Portugal Changes IUC Calendar in 2027, September Deadline Stays

In Portugal, anyone with a vehicle first registered in September needs to pay this year's Imposto Único de Circulação (IUC, Single Circulation Tax) by September 30. The current rule, which ties the deadline to the registration month, only applies until the end of 2026.

What the IUC Is

The IUC is the annual tax charged to owners of vehicles registered in Portugal. It was created in the 2007 automotive taxation reform and replaced older taxes, such as the municipal tax on vehicles, known as the car stamp. The amount depends on the vehicle's category and, for newer ones, on engine displacement and CO2 emissions.

Today, each taxpayer has their own deadline: the tax is due in the month the vehicle was first registered. Anyone with several cars registered in different months pays at several points in the year, which makes it easy to forget a deadline.

How to Pay the September IUC

Payment is made through the Portal das Finanças (Tax Authority Portal), following the path Citizens, Services, IUC, and Submit current year, logging in with the NIF (tax ID) and password. Once the billing document is generated, payment can be made:

• at the bank, in person or through online banking;
• at a Multibanco ATM, with the document's reference;
• at the CTT, the Portuguese post office.

For those registered in September, this year's deadline is September 30. Late payment is subject to surcharges set out in tax law.

What Changes Starting in 2027

Under Decree-Law No. 161/2026, the calendar stops following the registration month and concentrates into two months of the year:

• Annual IUC up to 500 euros: paid in full in October.
• IUC above 500 euros: can be split between July and October, or paid in full in July.

In practice, a car with an IUC of 180 euros (a figure used only as an example) will have a single deadline, in October, regardless of the registration month. A vehicle with a 650-euro tax, on the other hand, will have the option to split the amount between the two months.

Other Changes

The decree also allows requesting the cancellation of the charge if the registration is canceled before the anniversary date, avoiding payment for a year when the vehicle is no longer on the road. And the exemption for people with disabilities now has a cap of 240 euros a year.

Reactions

The Automóvel Club de Portugal approved the simplification, but still advocates ending the tax altogether. The vehicle trade sector, meanwhile, fears that concentrating payments into just a few months will squeeze the cash flow of families and companies, especially those with large fleets who currently spread the cost throughout the year.

What to Watch

Until the end of 2026, nothing changes: each owner keeps paying in the month of first registration. For anyone with several vehicles or a fleet, it's worth reviewing the 2027 budget now, since payments that currently spread across twelve months will tend to fall in July and October.

It's also worth keeping your Portal das Finanças login details up to date and checking, once the new calendar takes effect, whether the amounts and deadlines shown match each vehicle registered under your name.

Source: Traders Union.

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