Free tax help in Spain covers rules and procedures, not your tax planning: the Tax Agency answers by phone, chat and video call, the Puntos de Atención al Emprendedor (PAE) help you register as an autónomo at no cost, and the tax directorate (DGT) gives written answers that bind the tax authorities. The Tax Agency itself says its assistance services are not valid for preparing income tax returns.
If you need someone to file your quarterly returns, free help will not do it.
The Tax Agency’s attendance page lists phone, in-person and video assistance, chat, an app and virtual assistants. The basic information line covers personal income tax, corporate tax, non-resident taxes, IAE, censuses and technical problems with the website.
In-person assistance requires an appointment, except when you hand in documents for registration.
The page also says these services are not valid for preparing income tax returns.
If you do not have a NIF yet, there is an option for that, but it only covers computer queries and services for non-residents and customs.
The PAE help you set up a company or register as autónomo through the CIRCE system. The official PAE page says this assistance service must be provided free of charge.
Other services, such as general information, aid and incentives, or Social Security information, may be free or may carry a fee, and the PAE must tell you before. The full registration steps are in how to register as autónomo.
The DGT answers written tax questions under articles 88 and 89 of the General Tax Law. The answer binds the tax authorities in how they treat you, and it arrives within six months.
How it works:
The official procedure page does not mention a fee. For a digital certificate, see how to get one as a freelancer.
Free is enough for: a question about a deadline or a model, a census change, registering as autónomo, or a one-off doubt on how a tax applies to your case.
It is not enough for: quarterly filings, planning your deductions or a situation with several moving parts. For that, see what a gestor does, what it costs and how to choose a tax advisor.
Expecting the helpline to prepare your return. It is information, not preparation.
Filing a DGT consultation after the deadline. Late consultations are archived.
Turning up at an office without an appointment. Only registration paperwork is exempt.
Assuming every PAE service is free. Only the registration help is.
Waiting on the DGT for an urgent question. Six months is too long for a return due next week.
Tax Agency: free information and assistance by phone, chat, video and virtual assistants. Not for preparing returns.
PAE: free help to register as autónomo.
DGT: a binding written answer within six months, filed before the deadline.
Free stops at: filing and tax planning.
Yes, for rules and procedures: the Tax Agency’s phone, chat and virtual assistants, free PAE help to register as autónomo and written DGT consultations. Free help does not prepare your returns.
It gives free information and assistance, by phone, chat, video call, virtual assistant and in person with an appointment. Its own page says these services are not valid for preparing income tax returns.
Yes. Requesting an appointment does not require any specific identification: your NIF, first and last name are enough, and foreign phone numbers are accepted.
The assistance with registration through CIRCE must be provided free of charge, according to the official PAE page. Other PAE services may carry a fee.
File a written consultation with the DGT before the deadline of the obligation it relates to. It must be submitted online with Cl@ve or a certificate, and the answer arrives within six months.
The Tax Agency’s website, including its assistance pages, is available in English. The official pages do not say whether the phone lines are staffed in English, so ask when you book.
Related: How to register as autónomo / What is a gestor / Tax advisor in Spain
