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How Long to Keep Your IRS Documents in Portugal (Article 128)
📜 The Rule
- You must keep the documents that support the income, deductions and other facts declared in your return
- You must present them when the tax authority requests — within 15 days (or 25 days if you show it’s difficult to get them)
- The obligation lasts for the four years following the year the documents relate to
Example: documents for income earned in 2025 (declared in 2026) must be kept until the end of 2029.
🗂️ Which Documents?
- Income statements from employers, pension payers and banks
- Foreign income documents: payslips, pension statements, dividend vouchers, foreign tax certificates, broker reports
- Rental income: lease contracts, rent receipts, invoices for works, IMI, condominium fees
- Capital gains: purchase and sale deeds, invoices for improvement works, broker statements
- Deductions: invoices not on e-Fatura (for example, foreign health or education expenses), proof of rent paid, alimony court decisions
- Residency: proof of arrival or departure dates, tax residence certificates
- Special regimes: documents for IFICI, NHR, IRS Jovem or the ex-resident regime
⏳ When to Keep Them Longer
The four-year rule is the minimum. Keep documents longer when:
- Property: keep the purchase deed and invoices for works for as long as you own the property, and for four years after the sale — they determine the capital gain
- Shares and other investments: keep purchase records until the sale (and four years after)
- Tax havens: the audit period can be up to 12 years
- Losses carried forward: keep the documents for the whole carry-forward period
- Special regimes lasting several years (IFICI, NHR, IRS Jovem)
💻 Paper or Digital?
Digital copies are generally accepted, as long as they’re legible and complete. Many documents are already on the Portal das Finanças (e-Fatura, income statements), but foreign documents aren’t — keep them yourself.
⚠️ What If You Can't Present Them?
- The tax authority may disallow deductions or correct your income
- You may face additional tax, interest and fines
- If documents were lost for reasons beyond your control (fire, theft), you can use other evidence
💡 Practical Tips
- Create a folder per tax year (digital and/or paper).
- Save foreign documents as soon as you receive them.
- Keep property documents in a separate permanent file.
- Back up digital files.
🚀 Final Considerations
The law requires four years, but the documents that prove your acquisition values, losses or special regimes often need to be kept much longer. Good organisation saves time — and money — if the tax authority ever asks.
📢 Expert Advice: Keep property and investment purchase documents for as long as you own the asset. They’re what reduce the tax when you sell.
Need help organising your tax documents? Step Inside Portugal’s tax team can help — find out more about our tax services here. ✨
This article is for general information only and doesn’t constitute tax advice. Self-employed people have additional obligations.
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