Puerto Rico Flag

Puerto Rico: Living There - Tax Issues

Country Rating  » Star Rating Icon

In Depth

Directory

Global Statistics

Regional Statistics


Last Updated: Mar 14, 2007

Living There

Under Puerto Rican tax law, individuals are presumed to be resident if they are domiciled in Puerto Rico for a period of 183 or more days in a calendar year. A resident taxpayer can qualify for personal deductions and additional deductions (itemized or standard).

Income tax rates for single individuals and married couples filing separately:

SINGLE AND MARRIED INDIVIDUALS FILING SEPARATELY

TAXABLE INCOME US$ MARGINAL TAX RATE
Up to US$1,000 7%
US$1,000 – US$8,500 10% on band over US$1,000
US$8,500 – US$15,000 15% on band over US$8,500
US$15,000 – US$25,000 28% on band over US$15,000
Over US$25,000 33% on all income over US$25,000

Income tax rates for married couples filing jointly:

MARRIED INDIVIDUALS FILING JOINTLY

TAXABLE INCOME US$ MARGINAL TAX RATE
Up to US$2,000 7%
US$2,000 – US$17,000 10% on band over US$2,000
US$17,000 – US$30,000 15% on band over US$17,000
US$30,000 – US$50,000 28% on band over US$30,000
Over US$50,000 33% on all income over US$50,000

Each taxpayer is entitled to the following deductions (called personal exemptions):

  • US$1,300 for a single taxpayer or a married person not living with their spouse
  • US$3,000 for a married couple

There are other deductions a resident taxpayer can avail of and these deductions can be deducted into two ways. The taxpayer can opt for the standard deductions or the itemized deductions.

Standard deductions may be claimed instead of itemized deductions. The standard deductions are:

  • US$3,000 for a married couple filing jointly, or
  • US$1,500 for couples living together and filing separately, or
  • US$2,000 for a single taxpayer (or a married person not living with their spouse)

In lieu of standard deductions, a taxpayer can opt for itemized deductions such as:

  • Child’s care expenses: up to US$600 for one child and US$1,200 for two or more children
  • Medical expenses (medical and dental expenses, including insurance premiums over 3% the adjusted gross income)
  • Taxes on the taxpayer’s principal residence and license fees on the taxpayer’s automobile
  • Interest expense on personal indebtedness
  • Rent: 10% of the annual rent on the taxpayer’s principal residence with a maximum of US$500
  • Charitable contributions: up to 15% to 30% of the adjusted gross income

Capital Gains Tax

Capital gains earned by resident individuals are taxed as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are gains earned from an asset which is held for more than 6 months. The taxable gain is computed by deducting the acquisition costs from the gross selling price.

However, individuals can opt for their net long-term (held for more than 6 months) capital gains to be taxed at a flat rate of 20%.

 

Puerto Rico - more data and information

Your Comments

Be the first to comment!

Post a comment

Email address is kept strictly confidential
* Optional, but allows us to notify you when your comment has been posted.
Comments submitted using this form will be published.
Note that the editors cannot answer specific questions, e.g., about law or taxation.
These issues can be raised by posting publicly here, where often knowledgeable local readers are able to assist.



Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Enter your email address to sign up.