Bizum is Now Visible to the Taxman

Under the new rule, any payment that follows a periodic pattern will be analysed, even if the amounts are very small.

From January 1, 2026, a key change came into effect in the way the Spanish Tax Agency monitors electronic payments, including Bizum, transfers, and card transactions. The Tax Agency will shift its focus from large amounts to monitoring repeat transactions, a change that will affect thousands of small transactions that have previously gone undetected.

According to this new regulation, based on Royal Decree 253/2025, banks will no longer only be required to report income exceeding €3,000, as was previously the case. Under the new rule, any payment that follows a recurring pattern will be analysed, even if the amounts are very small. All financial institutions will send the Tax Agency a monthly report detailing transactions that meet these criteria. And the transaction amount is no longer a factor. The aim is to intensify the monitoring of this payment method, which is increasingly used in professional settings, in order to combat fraud.

This means that transfers of 50, 200, or 500 euros could raise suspicion if they are repeated systematically. The change is part of an adaptation to an increasingly digital environment, where Bizum processes around three million transactions a day.

One of the most common scenarios is that of parents helping a child with rent or mortgage payments. If they deposit a fixed amount each month—for example, €300—and this money is not repaid, the arrangement can be considered a recurring donation. To avoid problems, experts point out that this assistance can be declared as a donation—which benefits from a reduced tax rate in many regions—or formalised as a loan between individuals with repayment terms.

The self-employed will also be directly affected. From January, they will have to justify every income with the corresponding invoice, even the smallest ones, and keep their business and personal accounts strictly separate. Self-employed workers consulted expressed their concern: a Madrid artisan lamented the increased administrative and tax burden, while the Spanish Association of Tax Advisors warned that scrutiny is being intensified on smaller taxpayers instead of on larger transactions linked to fraud.

The obligation to submit these reports will fall on banks, credit institutions, and payment service providers, both physical and digital, that operate with self-employed individuals and companies in Spain. In addition to reporting on transactions by professionals, banks will have to inform the Tax Agency about payment patterns and the annual volume of transfers, including those made via Bizum . If the amounts collected through Bizum and the figures declared for tax purposes do not match, a tax audit is almost certain, as the Tax Agency will be able to cross-reference this data.