out?
Yes. The AEAT taxes an imputed income from the property through the non-resident income tax, filed on Form 210. Your adviser calculates it.
Is there a wealth tax in Mallorca?
Yes, the Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio. For Balearic residents it is managed by the ATIB; non-residents can also be affected for assets in Spain. Whether it applies to you depends on your overall situation.
Can you recommend a tax adviser?
Yes. We work with a tax adviser we trust and introduce our clients to them, so the figures for your case come from someone who sees the whole picture.
Where we work
These are the villages where we work every day: homes in Santanyí, homes in Ses Salines and homes in Campos. If you would like us to introduce you to our tax adviser, contact Villas y Fincas Mallorca and we will answer in English.
Updated October 2026. This guide names the taxes that exist for a homeowner in Mallorca and who manages them, with links to the official sources consulted in October 2026 (AEAT, ATIB, Catastro, BOE and IRS). It gives no rates or amounts, is for general information only and is not tax or legal advice.
