Business taxes in Suriname: the complete overview

A business in Suriname deals with income tax on profit (36% for an NV), dividend tax (25%), wage tax and AOV for staff, VAT (10% standard), import duties and excise on imports, and transfer tax (4%) when buying real estate. This page lists them all, with the fixed dates in a year and where to get help.

All taxes at a glance

Tax	Rate	Who pays, when
Corporate income tax	36% of profit	NV, cooperative, foundation or association running a business, branch. Provisional in four instalments, final within 6 months after the financial year.
Personal income tax	0%, 8%, 18%, 28%, 38%	Owner of a sole proprietorship, partners in a VOF. Final return within 4 months after the year.
Dividend tax	25%	Withheld by the distributing company, remitted within one month.
Wage tax	0% to 38% (monthly table)	Employer withholds it from wages, monthly return.
AOV premium	4%	Withheld from employees' wages; business owners through their income tax.
VAT (BTW)	10%, 5%, 25%, 0% or exempt	Businesses above SRD 1,000,000 turnover, monthly; on imports to Customs.
Import duty, statistical fee, consent fee	Per product (CARICOM tariff)	Importer, at each import through ASYCUDA.
Excise (accijns)	Per product	Producer or importer of alcohol, beer, tobacco, soft drinks and motor fuel.
Transfer tax (zegelrecht)	4% (0.5% within the family)	With the notarial deed transferring real estate.
Rental value tax, wealth tax	See below	Check with the Direct Taxes Inspectorate.

Income tax on profit

Suriname has no separate corporate tax law. The Income Tax Act 1922 taxes entities (NVs, cooperatives, mutual insurers and foundations or associations that run a business) at a flat rate of 36% on the taxable amount: the profit of the financial year minus losses carried forward. A branch of a foreign company pays the same rate on the profit attributable to Suriname. A sole proprietorship or partnership (VOF) pays no profit tax; the profit goes to the owner's or partners' income tax (see Income tax and returns).

• Losses. Losses from the first three financial years after starting (start-up losses) can be carried forward without time limit, provided you keep proper books from the start. Other losses are offset against the profit of the next seven years. Carry-back is not possible.
• Participation exemption. Dividends from another Surinamese company are not part of your profit. Neither are dividends from a foreign subsidiary, if you hold at least 10% of the capital, the holding fits your normal business and the subsidiary pays profit tax in its country.
• Not deductible. Profit distributions, the income tax itself, and profit shares (tantièmes) to directors and supervisory board members above the limits in the law.
• Exchange results. Realised exchange gains are taxable; exchange losses are deductible even when unrealised (according to HBN Law & Tax).
• Provisions for pensions, maintenance or warranties, for example, are deductible if they meet conditions; ask your accountant.
• Bookkeeping in USD. Companies meeting the conditions of a state decree can, on request, keep their books, file and pay in a designated foreign currency.

Directors and liquidators are jointly and severally liable for the entity's income tax, unless they show it was not their fault. Returns and instalments work as for individuals, but the final return is due within 6 months after the financial year (30 June for a calendar year), with balance sheet and profit and loss account.

Dividend tax

When an NV established in Suriname distributes profit to shareholders, it withholds 25% dividend tax and remits it with a return within one month after the dividend is made available. If the NV bears the tax itself, the dividend is grossed up by 100/75 for the calculation. No tax is withheld on distributions to Surinamese investment companies, or to Surinamese companies that have held the shares without interruption since the start of the year (and not reciprocally), under conditions set by the Minister.

For shareholders living in Suriname, dividend tax is a prepayment on their income tax. For foreign shareholders a tax treaty can reduce the rate: according to HBN Law & Tax to 7.5% under the treaty with the Netherlands. Suriname has treaties with the Netherlands and Indonesia; the treaty with Curaçao (signed 1 July 2024) was not yet in force at the end of 2025. A branch pays no dividend tax when it sends profit to its head office; oil and gas companies with an agreement are often exempt.

Wage tax, AOV and other employer costs

If you have staff, you must withhold tax. Every month you withhold wage tax according to the table (tax free SRD 9,000 a month, then 8% to 38%) and the 4% AOV premium, and you file and pay through the portal. The portal accepts the monthly return from the 26th up to and including the 10th of the following month. Holiday allowance and bonus are each free of wage tax up to SRD 19,500 a year. Documented expense allowances (representation, transport, internet) are not part of wages.

