Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Taxes in Spanish: Impuestos, Tasas & Tributos
Impuestos · noun (masculine plural) · eem-PWES-tohs
"Taxes" in Spanish is impuestos, the universal word for government-levied charges on income, purchases, and property. You'll also encounter tasas for fees or rates, tributos in legal language, and contribuciones in parts of Mexico and Central America.
Pronounce impuestos as eem-PWES-tohs. The stress lands on the second syllable. The singular form is impuesto (eem-PWES-toh).
Hay que pagar los impuestos antes de abril.
You have to pay taxes before April.
Taxes in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for taxes, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| impuestos | taxes | eem-PWES-tohs | Default, widely understood |
| tasas | taxes | fees or rates charged by government | |
| tributos | taxes | formal/legal term for taxes | |
| contribuciones | taxes | Mexico and some Latin American countries |
How Native Speakers Use Impuestos
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Filing income taxes
Cada año presento mi declaración de impuestos en línea.
Every year I file my tax return online.
Declaración de impuestos is the standard phrase for tax return in every Spanish-speaking country.
Sales tax on a receipt
El precio ya incluye el impuesto sobre las ventas.
The price already includes sales tax.
In many Latin American countries, prices displayed already include IVA (impuesto al valor agregado).
Property taxes
Los impuestos sobre la propiedad subieron este año.
Property taxes went up this year.
Impuestos sobre la propiedad or impuesto predial (in Mexico) refers to property tax.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Impuestos
Confusing tasa (rate/fee) with taxa (nonexistent)
Incorrect: Tengo que pagar las taxas.
Correct: Tengo que pagar los impuestos.
"Taxa" doesn't exist in Spanish. The word is impuestos for taxes and tasas for fees or rates. Tasa and tax look similar but aren't direct equivalents.
Using the wrong gender for impuesto
Incorrect: La impuesto es muy alta.
Correct: El impuesto es muy alto.
Impuesto is masculine, so it takes el (singular) and los (plural). Adjectives must also agree: alto, not alta.
Lock in Taxes Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Impuestos used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using impuestos in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Hay que pagar los impuestos antes de abril. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Taxes in Spanish
- How do you say taxes in Spanish?
- Taxes in Spanish is impuestos. For example, "Tengo que pagar mis impuestos" means "I have to pay my taxes." This is the standard word in all Spanish-speaking countries.
- What is the difference between impuestos and tasas?
- Impuestos are taxes levied by the government on income, sales, or property. Tasas are fees or rates charged for specific services, like a university enrollment fee (tasa de matrícula). They overlap in some legal contexts, but impuestos is the everyday word for taxes.
- How do you say IRS in Spanish?
- There is no direct equivalent because each country has its own tax agency. In Spain it's Agencia Tributaria, in Mexico it's SAT (Servicio de Administración Tributaria), and in Argentina it's AFIP. When referring to the U.S. IRS in Spanish, people usually just say "el IRS."