Status of the refund process

• Taxpayers entitled to a refund have received 1,300 euros on average. In the case of women, the average refund reaches 2,012 euros and for men it is 470 euros.

• In recent weeks, more than 180,000 refund requests have been received within the framework of a process that is still open

• The start of refunds to public employees in accordance with the Royal Decree-Law of the end of December is pending the Tax Agency receiving all the information from the different paying public administrations.

March 26, 2019 .- More than 563,000 mothers and fathers have received to date the refund of personal income tax linked to maternity and paternity leave enjoyed between 2014 and 2017. The sum of the amounts (refund plus interest) refunded to these people, following the ruling of the Supreme Court of October 3 that declared public maternity benefits from Social Security exempt, exceeds 733 million euros.

These figures are not final, since taxpayers continue to submit applications. In fact, in the last seven weeks nearly 180,000 refund requests have been received.

Additionally, there is a whole series of complex cases that require a longer prior verification time before resolving a request positively or negatively, among which we should highlight duplicate requests, also those in which there is an incorrect bank account or there is no account. , and cases of statements that were already the subject of verification at the time.

Complicated cases can arise both from the complexity of the applicant's tax situation and from the declaration itself submitted at the time, since determining the specific amount that must be refunded requires a recalculation of the entire declaration and, therefore, Therefore, it affects aspects as diverse as exempt and non-exempt income, reductions, declaration method, etc.

At this time, out of a total of 1,021,000 applicants, the application of 733,000 has been resolved and, of the latter, 563,000 taxpayers have had to receive refunds, which represents 76.8% of all those with a resolved application. It must be taken into account that not all requests generate a right of refund to the extent that there are taxpayers who have not suffered withholding or have not paid personal income tax contributions due to low income levels. Taxpayers entitled to a refund have received 1,300 euros on average. Specifically, women have received an average of 2,012 euros and men 470 euros.

With regard to the withholdings made in 2018, it is remembered that taxpayers do not have to carry out any procedure, given that their Income Tax return for that year, which is presented as of April 2, will already include the benefits as exempt. and the withholdings incurred will be deductible. In any case, like any other tax data offered by the Tax Agency, it is recommended that the taxpayer review it before submitting the return.

Regarding the refund process for public employees, enabled by the Royal Decree-Law of the end of December, it is pending that the Tax Agency receives all the information from the different paying public administrations and it is expected to be able to open it in the near future. .