Cyprus · Tax & Finance

Low tax, by design.
Here's the math.

Cyprus taxes foreign pensions at a flat 5%, exempts non-doms from tax on dividends and interest for 17 years, and has no inheritance tax. The January 2026 reform rewrote most of the numbers — here they are, current.

Last verified: July 8, 2026
The key numbers · 2026
  • Tax residency trigger: 183+ days — or the 60-day rule with Cyprus ties and no residency elsewhere
  • Income tax: 0% up to €22,000, then 20/25/30%, 35% above €72,000
  • Foreign pensions: flat 5% above €5,000/year — or the bands, whichever is lower, elected annually
  • Non-dom: 0% SDC on dividends and interest for 17 years
  • No inheritance tax · no wealth tax · no annual property tax · stamp duty abolished Jan 1, 2026
  • US FEIE for tax year 2026: $132,900 (earned income only) · FBAR trigger: $10,000 aggregate abroad

2026 income tax bands

Cyprus taxes residents on worldwide income at progressive rates. The 2026 tax reform — voted December 22, 2025, in force since January 1, 2026 — raised the tax-free band from €19,500 to €22,000:

Taxable incomeRate
Up to €22,0000%
€22,001 – €32,00020%
€32,001 – €42,00025%
€42,001 – €72,00030%
Above €72,00035%

On top of income tax, passive income carries the Special Defence Contribution (SDC) — unless you're a non-dom — and the 2.65% GHS health contribution (on income up to €180,000/year).

The retiree headline: 5% on pensions, 0% on portfolios

Two rules do most of the work. First: foreign pension income can be taxed at a flat 5% above a €5,000 exemption — an annual election against the normal bands, whichever is lower. Second: as a non-domiciled resident (which nearly every American or Canadian mover is), you pay 0% SDC on dividends and interest for your first 17 years — extendable to 27 for €250,000 per 5-year block, post-reform. Full detail with worked examples: the 5% pension tax and non-dom guide.

What the 2026 reform changed

Any pre-2026 source is suspect. The reform changed bands, SDC rates, the pension exemption, and stamp duty in one law. If a guide quotes €19,500 tax-free or a €3,420 pension exemption, it predates January 2026.

What Americans and Canadians still owe back home

United StatesCanada
Keep filing?Yes — citizenship-based taxation follows you. FEIE ($132,900 for 2026) covers earned income only; pensions rely on foreign tax credits.Generally no, after ceasing Canadian tax residency — but watch departure tax on deemed disposition.
TreatyUS–Cyprus treaty signed 1984, in force 1986. US Social Security stays taxable by the US.Canada–Cyprus convention (1984): withholding on periodic pensions capped at the lesser of 15% or the notional-return rate.
Social securityNo totalization agreement — self-employed Americans risk double contributions.Agreement in force since May 1, 1991 — CPP/OAS coordinate and export.
Accounts reportingFBAR above $10,000 aggregate; FATCA Form 8938 on top.T1161/T1243 territory on exit; standard CRA rules until departure.

What Cyprus doesn't tax

In this section

Guides

★ New

The 5% pension tax and non-dom status

How Cyprus taxes your Social Security, IRA, CPP or RRIF — with worked examples — and how 17 years of 0% on dividends and interest works.

Read the guide →
Coming soon

The 60-day tax residency rule

Who can use it, the four conditions, and why most retirees take the 183-day route anyway.

Coming soon

Banking in Cyprus as a North American

Opening an account, FATCA friction, and moving retirement income across without losing 3% to fees.

Sources

  1. 2026 bands, pension election, SDC, 60-day rule: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Cyprus (2026)
  2. 2026 tax reform (voted Dec 22, 2025; Official Gazette Dec 31, 2025; in force Jan 1, 2026): PwC Cyprus Direct Tax Update N-1-2026 (Jan 7, 2026); KPMG Cyprus reform analysis (Feb 2026); Kendris
  3. US side: US–Cyprus treaty (IRS); FEIE 2026 per Rev. Proc. 2025-32; FBAR; no totalization agreement per ssa.gov/international
  4. Canada side: Canada–Cyprus convention (1984); social security agreement (1991), canada.ca
  5. GHS contribution and cap: gesy.org.cy
This page is general information, not tax advice. Cross-border taxation is personal — engage a professional licensed on both sides before acting.
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