When it’s time to prepare your Spanish tax return, most taxpayers focus on the usual things: income, withholdings, family circumstances or the better-known deductions.

However, alongside the state-level deductions, Spain’s autonomous communities (regions) can set their own regional IRPF deductions, which reduce the amount owed or increase the refund when the relevant requirements are met.

These regional deductions depend on several factors: your region of residence, your personal and family circumstances, income thresholds, and the supporting documentation you can provide.

For this reason, properly reviewing every deduction you’re entitled to can make a real difference to the final result of your tax return.
Below, we run through some of the lesser-known regional IRPF deductions that could represent a genuine tax-saving opportunity.

Deduction for sport-related expenses

Playing sport and encouraging healthy habits can also have a tax angle.

The Comunitat Valenciana offers a regional deduction for certain sport-related expenses, such as fees for sports facilities, clubs or federations, provided the relevant requirements and limits are met.

It’s a measure designed to encourage physical activity, and one that many taxpayers aren’t aware of.

Deduction for music education expenses

Music is part of the cultural tradition of many towns in the Valencia region, particularly through its musical societies and bands.

Regional rules allow a deduction for certain expenses linked to music education, such as activities at music schools, conservatories, or buying musical instruments, within the applicable limits and conditions.

It’s a way of giving tax recognition to a deeply rooted cultural activity.

Deduction for certain healthcare expenses

Health-related costs can represent a significant financial burden for many families.

The Comunitat Valenciana offers deductions for certain healthcare expenses, including some related to medical treatment, dental health, mental health treatment, and prescription glasses or contact lenses, provided the requirements are met. This isn’t a single deduction but several independent ones, each with its own percentage, maximum base and income limit, which can also apply together to the same taxpayer.

To apply this deduction correctly, it’s essential to keep invoices, proof of payment and supporting documentation for the expense.

It’s worth remembering that most of these regional deductions require payment to be made by traceable means (card, bank transfer or direct debit), so an expense paid in cash may be excluded even if it’s properly invoiced.

Deduction for illness and dental health expenses

Medical and healthcare treatment can be a significant cost for many families, particularly where services aren’t fully covered by the public system.

The Canary Islands offer a deduction for illness-related expenses, allowing certain tax benefits for healthcare costs incurred during the tax year, provided the requirements are met.

Expenses that can qualify for the deduction include certain medical and healthcare treatments, as well as dental health expenses, provided they aren’t purely cosmetic and the conditions are met.

Other health-related expenses, such as prescription glasses or contact lenses, may also be included, within the applicable limits.

Keeping invoices and proof of payment is essential to properly evidence these expenses.

Deduction for higher education expenses

Funding a child’s education can be a significant financial effort for families, particularly when studies have to be undertaken away from the family home.

The Canary Islands offer a deduction for certain expenses arising from higher education undertaken by dependent children, provided the requirements set out in regional rules are met.

This deduction can be particularly relevant when children study at university, higher vocational training or other courses covered by the rules, and have to move away from the island where the family lives. The relocation requirement is decisive: the deduction is designed to offset the extra cost of studying on a different island, or outside the archipelago altogether, so it doesn’t cover courses taken in the same town or island.

Points worth checking include:

• The type of studies undertaken.
• Whether the income limits are met.
• The conditions required of the dependant.
• The documentation needed to evidence the situation.

Deduction for childcare and work-life balance expenses

Caring for young children is a significant expense for many families.

For this reason, some autonomous communities have introduced regional deductions for childcare costs, nurseries or childcare services, aimed at supporting the balance between family and working life.

On top of these deductions comes the state top-up to the maternity deduction, of up to €1,000 a year, for childcare costs for children under three. A significant change of approach took place here: in its ruling of 8 January 2024, the Supreme Court rejected the idea that the required authorisation must always come from the education authority. It’s enough for the nursery to hold the municipal licence needed to open and run as a childcare provider — a criterion the Tax Agency has now adopted. Many families missed out on this top-up for years because of an interpretation that is now outdated.

