Taxation in Colombia

See Government of Colombia for a broader perspective of Colombian government.

National taxes

National taxes are administered by the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (Spanish: Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales, DIAN). Some of these taxes include:

VAT

The value-added tax (VAT) is the main indirect tax. This rose to 19 percent in 2017; up to the end of 2016 the tax was 16 percent of the price of merchandise, goods and services with some exceptions: public transportation, water supply and sanitation and the transportation of natural gas and hydrocarbons. The DIAN recognizes two separate categories (regimenes) of VAT: common and simplified. The first refers to businesses with estimated patrimony over 68 million Colombian pesos (about 34,000 USD), and the second refers to those with patrimony less than that. Although both are obligated to pay the same percentage, the simplified taxpayers are not obligated to conduct separate bookkeeping for the VAT or to generate invoices.

Financial transactions tax

A 0.4% tax rate is imposed on all financial transactions, including withdraw money from ATM, promissory notes, wire transfers, internet banking, bank drafts and bank checks, money on term deposit, overdrafts, installment loans, securities underwriting commitments and other forms of off-balance sheet exposures, safekeeping of documents and other items in safe deposit boxes, currency exchange or unit trusts.

Patrimony tax

This tax requires the annual payment of 1% of the total patrimony of people with patrimony estimated over 5 thousand million pesos (about 1,4 million USD as of February 2021).

Income tax

• Corporations: Income tax (Spanish: Impuesto a la renta y complementarios) must be paid by all local and foreign corporations operating in Colombia, who are subject to a corporate tax of 30%.
• Individuals: Colombian citizens and foreign nationals who have lived in Colombia for more than 183 days total in any 365 day period not necessarily a calendar year, are considered to be tax residents (residentes fiscales) and are thereafter subject to individual Income tax based on a system of graduated marginal tax rates.

The table below shows the tax rate in units of UVT (Unidad de Valor Tributario), in which 1 UVT = $33,156 COP for 2018. See UVT.

Income declaration

In Colombia the natural persons who must present income declaration are classified on the next table.

For 2019 are:

• Natural person with gross asset value upper $149,202,000 COP. (4500 UVT)
• Natural persons with gross revenue upper $46,418,000 COP per year. (1400 UVT)
• Natural person with incomes upper 3,868,166 COP /monthly (Earnings $46,418,000 per year). (1400 UVT)
• Consumes and purchases upper $46,418,000 (1400 UVT)
• If consumes through credit card exceeds $46,418,000 (1400 UVT)
• If cumulative value of banking deposits, wire transfer or financial investment, exceeds $46,418,000 COP. (1400 UVT)

See UVT.

Payroll taxes

Both the employer and the employee are subject to monthly payroll taxes from the employee's gross salary, as follows:

• Employer:
  • Health plan - 8.5% (applies only to employees earning at least ten times the minimum monthly wage)
  • Occupational risk - 0.348%–8.7% or 0.52%–6.96%, depending on the source
  • ICFB (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar; Family Welfare) - 3%
  • CAJA (Cajas de compensación familiar; Family compensation funds) - 4%
  • SENA (National Apprenticeship Service) - 2%
  • Severance fund (Cesantías) - 8.33%
  • Pension fund - 12%
  • Vacation - 4.17%
• Employee:
  • Health plan - 4%
  • Pension fund - 4%