How much tax do you pay on a holiday flat in Spain? Personal income tax (IRPF) explained without jargon
The income goes on your tax return as income from real estate capital, the expenses for the rented days are deducted, there is no 60 % reduction and the empty days are taxed too. With a worked example for a 4-place flat.
Reviewed on 22 September 2026 · By the team at Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional, more than ten years managing holiday rentals · Markdown version · Versión en español
Short answer: if you are a tax resident in Spain and rent your flat to tourists without providing hotel services, the income is declared on your personal income tax return (IRPF) as income from real estate capital: from what you receive you deduct the expenses for the rented days and the result is added to your general base, taxed at between 19 % and 47 % depending on your total income. There is no 60 % reduction as for long-term lets, and for the days the flat is empty you pay a small imputed income. For a 4-place flat leaving €14,000 net, the tax office typically takes between €3,000 and €4,500.
What exactly is declared?
Income: everything you receive from the guest, including cleaning, before deducting the platform's commission. If the platform pays you €850 for a €1,000 booking after keeping €150, the income is €1,000 and the €150 is an expense.
Deductible expenses (only in proportion to the rented days): platform and manager commissions, cleaning, utilities, association fees, IBI, insurance, mortgage interest, repairs, depreciation of 3 % of the construction value and of the furniture. The full list is in Expenses you can deduct.
Result: income minus expenses = net income, which goes into the general base with the rest of your income (salary, pension).
Why don't I get the 60 % reduction?
Because that reduction exists only for renting the tenant's main home. A tourist does not live in your flat. It is the most important tax difference between the two options and must be taken into account when comparing them (Tourist or long-term?).
And the days it is empty?
For the days the flat is not rented (and you do not use it as your main home) an imputed income is declared: 1.1 % of the cadastral value if it was revised in the last ten years, or 2 % if not, prorated for those days. For a flat with a cadastral value of €60,000 and 150 empty days, that is about €270-490 of imputed income, which at a 30 % rate means €80-150 of tax. It is little, but it exists. Explained in Empty days are taxed too.
A worked example
4-place flat in Torremolinos, full year, 220 rented days:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross income (with cleaning) | €23,000 |
| Platform commissions (average 15.5 %) | −€3,565 |
| Cleaning paid | −€2,200 |
| Manager (15 % of the net after the platform, plus VAT) | −€3,170 |
| Association fees, IBI, insurance, utilities, internet (220/365 proportion) | −€1,900 |
| Depreciation 3 % construction + furniture (proportion) | −€1,300 |
| Net income | €10,865 |
| Imputed income for 145 empty days (cadastral value €60,000, 1.1 %) | +€262 |
| Total added to your general base | ≈ €11,100 |
If your marginal rate is 30 %, you pay about €3,300. If it is 37 %, about €4,100. The money left in your pocket after tax is around €9,000-10,000.
When is it a business activity and not a rental?
When you provide hotel-type services during the stay (periodic cleaning, change of linen mid-stay, breakfasts, reception) or when you have a full-time employee to manage the rentals. Then it is declared as a business activity (with IAE, books and, normally, 10 % VAT). Cleaning on arrival and departure does not turn the rental into a business activity. Hiring a manager does not either: you are still a private individual with income from real estate capital.
If you are considering doing it through a company, we compare it in As an individual or through a company?.
Does the tax office find out what I earn?
Yes. Booking, Airbnb and the other platforms report your income and the details of the home to the tax office every year (DAC7 directive). The data appears in your pre-filled tax return. We explain it in Platforms report to the tax office.
What if I live outside Spain?
Everything changes: you pay non-resident income tax with form 210, with no progressive scale and with different rules depending on whether you are from the European Union or not. See I live outside Spain: what changes?.
Do I need an accountant?
For the tax return of an individual with one flat, it is not essential: the pre-filled return includes the income and you add the expenses. For non-residents, several owners, inheritances or a business activity, yes. We give each owner an annual summary with income, commissions, cleanings and rented days, which is what any adviser asks for.