Editor's Note: The foundation of this warning was first published in an article on AMCostaRica.com on June 7, 2021. Given the time-sensitive nature of property laws, this post has been significantly updated for 2025 with the most current information and guidance. Find the new article here:
Editor's Note: The foundation of this warning was first published in an article on AMCostaRica.com on May 3, 2021. Given the time-sensitive nature of property laws, this post has been significantly updated for 2025 with the most current information and guidance. Find the new article here:
Editor's Note: The foundation of this warning was first published in an article on AMCostaRica.com on April 5, 2021. Given the time-sensitive nature of property laws, this post has been significantly updated for 2025 with the most current information and guidance. Find the new article here:
The deadline for inactive companies was March 15. The date has been moved to an undetermined future time. Tax returns will be due two and a half months after officials in La Dirección General de Tributación (the tax department known as the DGT) finally decide what they are going to do.
Expats are at their wits end. So are Ticos regarding all the indecisiveness. In six months, the rules of the game have changed three times. At first, the form to file was the D-135. At the beginning of November, that changed to the D-101, the same form active companies use. The understanding now is the new form they are working on will be named the D-101 Simplificado (that means simplified in English).
Really! Simple! None of all the news pertaining to the new tax regulations is straightforward. It's all a bunch of gobbledygook. What is really going on?
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This is an early wake-up call for all Ticos, expats, and anyone else with an inactive Costa Rican company. The equity tax form D-135 is due March 15. “Equity,” is a fancy name for “net capital” or “net assets.”
Most people who have heard about the D-135 think it is no big deal, and an easy file. It is not. Everyone filing the form will need to put some thought into what goes into the information presented. The tax department is using it to catch tax cheaters.
Here is some background:
