Finance Ministry Grants a Second Reprieve on the Corporate Income-Tax Return, Pushing the Deadline to 30 June as Filings Fall Short
The government has extended the Modelo 22 corporate income-tax deadline to 30 June, its second postponement, after only 81% of expected returns had reached the Tax Authority by mid-month — a shortfall of more than 100,000 filings blamed on a winter of storms.
Companies operating in Portugal have been handed extra time to settle their accounts with the taxman. The Secretary of State for Tax Affairs (Secretária de Estado dos Assuntos Fiscais), Cláudia Reis Duarte, has signed an order extending the deadline for delivering the Modelo 22 (Form 22) — the annual corporate income-tax (IRC) return — to 30 June 2026. It is the second postponement of a deadline that originally fell on 31 May.
The first extension had already moved the cut-off to 19 June for every company and entity subject to IRC, whether or not it was affected by bad weather. With that date also approaching and large numbers of returns still outstanding, the Finance Ministry decided to grant a further eleven days.
The numbers explain the decision. By Tuesday 16 June, only about 81% of the returns expected this year had been submitted, leaving a shortfall of more than 100,000 filings compared with the same point a year earlier. The government attributed the lag to an "anomalous succession of storms" over the winter, which it said disrupted the normal rhythm of accounting work at firms and at the offices of chartered accountants.
What the Modelo 22 covers
The Modelo 22 is the declaration in which companies report the income earned in the previous year so that the tax due on their profits can be calculated. It applies to entities whose financial year matches the calendar year — the overwhelming majority of Portuguese businesses. Missing the deadline would normally trigger penalties, but the Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) has confirmed that no fines or surcharges will apply to returns filed by 30 June.
Officials framed the extra time as a way to "ensure greater accuracy in fulfilling fiscal obligations," reducing the risk of material errors and the subsequent corrections that rushed filings tend to produce. For accountants juggling a compressed calendar, the breathing room is welcome; for the Treasury, a cleaner set of returns means fewer disputes later on.
Why it matters for residents and business owners
The reprieve is most relevant to the many foreign residents who run companies in Portugal, from small consultancies to property-holding structures. Anyone whose business is liable for IRC now has until the end of June to file, but the extension is strictly procedural: it changes the filing date, not the tax owed or the rules for calculating it. Accountants are urging clients not to treat 30 June as a soft target, given that a third postponement is far from guaranteed.
Sources: ECO, Público, Notícias ao Minuto.
