Luxembourg transfer pricing (prix de transfert) for tax year 2026: Luxembourg companies and Luxembourg permanent establishments that deal with associated enterprises. Covers the arm's length rule in art. 56 LIR, the OECD-based comparability rules in art. 56bis, hidden profit distributions (art. 1…
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Accountant-authored. Written and published by Ryan Duguid, an accountant approved on OpenAccountants. Their licence number is not on file. Their registration is in Australia; this skill covers Luxembourg. General reference material, not advice on your specific facts; don't file, pay, or take a position on it without a professional reviewing your situation.
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| Item | Rate or amount | Tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on a primary adjustment, Luxembourg City, income above EUR 200,000 | 23.87% combined: IRC 16% + employment fund contribution 1.12% + ICC 6.75% | 2025 onwards | ACD, overall tax burden; LIR art. 174 |
| IRC bands (14% up to EUR 175,000; middle band; 16% above EUR 200,000) and ICC multipliers outside Luxembourg City | see lu-corporate-tax | 2026 | ACD, IRC tariff |
| Withholding tax on dividends, including other income allotted "in any form" on shares | 15% of the gross amount; 17.65% of the net amount when the payer bears the tax | current | LIR arts. 97(1) no. 1, 146 and 148 |
| Withholding exemption for a qualifying corporate shareholder | at least 10% or acquisition price at least EUR 1,200,000, held or committed for 12 months | current | LIR art. 147 no. 2; see lu-corporate-tax |
| Intra-group financing company, purely intermediary, safe harbour | minimum return of 2% after tax on the financed assets | from 1 January 2017; unchanged at 2026 | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 27 |
| Return on equity observed for financing and treasury functions like regulated entities | 10% after tax | as at 27 December 2016 | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 24 |
| Advance decision (décision anticipée) fee, business taxation | EUR 3,000 to EUR 10,000, set by the ACD by complexity and workload; payable within one month; not refunded | requests from 1 January 2015 | § 29a(4) AO, inserted by the law of 19 December 2014; grand-ducal regulation of 23 December 2014, arts. 8 to 10 |
| Advance decision, maximum validity | 5 tax years | same | § 29a(3) AO |
| Country-by-country report, group threshold | consolidated group revenue of EUR 750,000,000 or more in the fiscal year before the reporting year | reporting years from 2016 | Law of 23 December 2016 on CbC reporting, annex, section I, no. 5 |
| CbC report deadline | 12 months after the last day of the reporting fiscal year | same | same, art. 2 |
| CbC fine | up to EUR 250,000 | same | same, art. 3(1); amount unchanged by the law of 27 March 2026, art. 13 |
| Amount B, scope test | operating expenses of the tested distributor between 3% and a cap of 20% to 30% of its annual net revenue | financial years from 1 January 2025 | Circular 56/2 – 56bis/2 of 13 April 2026, section 4 |
| EU dispute complaint, time limit | 3 years from the first notification of the measure | current | Law of 20 December 2019, art. 3(3) |
What is new for 2026: no change to arts. 56 and 56bis LIR, which have stood since the law of 23 December 2016 (in force 1 January 2017). Two administrative texts matter:
Amount B. Circular L.I.R. n° 56/2 – 56bis/2 of 13 April 2026 says how Luxembourg treats the OECD simplified approach for baseline distributors when a "covered jurisdiction" applies it. It applies to financial years opened from 1 January 2025.
Shareholder current accounts. Circular L.I.R. n° 164/1 of 29 January 2025 replaced the 1998 circular on interest on debit current accounts of shareholders. For an associated enterprise the rate is set case by case under arts. 56 and 56bis.
CbC report procedure. The law of 27 March 2026 (DAC8), applicable from 1 January 2026, amended the CbC law: the fine is now set by the bureau de la retenue d'impôt sur les intérêts, a resident constituent entity can also appeal, the report must carry each constituent entity's tax identification number for tax periods from 1 January 2028, and the ACD's powers of investigation lapse ten years after the end of the reporting fiscal year (law of 27 March 2026, art. 13).
No law passed in 2025 or 2026 adds a master file or local file duty. The ACD lists of laws for those years show none (ACD, laws 2025; ACD, laws 2026).
