🇨🇱 Chile · Tax System
Corporate tax, VAT/GST, personal income tax, capital gains, and filing obligations.
Quick answer
Chile taxes residents on worldwide income (new residents may have foreign income exempt for the first years). You need a RUT, employers withhold monthly tax, and the tax authority is the SII; the annual income tax return (Operación Renta) runs in April.
Taxes are administered by the Internal Revenue Service (SII). Companies pay first-category (corporate) income tax, and VAT (IVA) applies to most goods and services.
- The general first-category (corporate) income tax rate is 27%.
- The standard VAT (IVA) rate is 19%.
- Filing and e-invoicing are handled online through the SII.
Step-by-step
- 1
Determine your residency
You are generally a Chilean tax resident after six months in the country (or two consecutive tax years); new residents may have foreign income exempt for the first years.
- 2
Get a RUT
Obtain a RUT (tax ID) from the Internal Revenue Service (SII) and file the start of activities if you work independently.
- 3
Understand the taxes that apply
Identify the second-category tax on salaries and global complementary tax on total income, VAT (IVA) for businesses, and pension/health contributions.
- 4
Have monthly tax withheld
Employers withhold monthly tax (impuesto único de segunda categoría) and pension/health contributions from salaries.
- 5
File the annual return
File the annual income tax return (Operación Renta) in April, reconciling withheld tax against your global tax.
- 6
Pay, keep records and get advice
Pay or receive any difference, keep records, and get advice on the new-resident exemption and foreign income.
Checklist
- Residency determined (six months / two tax years)
- RUT (tax ID) from the SII
- Applicable taxes identified (second-category tax, global complementary tax, IVA, pension/health)
- Monthly withholding
- Annual return (Operación Renta) in April
- Difference paid/received
- Records kept
- Advice on new-resident exemption / foreign income
Official authorities
- Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII)
Tax authority — corporate tax, VAT, filing.
Frequently asked questions
Is foreign income taxed immediately?
New residents may be taxed only on Chilean-source income for the first years, after which worldwide income applies; check current rules.
What is a RUT?
The Rol Único Tributario is your tax identification number, used for tax, work and services.
When is the annual return?
The annual income tax return (Operación Renta) is filed in April for the previous year.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.