Requirements vary by region and can relate to factors such as the children’s age, family income, the type of authorised centre, or the supporting documentation. These benefits are often combined with other tax advantages for dependent children, such as the paternity deduction (article in Spanish).

It’s therefore advisable to check the specific rules for your region of residence.

Deduction for residing in rural or depopulation-risk areas

Tackling depopulation is one of the biggest challenges facing many rural areas of Spain.

To help maintain and attract population in certain municipalities, several autonomous communities — including Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León and Extremadura — have introduced regional IRPF deductions linked to habitual residence in rural areas, low-population municipalities or areas considered at risk of depopulation.

These measures can benefit taxpayers who meet the conditions set for each territory, such as the municipality’s location, length of residence or certain income limits.

Deduction for fostering minors

Foster care offers a stable environment for minors who need a protective measure.

Some autonomous communities recognise this work through a deduction in the IRPF for foster families who meet the requirements.

It’s one of the lesser-known regional deductions, but one with an important social dimension. It generally requires the fostering arrangement to have been formalised through a decision by the relevant public body, and to have been maintained for a minimum number of days during the year, prorated where the arrangement doesn’t cover the full year.

Deduction for renting your main home

The general state deduction for renting a main home was scrapped, although transitional arrangements remain for certain contracts signed before 2015. Specifically, it can still be claimed by those with a contract signed before 1 January 2015, under which they had already paid amounts qualifying for the deduction before that date, provided they keep the tenancy going and their taxable base doesn’t exceed the legal limit.

However, some autonomous communities keep their own deductions for renting a main home, aimed at specific groups such as young people, people with disabilities or families in particular circumstances.

Whether this deduction applies always depends on the specific rules of each autonomous community. In practically all of them, you must state the landlord’s NIF (tax ID number) and keep proof of payment — a formal requirement behind a good many later corrections.

Deduction for buying electric vehicles and installing charging points

Sustainable mobility also comes with tax incentives.

There is currently a state deduction linked to buying certain new electric vehicles and to installing charging points, provided the requirements are met. It amounts to 15% of the vehicle’s purchase price, with a maximum base of €20,000, and 15% of the amounts paid for installing the charging point, with a maximum base of €4,000. The vehicle must be registered in Spain for the first time, must not be used for business purposes, and payment cannot be made in cash.

The deadline has been extended several times. In its current form, following Royal Decree-Law 7/2026 of 20 March, the deduction covers vehicles bought and charging points installed up to 31 December 2026. The same decree-law introduced a new deduction for installing renewable-energy self-consumption systems completed and paid for in 2026 (10% generally, and 20% for homes in predominantly residential buildings), and extended the deductions for home energy-efficiency works.

Unlike the deductions above, this one isn’t regional — it’s a deduction applied under the state-level IRPF for the period set out in the rules.

Reviewing your regional deductions can make a real difference

The regional IRPF deductions are one of the least understood parts of the Spanish tax return.

Not every taxpayer can claim them, and the requirements vary by region, but a proper review lets you make the most of every tax benefit available and avoid paying more tax than necessary. The Spanish Tax Agency itself publishes a specific guide to regional deductions every year (in Spanish), setting out the current requirements for each region.

Although some data may already appear pre-filled in the Tax Agency’s assistance tools, taxpayers should always check that the declared information is correct and meets the conditions required. Most of these deductions aren’t included in the pre-filled tax data, because the tax authorities don’t hold information on childcare costs, sports fees, rent or donations: if you don’t declare them yourself, they’re simply lost. That’s why it’s worth reviewing your draft tax return carefully (article in Spanish) before confirming it. And if you spot a deduction you missed in a tax year already filed, it can still be recovered by amending the self-assessment, provided no more than four years have passed.

At Blegal we help you optimise your tax return; our team of specialist tax advisers will review your situation from start to finish. We make sure you have all the documentation you need, that you’re aware of the latest tax changes, and that you maximise your refund or minimise what you owe.

We support you so you can meet your tax obligations without complications, with a professional, approachable service tailored to your particular case.

If you’d like us to review your situation or handle your 2025 tax return for you, get in touch with our team. We’re here to help.

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