Company tax obligations in Uruguay: the monthly and annual calendar

Setting up a company in Uruguay is relatively quick; keeping it compliant is a month-by-month job. A company’s tax obligations in Uruguay combine monthly payments to the tax authority (Dirección General Impositiva, DGI), contributions to the social security agency (Banco de Previsión Social, BPS) and an annual cycle that ends with the tax returns. This guide walks through those obligations, from registration to penalties. For the overall picture, see business taxes in Uruguay.

Registration with the DGI and BPS

Before issuing invoices, the company registers in the DGI’s Registro Único Tributario (RUT) and with the BPS through a joint procedure: form 0351, the same form later used to report data changes, opening or closing premises, restarts and the final closure. It is filed with proof of tax domicile and, depending on the entity, the corporate documents.

Registration defines the activity, the applicable taxes, the fiscal year-end and whether the company falls under a small-taxpayer regime. A mistake at this stage carries over into every later return. Companies also have other registration duties, such as reporting their beneficial owners to the Central Bank (BCU).

Taxes of a regular company

An SAS, SRL or SA engaged in commercial, industrial or service activities, outside special regimes, generally pays:

Tax	What it taxes	General rate	How it is paid
IRAE (corporate income tax)	Uruguayan-source income	25%	Monthly advances and annual balance
IVA (VAT)	Sales of goods and services in Uruguay	22% standard; 10% reduced for certain goods and services	Monthly: output VAT minus input VAT
Net Worth Tax (Impuesto al Patrimonio)	Tax net worth at year-end	1.5%	Monthly advances and annual balance
ICOSA	Corporations (SA) only	1.5% on incorporation; 0.75% at each year-end, on a fixed base in UI	The year-end ICOSA is credited against Net Worth Tax

IRAE and its advance payments

The Impuesto a las Rentas de las Actividades Económicas is assessed per fiscal year but paid in advance through monthly payments on account. The general rule is to take the ratio between the previous year’s IRAE and that year’s taxable gross income, and apply it to each month’s income in the current year. There is also a mandatory minimum advance, and the first fiscal year has its own rules. At year-end, the advances are deducted from the final tax: the company pays the balance or keeps a credit.

As a rule, income is determined on an actual basis, with full accounting records. Taxpayers not required to keep full accounting may use deemed income: a tiered percentage of sales (for years beginning from 2023, 12% of the portion up to 1,000,000 UI, 14% up to 2,000,000 UI, 48% up to 3,000,000 UI and 60% above), to which the 25% rate is applied.

VAT

VAT is settled monthly: VAT charged on sales minus VAT on purchases linked to the taxed activity. It is not a cost, but it is a cash flow to plan for: it is due even if the customer has not yet paid the invoice.

Net Worth Tax and ICOSA

Companies pay Net Worth Tax on their tax net worth at year-end, at 1.5%, with monthly payments on account of 11% of the previous year’s tax.

ICOSA (Impuesto de Control de las Sociedades Anónimas) is still in force and applies only to corporations (SA). Its base is fixed at 578,428 UI (at the rate of 31 December of the prior year); the rate is 1.5% on incorporation and 0.75% at each year-end. The year-end ICOSA is credited against that period’s Net Worth Tax, with no refund of any excess. An SAS or SRL does not pay it.

Small businesses: literal E, IVA mínimo and monotributo

Two regimes for small taxpayers are often confused:

• Small business or “literal E”. It covers taxpayers of any legal form that combine capital and labor and have annual income below 305,000 UI (at the UI value at the start of the year). They are exempt from IRAE (literal E of article 66, Title 4) and, instead of regular VAT, pay a fixed monthly IVA mínimo amount, plus BPS contributions. Excluded, among others, are those who opted for IRAE, those with agricultural or non-business income, professional freight carriers, opticians and shops selling only books. An SAS or SRL under this regime still files a return and pays Net Worth Tax.
• Monotributo. A single payment collected by the BPS that replaces the activity’s contributions and national taxes (except import taxes). It is available only to sole proprietorships (up to one employee) and de facto partnerships of up to two partners, or three if they are relatives, with no employees. It has income caps (183,000 UI for sole proprietorships, 305,000 UI for de facto partnerships) and asset caps, requires selling to final consumers and limits the premises. An SAS, SRL or SA cannot be a monotributista.

The peso amounts are updated periodically and should be confirmed at registration. For individual entrepreneurs, see sole proprietorships in Uruguay.

