In summary: The IES (Simplified Business Information) is the annual return that companies submit electronically until 15 July, together with the previous year’s accounts. In a single submission, it fulfils the annual accounting and tax information return, the filing of the financial statements, the statistical reporting to INE and the Bank of Portugal and, from 2025, the annual confirmation of the beneficial owner in the RCBE. It is submitted by companies and sole traders with organised accounts, via a certified accountant.

What is IES?

The IES was established by Decree-Law No. 8/2007 to combine into a single return various obligations that were previously submitted to different authorities. By making a single submission via the Finance Portal, the company fulfils:

the annual statement of accounting and tax information (Article 121 of the Corporation Tax Code);
the filing of the financial statements with the Companies Register;
statistical data for the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Bank of Portugal and the Directorate-General for Economic Activities;
the annual confirmation of information on the beneficial owner in the RCBE, as introduced by Decree-Law No. 49/2025.

These obligations can only be fulfilled through the higher education institution: there is no other way to submit the accounts or file the annual return.

Who has to hand it in?

commercial companies and other entities subject to corporation tax, even if they are not trading or are making a loss;
sole traders and self-employed people who keep proper accounts.

Self-employed individuals under the simplified scheme, who do not keep organised accounts, do not submit an IES: they declare their income in Annex B of their personal income tax return.

Deadline: 15 July

For companies whose financial year coincides with the calendar year, the IES must be submitted by 15 July of the following year, whether or not it is a working day (Article 121(2) of the Corporate Income Tax Code). Where the tax year differs from the calendar year, the deadline is the 15th day of the 7th month following the end of that tax year. As the IES uses the approved accounts, the approval of the accounts at the general meeting – which, for companies, must take place by the end of March – and the submission of Form 22 for corporation tax, by 31 May, take precedence.

What leads to

The IES has a cover sheet and annexes for each type of organisation and type of information: Annex A for companies in general, others for the financial sector, insurers or non-profit organisations, Annex I for sole traders, and annexes for VAT (L, M and others), amongst others. The cover sheet identifies the legal representative and the responsible certified accountant. The data is taken from the audited accounts for the year: balance sheet, profit and loss account, notes to the accounts and tax schedules.

IES and RCBE

The annual confirmation of the beneficial owner in the RCBE can be carried out at the higher education institution itself, which is the simplest option for most companies. The deadline for the RCBE remains 31 December, and confirmation is not required if the company has already updated the information that year. Find out more in our guide to the RCBE in 2026.

What happens if you don’t hand it in?

Failure to submit returns, or submitting them late, constitutes a tax offence (Article 117 of the General Regime for Tax Offences), and without an IES, the accounts for the year will not be registered. The failure to register the accounts is visible to banks, suppliers and customers who consult the company’s permanent certificate, and may prevent applications for grants and public tenders.

Frequently asked questions

Does a company that is not trading have to submit its IES?

Yes. As long as the company exists, it must make annual payments to the higher education institution, even if it has no turnover or expenses, until it is dissolved and wound up.

Who submits the application to the higher education institution?

The company’s certified accountant, who is named on the cover page and is responsible for the accounting and tax information.

The role of Serro & Andrade

We finalised the year-end accounts, prepared the minutes of approval, submitted Form 22 and the IES by the deadlines, and confirmed the RCBE as part of the same submission. Find out more about the accountancy for businesses, read the guide to the IRC in 2026 or get in touch with us.