Collecting rent in crypto: tax guide for landlords and tenants

More and more property owners in Spain are receiving proposals from tenants who want to pay rent in Bitcoin, USDT or other cryptocurrencies. Is it legal? How do you pay taxes? Are there special obligations?

Can rent be collected in crypto legally?

Yeah. Spain does not prohibit the rent of a property from being paid in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. The Civil Code allows the rental price to be set in any fungible asset (not necessarily legal tender).

However:

• The rent must be expressed in euros in the lease contract (or with an equivalent in euros).
• The crypto/euro exchange rate must be established in the contract (or by agreement in each payment).
• For habitual residence, the LAU (Urban Leasing Law) also applies.

Landlord taxation: personal income tax on crypto income

The landlord who collects rent in crypto is taxed on income from real estate capital:

How much is the taxable income?

• It is the value in euros of the cryptocurrency received at the time of payment.
• If you receive 0.02 BTC monthly and on March 1 BTC is worth €80,000, the income for the month of March is €1,600.
• This value is declared as a return on real estate capital (not savings).

Personal income tax withholding

The tenant must withhold 19% on the rent if it is a legal entity (company) that pays the rent. If the tenant is an individual, there is no mandatory withholding.

In the case of payment in crypto, the withholding should be calculated on the equivalent value in euros.

Subsequent taxation of cryptos received

When the landlord later sells the cryptocurrencies he received as rent:

• Acquisition cost: the value in euros at the time you received them as income (e.g.: €1,600/month).
• Transmission price: the sale price.
• Difference: capital gain/loss → savings base.

Example: I collected BTC as rent → the BTC received was worth €24,000 in the year. Then I sell it for €40,000 → capital gain of €16,000.

##Taxation of the tenant

If the tenant pays the rent in crypto:

• You are transmitting crypto: taxable event.
• Difference between the cost of acquiring that crypto and the value at the time of paying it = GPO.
• Example: I pay May's rent with 0.02 BTC. I bought that BTC for €40,000 (cost €800). It is now worth €80,000 (value €1,600). Capital gain of €800.

The rental fee is not deductible for the tenant (with exceptions: rental of business premises for economic activity).

Invoice and registration obligations

For the landlord

• If you are a natural person who rents a home → does not issue an invoice (the rental receipt is sufficient). But you must record the EUR value of each payment received.
• If you rent a business premises → you must issue an invoice with the equivalent amount in EUR.

VAT on rental of premises with payment in crypto

If the rental is for business premises:

• VAT applies at 21%.
• The VAT tax base is the value in euros of the crypto received.
• The lessor must charge this VAT and declare it (form 303).

Exchange rate: what price to use?

There is no specific rule for the crypto/EUR exchange rate in leases. Options:

1. Closing price on the day of payment on a major exchange (Binance, Kraken).
2. Price agreed in the contract (fixed monthly, reviewable quarterly).
3. Average price of the month (less recommended by the AEAT).

Recommendation: Use the official listing price on the most representative exchange at the time of payment and document it with a screenshot.

Crypto Rental Agreement Template

The contract must include:

• Payment clause in crypto with the equivalent in euros.
• References to the exchange rate that will be used.
• Lessor wallet where payments will be received.
• Possible adjustments if the crypto price fluctuates significantly.

Tax summary

Updated: April 2026 | Fiscal year: 2025