Panama
Panama corporation: fees, tax and annual filings, from official sources.
- Company type
- Sociedad anónima (S.A.), corporation under Ley 32 de 1927
- Headline corporate tax
- 25%
- Registration fee
- At registration in the Registro Público, the first annual Tasa Única (B/.300 according to the Registro Público manual) is paid together with the review (calificación) fee and registration rights. Registration rights rise with capital: B/.0.60 per additional thousand from B/.100,000 up to B/.1,000,000, and B/.0.12 per thousand above that.
- Region
- Offshore
A Panamanian sociedad anónima is registered through a resident agent, who must be a Panamanian lawyer or law firm. Panama taxes income produced in its territory at 25%, and from 2027 taxes some foreign passive income of group companies at 15% without substance.
The figures below come from the registry, tax authority and statutes linked under Sources, as they stood on 30 September 2026. Fees and thresholds change, so check the linked official page before you file. This is general information, not tax or legal advice for your situation.
Questions
How much does it cost to register a company in Panama?
At registration in the Registro Público, the first annual Tasa Única (B/.300 according to the Registro Público manual) is paid together with the review (calificación) fee and registration rights. Registration rights rise with capital: B/.0.60 per additional thousand from B/.100,000 up to B/.1,000,000, and B/.0.12 per thousand above that.
What is the corporate tax rate in Panama?
The DGI states that legal entities pay income tax (ISR) at 25% of net taxable income from 2011 onwards. Panama taxes income produced within its territory. From fiscal year 2027, Ley 526 de 2026 taxes certain foreign-source passive income of entities in multinational groups at a flat 15% unless they meet the new economic substance rules.
Annual deadlines for this and other jurisdictions are in the company filing deadlines calendar.
- Corporate tax
- The DGI states that legal entities pay income tax (ISR) at 25% of net taxable income from 2011 onwards. Panama taxes income produced within its territory. From fiscal year 2027, Ley 526 de 2026 taxes certain foreign-source passive income of entities in multinational groups at a flat 15% unless they meet the new economic substance rules.
- Local requirements
- A resident agent (agente residente) is required: a Panamanian lawyer or law firm licensed by the Supreme Court. The agent must register the company and its beneficial owners in the RUBF, keep copies of share certificates and the shareholder register, and receive the company's accounting records (or copies) each year.
- VAT, GST or sales tax
- ITBMS (Panama's VAT) standard rate 7% since 1 July 2010. ITBMS filing is mandatory when annual income exceeds B/.36,000 (or depending on the activity). Below that, a certificate of non-taxpayer status can be obtained.
- Annual filings
- (1) Annual Tasa Única of B/.300 is due by 15 July for companies registered January–June, or by 15 January for those registered July–December. A late surcharge of B/.50 applies. (2) The income tax return (declaración jurada de rentas) for legal entities is due by 31 March, or within three months after fiscal year-end; a one-month extension to 30 April is available on request. (3) Accounting records, or copies, go to the resident agent each year by 30 April for the fiscal year ended 31 December; records are kept for at least 5 years (Ley 52 de 2016 as amended by Ley 254 de 2021). (4) The resident agent files a sworn statement with the DGI by 15 July listing where the records are kept.
- Beneficial owners
- Beneficial owners must be registered by the resident agent in the RUBF (Sistema Privado y Único de Registro de Beneficiarios Finales, Ley 129 de 2020), run by the Superintendencia de Sujetos no Financieros. It is private, restricted-access and not public.
- Also know
- Ley 526 of 28 May 2026 (Gaceta Oficial 30534-B) adds economic substance rules to the Fiscal Code from fiscal year 2027: a Panamanian entity in a multinational group that earns foreign-source passive income must show adequate substance in Panama, or that income is taxed at a flat 15%. Missing two Tasa Única payments triggers a B/.300 fine, and ten unpaid years lead to removal from the Registro Público (Ley 49 de 2009).
- Company registry
- Registro Público de Panamá
- Registry website
- registro-publico.gob.pa
- Tax authority page
- dgi.mef.gob.pa
- Last reviewed
- Sources
Source Link DGI – Tarifa ISR personas jurídicas https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/DInforme/Tarifa DGI – Preguntas frecuentes Tasa Única https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/Preguntas/TasaU DGI – Preguntas frecuentes Pagos (Tasa Única deadlines) https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/Preguntas/Pagos Ley 49 de 2009 (art. 318-A Código Fiscal), DGI https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/INM/LDR/Ley49-de-2009-sep-17-2009.pdf Registro Público – Manual de calificación https://registro-publico.gob.pa/images/PDF/manualdecalificacion.pdf Panamá Digital – Constitución de sociedades (Registro Público) https://www.panamadigital.gob.pa/InformacionTramite/constitucion-de-sociedades-y-fundaciones-de-interes-privado DGI – ITBMS Generalidades https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/itbms/Generalidades DGI – Preguntas ITBMS https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/Preguntas/Itbms.php/DevolucionImpuestos DGI – Declaración de Impuesto sobre la Renta https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/DInforme/D-IsRenta DGI – Declaración Jurada de Renta Personas Jurídicas https://dgi.mef.gob.pa/DInforme/DJRP-Publico Ley 52 de 2016 (as amended by Ley 254 de 2021), MEF/CNBC https://cnbc.mef.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ley-52-de-2016.pdf Ley 129 de 2020 (RUBF), MEF/CNBC https://cnbc.mef.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ley-129-de-2020.pdf SSNF – Preguntas frecuentes RUBF https://ssnf.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Preguntas-frecuentes.pdf Gaceta Oficial 30534-B – Ley 526 de 28 de mayo de 2026 (sustancia económica) https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/storage/gacetas/2026/05/30534_B/GacetaNo_30534b_20260528.pdf