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Panama yearly filings 2026

Panama annual fees and filings: the tasa and the records

Updated 11 November 2026Law 49 of 2009 and Law 254 of 2021About 8 minutes to read
The short answer

A Panama corporation pays the US$300 tasa unica by 15 July or 15 January, and gives its resident agent its records or a sworn certification by 30 April. Nothing is published.

Three missed tasas suspend the company. With us: US$1,090 a year, three directors included.

Work out my dates What do I hand in?
The 2026 clean-up 180,346 suspended Panama companies dissolved in the first block on 27 February 2026 Three missed tasas suspend a company; two years later it can be dissolved.

For years a Panama corporation asked for one thing a year: a small tax, paid by your lawyer. Then 2021 added a records duty, and in 2026 the government began dissolving companies that had stopped paying, 180,346 of them in the first block alone. A Panama company is still cheap to keep. It just has two dates now, and one of them is yours. Here they are, set from your own registration date.

Key takeaways

  • The tasa unica is US$300 a year, due 15 July or 15 January depending on when the company was registered.
  • Records, a financial summary or a sworn certification, go to the resident agent by 30 April.
  • The agent sends the tax office a sworn list by 15 July; your accounts are not attached.
  • Three missed tasas suspend the company; B/.1,000 revives it within two years, then it is dissolved.
  • Missing the records duty risks fines from B/.5,000.
  • With Heirson: US$1,090 a year, with three directors.
Chapter 1

Panama corporation deadline calculator

A Panama S.A., each year2026
Tasa unicaUS$300
Agent, directors, recordsUS$790
Records to the agentBy 30 April
Your yearly totalUS$1,090
Banks check a company's status. You live in: pick it
The entity

    The tasa unica is set by Law 49 of 2009, and the tax office (DGI) guidance on the tasa unica ties its date to the half-year the company was registered. The 30 April records duty comes from Law 254 of 2021 and Executive Decree 177 of 2024. The first tasa is paid with the Public Registry fees at formation; the resident agent confirms which period it covers.

    1
    Key takeaway

    Registration half-year sets the tasa date; 30 April is the same for everyone.

    Chapter 2

    What you hand your resident agent by 30 April

    Who owns the company
    Last year it

    Under Article 17 of Law 254 of 2021, records can be kept anywhere in the world, for at least five years from the end of each calendar year. If they aren't with the agent, the agent must have the custodian's name and address in writing. The agent then reports to the tax office, as the DGI guidance for resident agents sets out.

    2
    Key takeaway

    A summary, statements or a one-page certification, depending on last year.

    Chapter 3

    What a Panama corporation costs to keep

    • Tasa unica$300
    • Agent, three directors, records$790
    • Your yearly total$1,090
    In the US$790
    • A Panama lawyer as resident agent, and the office
    • Three directors and officers, as Panama law requires
    • The 30 April records delivery handled with you
    • The tasa unica paid before its date
    • Reminders for every date
    Not in it
    • Bookkeeping to produce the summary, if you need it done
    • Nominee shareholder, US$480 a year
    • An income tax return, if the company earns Panama income or falls under the 2027 substance law
    • Apostilled documents, quoted first
    3
    Key takeaway

    US$300 to Panama and US$790 to us, with three directors.

    Chapter 4

    What a missed tasa unica costs

    Periods missed

    Under Law 49 of 2009, while any tasa is unpaid, the Public Registry won't record filings for the company or issue certificates of good standing. That stops share transfers, director changes and bank renewals at once.

    4
    Key takeaway

    B/.50 a period, then a fine, then suspension, then dissolution.

    Chapter 5

    Why Panama dissolved 180,000 companies in 2026

    1. Before 2026Suspended, but still on the registerHundreds of thousands of companies had stopped paying and sat in suspension for years.
    2. 27 February 2026Mass dissolution begins180,346 suspended companies dissolved in the first block, their tax numbers cancelled.
    3. 31 March 2026A second block25,777 more, with further stages planned for later years of suspension.
    4. BanksTold to checkThe banking regulator told banks to verify the registry status of their corporate clients.

    Whether a company already carries a suspension note shows on its public folio; our Panama company search guide explains how to read it.

    5
    Key takeaway

    Panama now dissolves suspended companies in bulk.

    Chapter 6

    The 2027 substance law: does it reach your company?

    Usually outside it
    • One company owned by one person
    • Earning from business done abroad
    • No companies linked to it in other countries
    Possibly inside it
    • A Panama company holding foreign subsidiaries
    • Receiving foreign dividends, interest or royalties
    • Without staff, premises and board meetings in Panama: 15% on that income, and a yearly return

    Law 526 of 2026, which the Ministry of Economy and Finance presented as Panama's economic substance law, applies from fiscal periods starting 1 January 2027. Our Panama tax guide covers it in full.

    6
    Key takeaway

    From 2027, foreign passive income in groups may need Panama substance.

    Chapter 7

    How to close a Panama corporation, in the right order

    APOSTILLE
    1. FirstClear every unpaid tasaThe Registry records nothing for a company in default, including its dissolution.
    2. ThenResolve to dissolveThe directors propose it and the shareholders approve it.
    3. ThenPublic deed and registrationThe resolution is notarised and registered at the Public Registry.
    4. ThenTax officeThe tax number (RUC) is cancelled; ask for written confirmation.
    5. AfterwardsRecords stay with the agentThe last five years of records, for five more years.
    7
    Key takeaway

    Clear arrears first, then dissolve by registered deed.

    Chapter 8

    Panama annual fees and filings: questions, answered

    ?!
    How much is the annual fee for a Panama corporation?
    The tasa unica is B/.300 (US$300) a year for a sociedad anonima. Foundations pay B/.400. The balboa and the US dollar are at par.
    When is the Panama tasa unica due?
    By 15 July for companies registered between January and June, and by 15 January for those registered between July and December, through the resident agent.
    What happens if a Panama company doesn't pay the tasa unica?
    Under Law 49 of 2009, each late period adds B/.50. Two missed periods bring a B/.300 fine. Three consecutive misses suspend the company's rights; reviving it costs B/.1,000 plus arrears within two years, after which it is dissolved.
    What must a Panama company give its resident agent by 30 April?
    Its accounting records, or a copy, for the year to 31 December. A company with a foreign owner and income or assets gives financial statements or a signed financial summary; one with no activity gives a sworn certification.
    Is a Panama company audited?
    Not for this duty. The summary or statements go to the resident agent, are not published and need no audit.
    What is the penalty for not delivering records?
    B/.5,000 to B/.1,000,000 for the company under Law 254 of 2021, with suspension and forced liquidation possible.
    How do I close a Panama corporation?
    Clear any tasa unica arrears first, because a company in default can't register filings. Then the shareholders resolve to dissolve, the resolution is notarised and registered at the Public Registry, and the tax office cancels the tax number.
    What does Heirson charge each year for a Panama company?
    US$1,090: the US$300 tasa unica plus our US$790 for the resident agent and office, three directors and officers, the 30 April records delivery and reminders.

    Changelog

    • 11 November 2026: first published.
    • 13 November 2026: official sources linked inside the text.
    Your Panama company

    A Panama company that stays off the list.

    We pay the tasa before its date and collect your records by 30 April, for US$1,090 a year.

    See the Panama company Panama bank accounts