On top of that you pay premiums for the general pension and the basic health insurance of your employees. How much, and how to pay, is in Employer costs. Calculate pay and deductions per employee with the Net salary calculator and make a payslip with the Payslip generator.

VAT

Above SRD 1,000,000 of taxable turnover in a calendar year you must register for VAT. You charge 10% (or 5%, 25%, 0%) on your sales, deduct the VAT on your purchases and imports, and file and pay every month before the 16th. Since 2026 a late return costs at least SRD 2,500. Note that many basic goods and services have been exempt since October 2023, and then you cannot deduct the VAT on purchases for that turnover. Registration, invoices, deductions and penalties are all in VAT in Suriname.

Import duties, excise, statistical fee and consent fee

On every import the customs system ASYCUDA calculates the levies on the customs value (CIF). You pay by bank to the Receiver of Import Duties and Excise. Since 1 January 2025 commercial importers and exporters need a FIN number.

• Import duty under the CARICOM common external tariff, per HS code. Raw materials usually low, finished goods higher. Goods of CARICOM origin can be duty free.
• Statistical fee (statistiekrecht) and consent fee (consentrecht): according to the US government trade guide and the EITI report, 0.5% and 1.5% of the CIF value, calculated in ASYCUDA. Check the current rates with your broker or Customs. See Importing goods.
• Excise (accijns) on tobacco and cigarettes, spirits and other alcoholic drinks, beer, soft drinks, and a consumption tax on motor fuel. Local producers pay excise too.
• Import VAT: 10% (or 5% or 25%) on the customs value plus duties and excise. Deductible if you are VAT registered.

Partial exemptions exist for business assets, raw materials and packaging (Raw Materials Decree 1997). According to HBN Law & Tax, decree La.F.no. 1378 gave a 50% import duty exemption on business assets, 75% for the production sector and a partial statistical fee exemption up to SRD 1,000 until 27 June 2026. Ask Customs or the Ministry of Finance whether this was extended, and file the request before the goods arrive. Work out your landed cost with the Import cost calculator; the procedure is in Importing goods.

Real estate: transfer tax and rental value tax

Transfer tax is officially called stamp duty (zegelrecht, article 32 Stamp Act). Since October 2022 it is 4% of the value of the property or property right (ownership, land lease, building right), on a deed of transfer or creation. Mortgages are excluded. For transfers to blood relatives or in-laws up to the second degree it is 0.5%. For an exchange you pay 4% on half the combined value of the exchanged properties, and for an exchange or sale to bring the legal situation in line with the actual one, 0.5% of the land value. The notary calculates and collects it. More in Buying land and property.

Rental value tax (Rental Value Tax Act 1995) is 6% of a building's rental value, with a minimum of SRD 20 a year. For own use the rental value is 1% of the market value after deducting SRD 50,000; for a let building it is the annual rent. The owner pays, or on state land the leaseholder. Buildings used for agriculture, factories and workshops are exempt. Ask the Direct Taxes Inspectorate how it is collected in practice. More in Buying land and property.

Wealth tax, withholding taxes and transfer pricing

• Wealth tax (vermogensbelasting). Older overviews mention a wealth tax for individuals, not for companies. We could not confirm current amounts or whether assessments are being issued; ask the Direct Taxes Inspectorate.
• Withholding on payments abroad. Apart from the 25% dividend tax, according to the ABS overview Suriname levies no withholding tax on interest, royalties or management and service fees paid abroad. A foreign company working in Suriname can, however, have a permanent establishment and then owe income tax and wage tax itself. Since February 2023 the exclusive economic zone (offshore) also falls under Surinamese taxation. On services you buy from a foreign company, you do declare VAT yourself (reverse charge).
• Transfer pricing. Suriname has no detailed documentation rules like OECD countries. The law only allows a deduction for interest and fees paid to related parties to the extent they are at arm's length. For VAT, market value applies between related parties if the price is lower and the VAT is not fully deductible. Put your intra-group pricing in writing.

Investment Act and other incentives

The Investment Act 2001 offers tax incentives for approved investments, subject to conditions. According to the ABS overview and HBN Law & Tax they include:

• partial or full exemption from import duty on business assets and, for the production sector, on raw materials, auxiliary materials, semi-finished goods and packaging;
• a tax holiday in the start year and the following 9 years for approved projects (mainly tourism and agriculture), with a possible extension for large investments;
• accelerated depreciation of business assets;
• non-tax incentives such as permits to transfer foreign currency for profit, interest and loan repayments.

