Retiring in Argentina
Argentina: the tax picture for FIRE
Argentina taxes personal income on a progressive scale from 5% to 35%, with every band boundary re-indexed to inflation each semester — the figures here are the first-half-2026 scale, and all peso thresholds are transient by design. Ember's pack is a low-confidence draft that models the bands only: Argentina's real system works through a stack of deductions rather than a tax-free allowance, and none of it is modelled, so the pack over-states tax for anyone with normal deductions — most of all retirees, whose special deduction of up to eight times the minimum guaranteed pension can exempt a large slice of pension income.
Investment gains on securities and crypto are modelled at a flat 15% with no annual exemption, applied to the full nominal gain — a reasonable fit for foreign-currency assets, but an over-tax on peso gains in high inflation, and Argentine listed shares, bonds and local funds are exempt for residents (not modelled). Inheritance and estate rules are not yet coded, no UK-pension treaty position is modelled, and the cost-of-living factor of 0.45 — around 45% of the UK baseline — is a low-confidence, illustrative figure.
Income tax (2026)low confidence — approximate
Tax-free allowance: ARS 25,135,816 (then bands apply to income above it).
| Band (above allowance) | Rate |
|---|---|
| ARS 0 – ARS 2,168,491 | 5% |
| ARS 2,168,491 – ARS 4,336,983 | 9% |
| ARS 4,336,983 – ARS 6,505,475 | 12% |
| ARS 6,505,475 – ARS 9,758,213 | 15% |
| ARS 9,758,213 – ARS 19,516,426 | 19% |
| ARS 19,516,426 – ARS 29,274,640 | 23% |
| ARS 29,274,640 – ARS 43,911,960 | 27% |
| ARS 43,911,960 – ARS 65,867,941 | 31% |
| above ARS 65,867,941 | 35% |
What this model doesn’t capture (9)
- GNI + deducción especial ap.1 NOW modelled as the single-filer allowanceMinor (H2-2026 stack ARS 25,135,816.20); still unmodelled: spouse/child deductions, the '13th-salary' (SAC) exemption, and the ap.2 self-employed variant. APPROXIMATION: the deducción especial statutorily requires employment/pension income, but the flat allowance shields ALL ordinary categories — a rental-only filer is over-shielded by up to the ap.1 amount
- jubilado deducción específica NOW modelled (retireeSpecificDeduction, 8× HMG): annual figure is a FLOOR — Aug–Dec 2026 held at July's ANSES Res. 186/2026 value (3,295,914.64/mo) pending the monthly movilidad resolutions; refresh as they land. The Bienes Personales forfeiture leg (liability other than from a sole dwelling voids the deduction) is NOT modelled — a wealthy jubilado may be under-taxed by the deduction's spread
- SEMI-ANNUAL CPI INDEXING: every band boundary and deduction re-indexes each semester (RG ARCA per Ley 27.743 art. 94). H2-2026 (jul–dic) figures wired 2026-07-22 — they are the December-accumulated ANNUAL scale — and go stale ~Jan 2027; the jubilado HMG additionally moves MONTHLY. All ARS thresholds are transient.
- Empleado social security contributions (jubilacion 11% + PAMI/obra social ~6% = ~17% on gross salary, capped) — separate from income tax, not modelled
- Provincial income taxes / Ingresos Brutos (turnover tax) not applicable to individuals' employment income but relevant for self-employed — not modelled
- Impuesto sobre los Bienes Personales (wealth tax on WORLDWIDE assets, ~0.5-1.0%, threshold ~ARS 384.7m 2025, falling to 0.25% by 2027) — a real recurring cost for a resident, separate schedule not modelled
- Financial/CGT ~15% with many Argentine-security exemptions; dividends ~7% WHT — separate savings schedule, not modelled
- Deduction mechanism note: AR art. 30 deductions reduce the taxable base at the marginal rate (a genuine deduction) — correctly modelled via allowanceMinor, NOT the credit field (which is for fixed-rate credit-like reliefs, e.g. ES mínimo personal)
- selfEmployment: no regime module — self-employed social contributions / business-income surcharges for this jurisdiction are not modelled
Capital gainsmedium confidence
Capital gains are taxed at a flat 15%.
15% flat on securities/crypto gains, legally computed on a foreign-currency or CPI-adjusted cost basis (FX/inflation component untaxed). The engine applies 15% to the full nominal gain — a good match for foreign-currency assets, but OVER-taxes peso-denominated gains in high inflation. Argentine CNV-listed shares, government/corporate bonds and local funds are exempt for residents (not modelled); dividends 7% WHT. Milei-era reform makes details volatile.
Inheritance & estate tax
Not yet coded in Ember’s estate data layer — the planner treats it as unmodelled for this country and says so rather than guessing.
Cost of living
45%
of a UK baseline (100%) — a rough, illustrative comparison, not a forecast.
UK private pension
Under the UK treaty, a UK-sourced private pension paid to a resident here is generally taxed only where you live (not by the UK).
Common questions
How are capital gains taxed in Argentina?
Ember models a flat 15% on securities and crypto gains, with no annual exemption. In law the gain is computed on a foreign-currency or inflation-adjusted cost basis — the FX/inflation component is untaxed — but Ember applies 15% to the full nominal gain, which fits foreign-currency assets well and over-taxes peso-denominated gains in high inflation. Argentine CNV-listed shares, government and corporate bonds and local funds are exempt for residents (not modelled), and dividends carry a 7% withholding tax. This is low-confidence data, and Milei-era reform makes the detail volatile.
How is pension income taxed in Argentina?
Pension income falls under the same progressive 5%–35% scale, but retirees (jubilados/pensionados) get a special deduction worth up to eight times the minimum guaranteed pension, which fully exempts a large slice of pension income. Ember does not yet model that deduction — or any of Argentina's deduction stack — so it massively over-taxes a retiree drawing down in Argentina; the pack's own caveats say it should not be used for pensioners until that deduction is added. Ember's data also carries no UK–Argentina pension treaty method, so UK-sourced pension treatment is not modelled.
Is Argentina cheaper to live in than the UK?
Ember's illustrative cost-of-living factor puts Argentina at 0.45 — roughly 45% of its UK baseline — which scales a UK-benchmarked FIRE number down accordingly. It is a low-confidence figure. The model also leaves out two recurring costs flagged in the pack: employee social contributions of around 17% on gross salary (capped), and the Bienes Personales wealth tax on worldwide assets — roughly 0.5–1.0% above a threshold of about ARS 384.7 million in 2025, with the rate set to fall to 0.25% by 2027.
What does Argentina do to your FIRE date?
The free calculator compares your number across every covered country; the full planner models your actual accounts, pensions, residency moves and these exact tax rules — with the maths behind every figure shown.