Rates, the taxable base, filing and the ordinary penalties are in lu-corporate-tax. This skill covers pricing between associated enterprises and how it is documented and defended.
The arm's length rule (art. 56 LIR). It applies where:
and the two enterprises, in their commercial or financial relations, are bound by conditions that differ from those independent enterprises would agree. The profits are then set at the conditions that apply between independent enterprises and taxed on that basis (LIR art. 56). The text works both ways: profits are set at arm's length, whether that raises or lowers the Luxembourg figure. The law sets no ownership percentage. Any participation in management, control or capital is enough.
The rule reaches domestic dealings as well as cross-border ones. Art. 56 does not limit itself to foreign counterparties.
Art. 56bis LIR applies to every "associated enterprise" within art. 56. It defines a transaction (a transfer of tangible or intangible property, a service, or a commitment, written or not, that would be paid for on the open market) and sets the method: an accurate delineation of the transaction and a comparability analysis on five factors.
Hidden profit distributions (art. 164(3) LIR). These are included in taxable income. There is a hidden distribution in particular where a shareholder, member or "interested party" receives, directly or indirectly, advantages from the company that he would not have received without that status. This reaches advantages to individual shareholders and to persons close to them, which art. 56 (enterprise to enterprise) does not.
Who must document. Every taxpayer must be able to justify the figures in its returns, including transfer prices on transactions between associated enterprises (§ 171 AO, with § 171(3) inserted by the law of 19 December 2014; circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 7).
Out of scope here: investment funds, SICARs, securitisation vehicles and SPFs (their own regimes); individuals (luxembourg-income-tax); interest limitation, CFC rules and exit tax (lu-corporate-tax).
| Item | Rate or amount | Tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on a primary adjustment, Luxembourg City, income above EUR 200,000 | 23.87% combined: IRC 16% + employment fund contribution 1.12% + ICC 6.75% | 2025 onwards | ACD, overall tax burden; LIR art. 174 |
| IRC bands (14% up to EUR 175,000; middle band; 16% above EUR 200,000) and ICC multipliers outside Luxembourg City | see lu-corporate-tax | 2026 | ACD, IRC tariff |
| Withholding tax on dividends, including other income allotted "in any form" on shares | 15% of the gross amount; 17.65% of the net amount when the payer bears the tax | current | LIR arts. 97(1) no. 1, 146 and 148 |
| Withholding exemption for a qualifying corporate shareholder | at least 10% or acquisition price at least EUR 1,200,000, held or committed for 12 months | current | LIR art. 147 no. 2; see lu-corporate-tax |
| Intra-group financing company, purely intermediary, safe harbour | minimum return of 2% after tax on the financed assets | from 1 January 2017; unchanged at 2026 | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 27 |
| Return on equity observed for financing and treasury functions like regulated entities | 10% after tax | as at 27 December 2016 | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 24 |
| Advance decision (décision anticipée) fee, business taxation | EUR 3,000 to EUR 10,000, set by the ACD by complexity and workload; payable within one month; not refunded | requests from 1 January 2015 | § 29a(4) AO, inserted by the law of 19 December 2014; grand-ducal regulation of 23 December 2014, arts. 8 to 10 |
| Advance decision, maximum validity | 5 tax years | same | § 29a(3) AO |
| Country-by-country report, group threshold | consolidated group revenue of EUR 750,000,000 or more in the fiscal year before the reporting year | reporting years from 2016 | Law of 23 December 2016 on CbC reporting, annex, section I, no. 5 |
| CbC report deadline | 12 months after the last day of the reporting fiscal year | same | same, art. 2 |
| CbC fine | up to EUR 250,000 | same | same, art. 3(1); amount unchanged by the law of 27 March 2026, art. 13 |
| Amount B, scope test | operating expenses of the tested distributor between 3% and a cap of 20% to 30% of its annual net revenue | financial years from 1 January 2025 | Circular 56/2 – 56bis/2 of 13 April 2026, section 4 |
| EU dispute complaint, time limit | 3 years from the first notification of the measure | current | Law of 20 December 2019, art. 3(3) |
There is no statutory threshold for documentation. § 171(3) AO applies to every associated-enterprise transaction, whatever its size.
