Tax authority warns of rising cybercrime during tax season
The Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira or AT) has issued warnings regarding an increase in fraudulent schemes targeting taxpayers during the current income tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento de Pessoas Singulares or IRS) filing period. Criminals are using the agency's name to send deceptive messages about refunds or outstanding debts to steal personal information.
The IRS withholding tables (tabelas de retenção na fonte) are government-published schedules that determine how much personal income tax (Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares — IRS) employers must deduct from each paycheck. They take into account gross pay, marital status, number of dependents, and disability status.
The tables are updated annually (and sometimes mid-year when budgets change), directly affecting monthly take-home pay. When tables are revised downward, workers see more in their pay packet; when raised, less. Any difference between amounts withheld and the actual tax owed is settled when the annual IRS return (Modelo 3) is filed, typically between April and June.
Employees and pensioners should check the current tables — published by the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT) — whenever they change, as the impact on net income can be significant.
