Find out what taxes and withholdings US residents must pay to Mexican Tax Authorities when receiving dividends from Mexican companies.
Mexico is one of the most dynamic economies in Latin America. It attracts investors and executives from around the world, especially from the US. Therefore, it is vital to understand the local regulatory framework and the dividends that will be taxed by Mexican authorities when doing business in the country.
What are dividends in Mexico?
Taxes in Mexico are supervised by the National Tax Administration (SAT).
Taxes in Mexico are supervised by the National Tax Administration, or SAT (Servicio de Administración Tributaria – SAT). For tax purposes, dividends are defined by SAT as “profits distributed by legal entities operating in Mexico, in favor of their partners or shareholders.”. Note that in Mexico dividends have an effective tax rate rounding 42%.
According to the Mexican Income Tax Act, dividends are taxed with income tax, both for the distributing legal entity and for the receiving shareholder. To comply with this obligation, the distributing entity must withhold the value of the tax and file a return within 3 months after the end of the taxable year.
How are taxes calculated when dividends are distributed to US residents?
In Mexico, dividends are taxed with income tax for the distributing legal entity as follows:
The legal entity must approve the value to be distributed as dividends through a shareholders’ meeting.
As established by Article 10 of the income tax law, the approved value (A) is then multiplied by 1.4286 to account for the value of the tax that must be paid by the legal entity.
As established by Article 9 of the income tax law, the result of the last step (B) is then multiplied by the 30% corporate income tax rate. The result of this operation is the effective corporate income tax (C) to be paid.
The corresponding process for an individual or entity (Nonresident) is as follows:
According to the US-Mexico income tax convention, foreign taxpayers can be taxed up to 10% for dividends from the other country, which lowers to 5% if the taxpayer owns more than 10% of the voting shares of the distributing company.
Noting this, article 164 of the Income Tax Act states a 10% tax on dividends for foreign shareholders, which must be adapted to 5% if the condition stated above is complied with.
Example
A Mexican legal entity approves the distribution of dividends for the equivalent in local currency of USD$ 1.000.000.
The legal entity shall calculate the income tax for said dividends using the formula (USD 1.000.000*1.4286*30%) for a total tax of USD$428.580
The individual or entity resident in the USA who owns less than 10% of the voting shares will be charged a 10% tax on the dividends for the amount of USD 100.000
Both the corporate income tax and the withheld value must be included in the Mexican entity income tax return for the corresponding taxable period.
Calculate dividend withholding tax in Mexico with the help of an expert
Understanding dividend withholding tax in Mexico can be challenging without the right guidance and support. At Biz Latin Hub, our team of multilingual experts is equipped to deliver excellence, helping you and your organization understand the tax landscape in Mexico so you can make the most of your investments.
Biz Latin Hub has offices in key Latin American jurisdictions. With our full suite of bilingual market entry and back-office services, we are your single point of contact to successfully operate in the region. Contact us now to receive more information about our accounting and taxation services.
As informações fornecidas aqui não devem ser interpretadas como orientação ou aconselhamento formal. Consulte um profissional para sua situação específica. As informações fornecidas são apenas para fins informativos e podem não abranger todas as leis, padrões e práticas recomendadas pertinentes. O cenário regulatório está em constante evolução; as informações mencionadas podem estar desatualizadas e/ou podem sofrer alterações. As interpretações apresentadas não são oficiais. Algumas seções baseiam-se nas interpretações ou pontos de vista de autoridades relevantes, mas não podemos garantir que essas perspectivas serão apoiadas em todos os ambientes profissionais.
La información que aquí se ofrece no debe interpretarse como orientación o asesoramiento formal. Por favor, consulte a un profesional para su situación específica. La información proporcionada tiene únicamente fines informativos y es posible que no recoja todas las leyes, normas y mejores prácticas pertinentes. El panorama normativo está en continua evolución; la información mencionada puede estar obsoleta y/o sufrir cambios. Las interpretaciones presentadas no son oficiales. Algunas secciones se basan en las interpretaciones o puntos de vista de las autoridades pertinentes, pero no podemos garantizar que estas perspectivas se respalden en todos los entornos profesionales.
The information provided here within should not be construed as formal guidance or advice. Please consult a professional for your specific situation. Information provided is for informative purposes only and may not capture all pertinent laws, standards, and best practices. The regulatory landscape is continually evolving; information mentioned may be outdated and/or could undergo changes. The interpretations presented are not official. Some sections are based on the interpretations or views of relevant authorities, but we cannot ensure that these perspectives will be supported in all professional settings.
Legal Team Mexico
Legal Team Mexico is the Biz Latin Hub leading experts on doing business in Mexico The Team writes on the news, doing business, law, and changing regulations. The team are experts in corporate law, Administrative law, Employment law, Immigration law and legal advisory services. Read more about them here. You can contact Legal Team Mexico via our "contact us page".
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