Lithuania
Individual - Significant developments
Last reviewed - 08 August 2024Starting from 1 January 2025, the higher 32% personal income tax (PIT) rate for the income exceeding the threshold of 126,532 euros (EUR) should be applied.
Employment income exceeding the EUR 126,532 threshold is subject to a lower rate of social security contributions at 6.98%. Employer‘s social security contributions of 1.77% (standard rate) are not capped.
The legislation was amended where the possibility to refund social security contributions paid during the calendar year at a standard rate was foreseen for the employees having more than one employer and exceeding the aforementioned annual income threshold in total. In previous years, social security contributions ceilings were applied to each employer separately, and the refund was not possible even if the annual threshold was reached by adding the individual's income from all employers.
Taxation of other personal income was slightly reduced, and the progressive PIT rate at 20% is applied to annual income exceeding EUR 253,065.
Investment account
Since January 1, 2025, Lithuania has implemented a new investment account (IA) scheme, creating more favourable conditions for individual investors. IA gives the opportunity to defer income tax payments until the funds in the account are used for non-investment purposes.
Key points of the IA scheme:
- The IA tax regime applies only to accounts opened in EEA, OECD member states or countries with which Lithuania has and applies Double Tax Treaties.
- Only individual account (not joint) can be used as IA.
- The IA has to be reported to the Lithuanian Tax Authority by the owner.
- The amount of the contribution paid in the IA is not limited. The number of accounts is not limited as well.
- IA regime allows to invest in listed financial products (e.g. shares, bonds) named in art.121 of the Law on PIT. IA cannot be used for direct investments into startups and crypto currency.
- The main principle of IA operation is that only the final investment result is taxed – funds withdrawn from the account (earned profits) which are not being reinvested further.
- IA allows to deduct losses from one year from the profits of other years, taxing only the actual final result.
- Only Lithuanian tax residents are allowed use the IA scheme.
- IA is not mandatory and individuals who do not want to use IA, their investments (e.g. capital gains) should be taxed under regime named in section "Income determination" section "Capital gains".
- The tax relief of EUR 500 is not applicable in the IA.
- PIT of 15% applies to profits up to EUR 253,065 and 20% applies on the excess.