Skip to content
Back to index
V2909-14 30 October 2014 · SG de Impuestos sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas Criterion in force
IRPF · condena en costas

Legal costs awarded to lawyers under employment contracts are classified as employment income

A trade union has requested clarification on whether legal costs awarded to their lawyers, who are under employment contracts, should be treated as professional income or employment income. The Directorate General for Taxes (DGT) has ruled that they constitute employment income and provides guidance on calculating the relevant tax withholding.

The question raised

Question raised: Taxation of fees corresponding to the award of legal costs and the applicable withholding tax.

The DGT's ruling

The losing party pays compensation to the winning party, not professional fees to the lawyer. If the legal counsel has an employment relationship with the winning party, these amounts are considered income from employment pursuant to Article 95.3 of the IRPF Regulations. The withholding tax shall be calculated by integrating these amounts as foreseeable variable remuneration into the total amount of employment income.

Apply this to a real case

What is published here, applied to a company or a specific case. The first meeting is free.

Email
Contact