Strengthening tax control over electronic payments will be one of the main tax innovations from January 1, 2026. The regulatory amendment approved in 2025 introduces new information obligations for financial institutions, with a direct impact on the millions of users who regularly use cards or mobile payment systems.
This change is part of the strategy to combat the underground economy and undeclared money. To this end, the Administration has chosen to expand the volume and type of information that tax control bodies receive on economic movements carried out throughout the year.
The key to the new regulations is an annual threshold not to be exceeded with the same bank card. From then on, the bank ceases to be a simple payment intermediary and becomes a mandatory informant to the Tax Administration.
The annual ceiling which activates automatic communication
From 2026, financial institutions will have to periodically report transactions made with cards when the annual volume of fees and credits exceeds 25,000 euros. This is not a voluntary declaration by the taxpayer, but rather an automatic communication from the bank itself.
This threshold is calculated individually for each card, and not per person or per bank account. This means that the same person can have several cards associated with different accounts or entities, and the reporting obligation will only be activated if one of them alone exceeds the established annual limit.
The Administration will receive an annual summary with the total amount of operations, which will allow these data to be cross-referenced with the information declared to the Income Tax. If relevant discrepancies exist, the likelihood that a review or audit will be initiated increases.
What operations are included in the calculation
The standard does not distinguish between types of consumption. All payments made by card are included, whether purchases in physical establishments, e-commerce transactions or payments via digital platforms linked to the card.
Additionally, control extends to mobile payment systems associated with bank accounts. Immediate transfers and recurring charges made via payment applications are also part of the annual volume taken into account.
The role of banks and the burden of the taxpayer
The formal obligation falls on financial entities, which must present an annual informative declaration with the aggregated data of each card exceeding the threshold. However, the responsibility for justifying the origin and nature of the movements ultimately lies with the owner.
Where applicable, the taxpayer must prove that the expenses and charges are consistent with their declared level of income. This does not automatically imply a sanction, but it opens the door to more exhaustive controls.
Until now, the system only required certain payments to be declared to businesses and professionals when they exceeded much lower amounts. With the new regulations, the scope of application is considerably expanded, both in volume and in the number of operations concerned.
Independents and professionals, the most exposed
Self-employed workers and professionals are one of the groups most scrutinized by this regulatory change. Charges received by card or mobile payment should match the reported billing, as any discrepancies can be easily detected.
The information received by the Administration is cross-referenced with periodic tax models, which reduces the margin for error or involuntary omission. For this group, the recommendation is to strengthen internal control and bank reconciliation.
Payments between individuals and current limits
In its first practical application, the measure focuses on movements of tax interest. Payments between individuals without declared economic activity are, for the moment, outside the main scope of interest, although aggregated data can also be analyzed if they exceed certain volumes.
This does not mean that transactions between individuals are exempt from all control. The increase in available information will make it easier in the future to extend the scope of the measure to other cases if this is deemed necessary.
The extensive use of second-hand buying and selling platforms and instant payments has favored this type of reforms, because they allow money to be tracked more precisely than cash.
Why cash is losing importance
Advances in digital payments have significantly reduced the use of cash. For the Administration, this transition represents an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of tax control and reduce pockets of fraud.
The limit of 25,000 euros per year does not prohibit the use of the card nor does it imply a direct restriction of consumption. Its function is to mark a point from which movements are systematically part of the tax radar.
What users should now consider
Even if the measure comes into force in 2026, experts recommend anticipating and reviewing payment habits. Keeping track of card amounts accrued and retaining proof of relevant spending can avoid future problems.
It is also important to clearly differentiate between cards for personal and professional use, particularly in the case of the self-employed. This separation makes it easier to justify movements and reduces the risk of incidents during a possible inspection.
The new regulatory framework does not introduce additional taxes or changes to tax rates. Its impact focuses on control and information, an increasingly determining element in the relationship between taxpayers, banks and the Administration.
In a context of accelerated digitalization, the threshold of 25,000 euros becomes an essential reference for understanding how the taxation of electronic payments will evolve in the years to come.
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