lu-corporate-tax).| What | Who | Deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer pricing documentation | Any taxpayer with transactions between associated enterprises | No fixed filing date. Produce it on the tax office's request to justify the return (§ 171(3) AO). | Law of 19 December 2014, art. 4, 2°; circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 7 |
| Financing safe harbour and Amount B | Taxpayer using them | Say so in the corporate return for the year, in the relevant box | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 29; circular 56/2 – 56bis/2, section 6 |
| CbC report | Luxembourg ultimate parent, or another reporting entity under annex section II | 12 months after the end of the reporting fiscal year. A calendar-year group files its 2026 report by 31 December 2027. | CbC law, art. 2 |
| CbC notification | Every Luxembourg constituent entity of a group within scope | Say whether it is the ultimate parent, surrogate parent or designated entity, or name the reporting entity and its residence, by the last day of the reporting fiscal year | CbC law, annex, section II, nos. 3 and 4 |
| Advance decision (§ 29a AO) | Taxpayer wanting certainty on a planned transaction | Written, reasoned request before the transaction; decided by the tax office after the opinion of the Commission des décisions anticipées; binding for up to 5 tax years unless the facts were incomplete or differ, or the decision breaks national, EU or international law; cannot grant an exemption or reduction | § 29a AO; regulation of 23 December 2014 |
| Financing company ruling request | Intra-group financing company | Must at least contain the items in the circular, including a transfer pricing study with the capital calculation, the full comparables list and rejection matrix, other APAs, and profit projections | Circular 56/1 – 56bis/1, no. 32 |
| Corporate return carrying the adjustment | Company | 31 December of the following year; see lu-corporate-tax | ACD, filing deadlines |
A bilateral or multilateral APA is negotiated between competent authorities under the MAP article of the treaty. Luxembourg transfer pricing MAP cases go to the ACD's Division économique (ACD, MAP).
lu-corporate-tax).lu-corporate-tax).Alzette Distribution SARL, in Luxembourg City, is 100% owned by its German parent GmbH, which has held it for more than 12 months. In 2026 it had sales of EUR 10,000,000 and paid the parent a trademark royalty of 8% of sales. A benchmark of comparable licences supports 5% at most. Its taxable profit before the adjustment is above EUR 200,000, so the adjustment is taxed at the top marginal rates.
name: Luxembourg City SARL, royalty 8% vs arm's length 5% on sales EUR 10m, tax year 2026
inputs:
sales: 10000000
royalty_paid_pct: 8
royalty_arm_pct: 5
irc_pct: 16
cfe_pct: 7
icc_base_pct: 3
icc_multiplier_pct: 225
wht_pct: 0
steps:
- royalty_paid: sales * royalty_paid_pct / 100
- royalty_arm: sales * royalty_arm_pct / 100
- adjustment: royalty_paid - royalty_arm
- irc: adjustment * irc_pct / 100
- cfe: irc * cfe_pct / 100
- icc: adjustment * icc_base_pct / 100 * icc_multiplier_pct / 100
- extra_tax: irc + cfe + icc
- effective_pct: extra_tax / adjustment * 100
- wht: adjustment * wht_pct / 100
- total: extra_tax + wht
expected:
royalty_paid: 800000.00
royalty_arm: 500000.00
adjustment: 300000.00
irc: 48000.00
cfe: 3360.00
icc: 20250.00
extra_tax: 71610.00
effective_pct: 23.87
wht: 0.00
total: 71610.00
Pétrusse Consulting SARL, in Luxembourg City, is wholly owned by an individual who lives in Luxembourg. In 2026 it rents its office from him for EUR 180,000. Market rent for the office is EUR 120,000. Its profit before the adjustment is above EUR 200,000. The company does not recover any tax from the shareholder.
