What is a tax licence and who pays for one?

Tax licence in 2024

The tax license that we had in Slovakia from 2014 to 2018 is back and, as of the beginning of 2024. In this article you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions on this topic.

Who pays the tax licence?

In principle, only legal entities – entrepreneurs – have to pay the tax licence. These are mainly limited liability companies, joint stock companies and other commercial companies, except publicly traded companies. The exceptions to which the minimum tax does not apply are set out in the Income Tax Act.

It should be noted that the tax licence does not have to be paid by sole traders or individuals. It applies only to legal persons, not to natural persons.

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When is the tax licence payable?

The tax licence does not need to be paid in 2024. Some businesses mistakenly believe that the minimum tax (tax licence) must already be paid in the 2023 tax return, filed by 31 March 2024 or 30 June 2024. This is not true. For the first time, companies will have to pay it in 2025, at the time they file their 2024 tax returns.

Companies with a registration date between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024 will therefore pay the minimum tax for the first time in March 2026 at the earliest. Consequently, companies registered in 2025 will not pay the minimum tax until 2027 (for the 2026 tax year). And so on. This is because there is no minimum tax for the first year of business.

Who does not pay the tax licence?

As far as legal entities are concerned, the tax licence will not be payable, for example, by non-profits such as civic associations, foundations, etc., but also by municipalities, interest associations of legal entities, churches and other institutions listed in the law.

In addition, this obligation does not apply to entrepreneurs who also operate a sheltered workshop or sheltered employment, to public trading companies and, to some extent, to landed communities.

It is also very interesting that the tax licence does not have to be paid by companies in liquidation proces. More precisely, they do not have to pay it for the period during which they are in liquidation.

As mentioned in the introduction, the tax licence does not apply at all to sole traders or any other individuals, even if they are in business.

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When does the tax licence have to be paid?

For companies registered at any time before 31 December 2023, the tax licence is payable for the first time in 2025 (note, not in 2024!) in the same way as income tax, i.e. for each tax period until 31 March 2025, or later if the taxpayer extends the deadline for filing the tax return (e.g. until 30 June 2025).

We repeat that companies registered during 2024 will not have to pay the tax licence for the first time until 2026.

Amount of the tax licence

The essence of the tax licence is that if a business comes out paying less tax on its tax return than the amount of the tax licence, it has to pay the tax licence. If this legal entity is taxed more than the amount of the tax licence in its tax return, it pays the amount of tax it was taxed and does not pay the tax licence.

The amount of the minimum tax ranges from EUR 340 to EUR 3,840 and depends on the taxpayer’s taxable income (turnover) in the tax year:

• turnover not exceeding EUR 50,000 = minimum tax of EUR 340
• turnover above EUR 50,000 up to EUR 250,000 = minimum tax of EUR 960
• turnover above EUR 250,000 up to EUR 500,000 = minimum tax of EUR 1,920
• turnover over EUR 500,000 = minimum tax of EUR 3,840.

A legal person who employs natural persons with disabilities as at least 20 % of their workforce has the minimum tax reduced by half.