Beckham Law for US citizens
Beckham almost always wins on the Spanish side. Whether it wins overall comes down to one thing in your home country. And we tell you which thing, up front.
As a US person you'll keep filing with the IRS. That doesn't change. Because Beckham's flat 24% is low, it can leave US tax on top, especially if you have meaningful passive income. We model your combined US + Spain position before you commit. FBAR and FATCA reporting stay exactly as they are.
What Spain doesn't switch off
The US taxes its citizens and green-card holders on their worldwide income, wherever they live. Moving to Spain does not take you out of the US system: you keep filing your federal return (Form 1040) with the IRS forever, on top of your Spanish one.
Here's the central insight: the flat 24% is LOW. The US relieves double taxation with the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) and the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), so you credit/exclude what you pay Spain. But if Spain only charges a low flat 24% on a high salary, that credit may not cover what the US would have charged at higher federal rates, leaving a slice of US tax to pay.
The paradox to understand: a higher Spanish rate (ordinary IRPF) can leave you with LESS residual US tax, because it generates more FTC. Beckham lowers your Spanish tax but can raise your US tax. The net depends on your mix.
The cross-border plumbing
The Spain–US treaty's saving clause lets the US tax its citizens as if the treaty didn't exist (with limited exceptions), which caps how much the treaty protects you from the IRS.
FBAR (FinCEN 114) and FATCA (Form 8938) reporting stay exactly as they are. Beckham is a Spanish taxation regime; it does not touch your US reporting obligations.
The flat 24% may not 'absorb' your US tax
For a US citizen with a high salary and little passive income, Beckham is a clear win: the salary is taxed at 24% in Spain, the FTC covers much of the US side, and non-Spanish foreign income usually stays out of the Spanish base. But with significant passive income (dividends, interest, capital gains), the combination with the saving clause and reporting can leave a US bill that surprises. We never promise 'you'll save €X' to an American without modelling the IRS side.
Is it a win for you?
US persons: we always model the IRS side first: no self-serve net number.
As a non-EU national you need a residence status to live in Spain, and the digital nomad visa (DNV) is one of the cleanest routes. The key link: after the DNV, it's your Social Security registration that starts your strict 6-month Beckham window. We can handle both (the visa and the Beckham filing) so the timing lines up.
Your saving inside Spain
This shows the Spanish side only: the flat 24% vs ordinary IRPF. Your net cross-border saving is modelled with you; we never promise a number we haven't checked against your home country.
Orientative estimate on Spanish-source employment income, using 2025-2026 state and regional IRPF brackets (AEAT). The Beckham regime allows no personal allowances; foreign passive income is generally not taxed in Spain under the regime. Final figures are confirmed and signed by a tax advisor (AEDAF member). What's the break-even? →
Enter your salary to see your saving.
Filed & signed by a bar-admitted lawyer · ICALI nº 4643
Get your combined position modelled.
Spain plus your home country, so the saving on paper is the saving in your pocket.
Start with the free checkerFigures are indicative and depend on your full personal and cross-border situation; a colegiado reviews and confirms every case. Sources cited with date (art. 93 LIRPF; DGT V2918-17, V2195-22; and the home-country rules referenced above). This is not, by itself, tax or legal advice.