wht_if_borne for comparison; use one figure or the other, not both.luxembourg-income-tax).name: Luxembourg City SARL, excess rent EUR 60,000 to individual shareholder, tax year 2026
inputs:
rent_paid: 180000
rent_market: 120000
irc_pct: 16
cfe_pct: 7
icc_base_pct: 3
icc_multiplier_pct: 225
wht_pct: 15
wht_borne_pct: 17.65
steps:
- hidden_distribution: rent_paid - rent_market
- irc: hidden_distribution * irc_pct / 100
- cfe: irc * cfe_pct / 100
- icc: hidden_distribution * icc_base_pct / 100 * icc_multiplier_pct / 100
- company_tax: irc + cfe + icc
- wht: hidden_distribution * wht_pct / 100
- total: company_tax + wht
- wht_if_borne: hidden_distribution * wht_borne_pct / 100
expected:
hidden_distribution: 60000.00
irc: 9600.00
cfe: 672.00
icc: 4050.00
company_tax: 14322.00
wht: 9000.00
total: 23322.00
wht_if_borne: 10590.00
| Source | URL | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| LIR, consolidated text in force at 1 January 2026 (ACD, updated 8 May 2026): arts. 18, 56, 56bis, 97, 146, 147, 148, 164, 174 | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/LIR/texte-coordonn-en-vigueur-au-1er-janvier-2026-ver-08052026.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Circular L.I.R. n° 56/1 – 56bis/1 of 27 December 2016, intra-group financing companies | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi16/circulairelir561-56bis1-27122016.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Circular L.I.R. n° 56/2 – 56bis/2 of 13 April 2026, Amount B (scanned; read by OCR) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/circulaires/lir-56-2-56bis-2-du-13042026.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Circular L.I.R. n° 164/1 of 29 January 2025, interest on shareholder current accounts (scanned; read by OCR) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/circulaires/lir-164-1-du-29-janvier-2025.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| ACD, collection of circulars | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/legislation/circulaires.html | 2026-10-23 |
| Law of 19 December 2014 (Mémorial A n° 257), art. 4: § 29a and § 171(3) of the Abgabenordnung | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi14/Memorial-A---N_-257-du-24-decembre-2014.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Grand-ducal regulation of 23 December 2014 on advance decisions (Mémorial A n° 264) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi14/Memorial-A---N_-264-du-29-decembre-2014.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Law of 23 December 2016 on country-by-country reporting (Mémorial A n° 280) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi16/a280.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| Law of 27 March 2026 (DAC8, Mémorial A n° 144), art. 13 amending the CbC law, art. 17 applicable from 1 January 2026, Legilux | https://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2026/03/27/a144/jo | 2026-10-23 |
| Law of 20 December 2019 on tax dispute resolution (Mémorial A n° 890), Legilux | https://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2019/12/20/a890/jo | 2026-10-23 |
| Circular L.G. – Conv. D.I. n° 60 of 11 March 2021, mutual agreement procedure | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/dam-assets/fr/legislation/legi21/2021-03-11-LG-Conv-DI-60-du-1132021.pdf | 2026-10-23 |
| ACD, mutual agreement procedure (MAP) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/conventions/map.html | 2026-10-23 |
| ACD, overall tax burden of companies (23.87% from 2025) | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/az/c/charg_fisc.html | 2026-10-23 |
| ACD, IRC tariff | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/az/t/tarif-applicable-collectivites/tarif-collect.html | 2026-10-23 |
| ACD, late filing surcharge and late interest | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/az/p/prelev.html | 2026-10-22 (via lu-corporate-tax) |
| ACD, filing deadlines | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/az/d/delais/depot.html | 2026-10-22 (via lu-corporate-tax) |
| ACD, laws passed in 2025 and in 2026 | https://impotsdirects.public.lu/fr/legislation/legi26.html | 2026-10-23 |
Not yet confirmed: the consolidated text of § 29a and § 171 AO in force in 2026 (read only as inserted by the law of 19 December 2014; no later amendment was seen); a consolidated text of the CbC law (read in the 2016 original plus art. 13 of the law of 27 March 2026; amendments between 2017 and 2025, if any, were not seen) and the grand-ducal regulation of 13 March 2026; whether the ACD still applies the 2% safe harbour and the 10% return on equity at those figures (the circular says they will be reviewed; no revision was found); an official ACD text on how withholding is collected on a hidden distribution and on hidden capital contributions (the skill relies on the wording of arts. 18, 97, 146 and 164 LIR).
Contributed by Ryan Duguid.
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