The monthly due-date calendar

Each year the DGI publishes its general due-date schedule (Cuadro General de Vencimientos), organized by taxpayer group. The two groups that cover most companies are:

• CEDE (including Large Taxpayers): companies the DGI assigns to special monitoring, with monthly returns.
• NO CEDE: all others. They pay VAT and the IRAE, Net Worth Tax and ICOSA advances monthly, and file everything annually.

Contrary to what is often said, in the 2026 calendar the monthly due dates for CEDE and NO CEDE are not staggered by the last digit of the RUT: the official table sets the same date for all digits in each group, different each month and between groups. Only a few specific obligations are staggered by digit, and the DGI can move dates by resolution during the year. In practice, the company needs to know its group and always check the current calendar. The BPS publishes its own calendar for payroll and contributions.

Annual obligations

The fiscal year matches the financial year chosen by the company, which need not be the calendar year. At year-end the financial statements are prepared and the annual taxes are determined:

• The IRAE, Net Worth Tax and ICOSA returns are filed within the fourth month after year-end, on the date set by the calendar.
• NO CEDE companies file their annual VAT and advances return (form 2178) within the same deadline, even if they had no activity.
• The balance of each tax is paid with the return, net of advances.
• If the company closes for good, deadlines run from the closure date.

Some companies must also register their financial statements with the Auditoría Interna de la Nación (article 97 bis of Law 16,060). See financial statements in Uruguay.

BPS social security contributions

With employees, the company files the payroll with the BPS and pays contributions every month. The employer generally contributes 7.5% to pensions and 5% to FONASA (health) on wages, plus smaller contributions to special funds, and withholds the employee’s own contributions. Details are in our guide to payroll in Uruguay.

Mandatory electronic invoicing

Since 1 January 2025 all VAT taxpayers, including IVA mínimo taxpayers, must issue electronic tax receipts (CFE): e-factura, e-ticket and their credit and debit notes. Anyone who registers or becomes a VAT taxpayer is bound from that moment, so the invoicing provider must be in place before the first sale.

The company as withholding agent

The company also acts as the party responsible for third-party taxes: it withholds part of a payment and remits it to the authority. The most common cases:

• IRPF (personal income tax) on salaries, settled together with payroll.
• IRPF or IRNR (non-resident income tax) when paying rent or services to individuals or non-residents.
• VAT withholdings when the DGI designates the company as a withholding agent for certain transactions.
• Withholding on dividends and profits paid to shareholders.

Withheld amounts do not belong to the company, but the company is liable for them: if it fails to withhold or remit on time, the debt and penalties are its own.

DGI certificado único and BPS certificado común

• The DGI’s certificado único, valid for one year, certifies that the company has paid its taxes, is not subject to them or has a payment agreement. It is required, among other acts, to import or export, distribute profits, sell or mortgage real estate, sell vehicles and collect payments from public bodies above a certain amount. The DGI may suspend it if the company falls behind or fails to file the financial statements required by article 97 bis of Law 16,060.
• The BPS certificado común certifies that the company is up to date with social security. It is normally valid for 180 days, can be suspended for arrears and can be renewed automatically.

Penalties and surcharges

Infringement (Tax Code)	What it is	Penalty
Late payment (art. 94)	Not paying on time	5% fine within the following five business days, 10% up to 90 calendar days and 20% thereafter, plus surcharges
Formal breach (art. 95)	Failing formal duties: not filing, incorrect invoicing, ignoring requests	Fine between a minimum and a maximum in pesos, periodically updated
Tax fraud (art. 96)	Fraudulent acts to pay less	Fine of one to fifteen times the tax evaded

If a payment plan is requested within the deadline, the late-payment fine is 10%. Surcharges are set by the Executive Branch, accrue daily and are capitalized, so an old debt grows fast.

Summary: monthly and annual

Obligation	Monthly	Annual
VAT	Settlement and payment, or IVA mínimo amount	Annual return (NO CEDE)
IRAE	Advances	Return and balance, within the fourth month after year-end
Net Worth Tax	Advances	Return and balance
ICOSA (SA only)	Advances, if applicable	Year-end assessment
BPS	Payroll and contributions	—
Withholdings	Remitting withheld amounts	—
Certificates	Stay current to keep them	DGI yearly; BPS every 180 days

Main guide: accounting services in Uruguay. Bookkeeping, VAT, IRAE and Net Worth Tax filings, and compliance with the DGI and BPS.

Frequently asked questions

A company up to date with the DGI and BPS

At GlobalTax we organize each company’s tax calendar, file its taxes and contributions and keep its certificates current, in coordination with the firm’s legal advice. More information on our accounting services page.