IRC 2026: Government extends the deadline for submitting Form 22 once again

The Government has extended the deadline for submitting the Corporate Income Tax Return (Form 22) until 30 June 2026. This extra breathing space is a strategic opportunity for companies to optimise their investment tax incentives, such as the RFAI.

The Ministry of Finance has announced a new exceptional extension for the submission of the Corporate Income Tax Return (Form 22) for the 2025 financial year. Initially scheduled to end on 31 May, and after having been extended to 19 June, the final deadline has now been set for 30 June 2026, allowing the submission and respective payment to be made without any surcharges or penalties.

The decision, signed by the Secretary of State for Tax Affairs, Cláudia Reis Duarte, comes after it was found that, as of last Tuesday, the volume of submissions corresponded to just 81% of the total registered in the previous year. Therefore, more than 100,000 returns were still outstanding.

The tax calendar has been marked by adjustments, with the Government recalling that the first postponement was designed to mitigate the impacts of the anomalous storms that hit the country in February, disrupting companies' normal closing of accounts. This new measure is thus presented as proportionate, exceptional in nature, and aligned with the objectives of legal certainty and simplification of the relationship between taxpayers and the Tax and Customs Authority.

For the business sector, this time bonus translates into a strategic opportunity, especially regarding the optimisation of tax incentives for productive investment made in 2025, such as the RFAI (Investment Support Tax Regime). Since the RFAI is deducted directly from the corporate income tax liability calculated in Form 22, these extra weeks allow companies to finalise the assessment of all eligible investments with greater accuracy, ensure that all supporting documentation is compliant, and maximise the tax deduction, guaranteeing that no investment eligible for the incentive is left out of the return.

The RFAI allows companies to deduct from their tax liability a percentage of the investment made in tangible assets (such as machinery and equipment) and intangible assets, provided that these are allocated to the company's operations and contribute to job creation. Currently, this scheme allows for the recovery of up to 30% of investments, impacting directly on the tax payable, which makes it one of the most effective tools for corporate capitalisation and for fostering the competitiveness of the Portuguese business fabric, with 30 June now being the definitive deadline for companies to submit their return and benefit from this relief.