A new Investment Act (2024 draft) with an investment allowance, horizontal loss offset and a deduction for notional interest on equity, among other things, had not yet been passed by the National Assembly at the end of 2025. The oil and gas sector has separate rules: among others 0% VAT on supplies to (sub)contractors and exemption from import duties and dividend tax through agreements (see Oil and gas: GranMorgu). Apply for incentives through the Ministry of Finance and Planning or EZOTI before you invest. More in Investing in Suriname.

Tax calendar for a year

For a business whose financial year is the calendar year. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, file earlier.

When	What
Every month, by the 10th	Wage tax and AOV return and payment for the previous month (portal opens on the 26th).
Every month, 1st to 15th	VAT return and payment for the previous month, also nil returns.
Within a month after a dividend	Dividend tax return and payment.
At every import	Import duty, statistical and consent fees, excise and VAT to Customs.
15 February	Last day to ask for a lower provisional assessment.
15 April	Provisional income tax return and first instalment.
30 April	Final income tax return for individuals (sole trader owners).
30 June	Final income tax return for NVs and other entities, with financial statements.
15 July and 15 October	Second and third provisional instalment.
31 December	Fourth instalment; also the deadline for a provisional return if your obligation only started after 15 April.

Add all dates to your calendar with Tax deadlines.

Worked example: an NV with SRD 1 million profit

Taxable profit for 2026	SRD 1,000,000
Income tax 36%	- SRD 360,000
Profit after tax	SRD 640,000
Paid out as dividend: 25% dividend tax withheld	- SRD 160,000
Net to the shareholder	SRD 480,000

Together that is 52% of the profit. If the shareholder lives in Suriname, the dividend counts in their own return and the 25% is credited; on a high income a little more can be due. If the NV keeps the profit for investment, the total stays at 36%. The provisional assessment for 2027 is at least SRD 360,000: four instalments of SRD 90,000. The same profit in a sole proprietorship gives SRD 313,760 income tax plus SRD 40,000 AOV.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a small NV need not file. Every entity files provisional and final returns, even at a loss and even if no return form was sent.
• Withholding wage tax and AOV and using the money for the business. It belongs to the tax office, not in your till. Remit it every month.
• No bookkeeping from day one. Without proper books you lose the unlimited carry-forward of start-up losses.
• Taking out profit through a current account without dividend tax. The law taxes distributions of profit "under whatever name or in whatever form".
• Applying for import exemptions too late. The request must be settled before the goods are in port.
• Not supporting intra-group charges. Without arm's length support the deduction can be refused.

Where to get help

• Direct Taxes Inspectorate (income, wage and dividend tax): Van Sommelsdijckstraat 27, Paramaribo, 1960 extension 312 or 313.
• VAT Inspectorate (Inspectie Omzetbelasting): same address, 1960 extension 345.
• Direct Taxes Receiving Office (payments): same address, 1960 extension 305.
• Customs, Import Duties and Excise Inspectorate: Havenlaan 1, Paramaribo, 1960 extension 161 or 162.
• Tax office head office: Kerkplein 12, 1960 extension 231 or 232. Office hours: Monday to Thursday 07:30 to 14:00, Friday 07:30 to 13:00, closed at weekends.

For your financial statements, the income tax return and questions about incentives, hire an accountant or tax adviser. Pick someone who knows Surinamese law and the online portal, and ask for a quote in advance. All addresses are on Government offices and contacts and an overview of institutions on Business resources. How to set up your records is in Bookkeeping and invoices.

Sources

• Inkomstenbelasting 1922 (bijgewerkt tot S.B. 2024 no. 3)
• Wet Dividendbelasting 1973
• Wet AOV
• Wet BTW 2022 (S.B. 2022 no. 121)
• Wijziging Wet BTW 5 september 2023 (S.B. 2023 no. 126)
• S.B. 2022 no. 119, wijziging Zegelwet: overdrachtsbelasting 4%
• Belastingdienst: algemene procedure in- en uitvoer (2026)
• Belastingdienst: inkomstenbelasting
• HBN Law & Tax: end of the year tax alerts Suriname (1 december 2025)
• HBN Law & Tax: end of the year tax alerts Suriname (18 november 2024)
• ABS: Suriname taxes, English version (ouder overzicht)

Checked on 21 October 2026. General information, not tax advice.