The tax office wants 47 € back from the bank's 200 € "gift"

You move your salary to a new bank. They credit 200 € to "welcome you", and you assume it's a gift. The Spanish tax office disagrees: you will pay up to 47 € of income tax on that deposit in next year's return. The Agencia Tributaria classifies these bonuses as investment income if the bank withholds tax, or as a capital gain if it does not. Either way, they are taxable.

The bank's standard withholding is 19 %, but your real rate depends on your taxable base. If your marginal bracket is 24 %, the gap between what was withheld and what you owe lands on your income tax bill: roughly 47 € on the original 200. At 30 %, you pay 60 €.

There are two ways to know the cost before accepting the bonus. First: read the withholding certificate the bank sends you in January. It shows the amount they reported and the tax they already deducted. Second: ask the bank in writing for the tax treatment. A serious bank spells it out; if the answer is evasive, be suspicious.

None of this means the bonus isn't worth it. Net 153 € is still 153 €. It means the headline "200 € free" lies by omission: it's 200 minus the income tax you haven't paid yet. Open the calculator before you count the money as yours.