ExpatExplained Spain

Expat Explained · estimate printed · · not tax or legal advice

Retired · 2026 figures

UK pensions taxed in Spain

Living in Spain on UK pensions? See which country taxes each one, how much Spanish income tax you'll pay, and what's left, in pounds and euros.

The full new State Pension for 2026/27 is £241.30 a week (£12,547.60 a year).
Personal pensions, company schemes, annuities. NHS pensions count here too.
Civil service, armed forces, police, local government, state-school teachers.
£1 = €1.185 (ECB reference rate, 2026-10-16). Edit it to try another rate.
Your age this year
Spanish income tax a year
€4,128

About £3,484 of Spanish tax a year, or €344 a month, out of pensions of €26,719 a year (£22,548).

€22,590yours after tax, a year (about £19,064)
€1,883yours after tax, a month (about £1,589)
15.5%average rate on what Spain taxes
Who taxes what
    How it's worked out

    What to do next

    1. Stop UK tax on pensions Spain taxes

      Ask HMRC for relief under the UK–Spain treaty with Form Spain-Individual, certified by the Spanish tax office. It covers pensions and annuities.

      Form Spain-Individual (GOV.UK)

    2. Tell HMRC you live abroad

      Your tax position in the UK changes when you retire abroad.

      Tax if you retire abroad (GOV.UK)

    3. Married? Run it once each

      Spain taxes each person separately by default, so work out each partner’s pensions on their own.

    4. Your State Pension abroad

      Check how your State Pension is paid and uprated while you live in Spain.

      State Pension if you retire abroad (GOV.UK)
    One assumption unverified

    We tax UK private and workplace pensions as work income (rendimientos del trabajo), as the Spanish law does for pension plans and social security pensions. The law doesn't name UK schemes specifically, and we couldn't confirm the classification in an official text. Lump sums are treated differently and aren't covered.

    Which country taxes which pension?

    The UK–Spain tax treaty decides. Your UK State Pension and private or workplace pensions are taxed only in Spain once you're resident here (Art. 17 (Pensiones)).

    UK government pensions, for service to the UK state such as the civil service, armed forces, police, local government or state-school teaching, are taxed only in the UK (Art. 18.2 (Función pública)). Spain still counts them when setting the rate on your other income (Art. 22.1.b (Eliminación de la doble imposición)). The exception: if you're also a Spanish national, Spain taxes them instead.

    NHS pensions paid by the NHS Business Services Authority are not government pensions under HMRC's classification, so they're taxed in Spain.

    Why is my Spanish tax so low?

    Pensions get the same allowances as salaries: a €2,000 deduction, a reduction for lower incomes, and a tax-free personal allowance that rises at 65 and again at 75. Some regions make it more generous.

    Will the UK still take tax?

    On State and private pensions, it shouldn't once HMRC knows you're resident in Spain: apply for relief under the treaty. Government pensions stay taxed in the UK. We estimate that UK tax with the 2026/27 Personal Allowance (£12,570, which British citizens living abroad keep) and the rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, counting only the government pension as UK-taxed income.

    Sources

    Last checked 16 October 2026. This is an estimate, not advice.

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