How is rental income taxed in Malta in 2026?
When you rent out property situated in Malta, you can choose how the rent is taxed. The headline option is the 15% final withholding tax under Article 31D of the Income Tax Act, declared and paid on form TA24. It is charged on your GROSS rent received during the year, with no deductions whatsoever — you cannot subtract maintenance, agency fees, loan interest, ground rent or licence fees. The rate is 15% and it is final: there is no further tax, no set-off and no refund on that income, and the rent need not be declared in your annual return once the 15% has been paid. It applies to long-term lettings of both residential and commercial property, to individuals and companies, resident or non-resident, but excludes rent from related parties. The TA24 is due by 30 April of the year following the rental year — so 2026 rent is declared by 30 April 2027. The 15% route is optional and all-or-nothing for the year: if you elect it, it applies to ALL your qualifying rental properties that year. The alternative is to DECLARE the rent at the normal progressive rates (0%, 15%, 25% and 35%), added to your other income, where allowable expenses CAN be deducted. The break-even is exactly a 15% marginal rate: if the rent would be taxed below 15% at the normal rates the normal route wins, and above 15% the final tax wins. Worked example: on €12,000 of gross rent, the 15% final tax is €12,000 × 0.15 = €1,800.00, leaving net rent of €10,200.00 at an effective rate of 15.00%. If you instead declared that €12,000 at a 25% marginal rate it would cost €12,000 × 0.25 = €3,000.00 (before any expense deduction), so the 15% final tax saves €1,200.00 over the normal route. A second check: €9,600 of gross rent at the 15% final rate is €9,600 × 0.15 = €1,440.00, leaving €8,160.00 net, again a 15.00% effective rate. At the break-even, €12,000 declared at a 15% marginal rate costs €12,000 × 0.15 = €1,800.00 — exactly equal to the 15% final tax, so the two routes are identical. This calculator covers the standard 15% scheme only; it does not model the reduced 5% rate for 7-year Housing Authority lets or the 10% restored-property cases. Long-term residential letting is exempt from VAT, so no VAT is charged to the tenant.
Official source: CFR Malta (MTCA) · Data updated: 2026-06-04