The annual declaration and compliance
Declaring assets and income on the IRPF
5 min
Once a year every obligated taxpayer files the Declaração de Ajuste Anual (IRPF) — the annual reconciliation where everything from the year comes together. Understanding its main sections turns a dreaded form into a routine. Field names and thresholds below are as of the time of writing — verify.
Who must file
You are generally obligated to file if, in the year, you (verify current thresholds): received taxable income above a set amount; received exempt/exclusive income above a larger amount; carried out operations on the stock exchange (subject to current rules); held assets above a certain total value on 31 December; or had certain other situations (rural activity, becoming resident, etc.). Even when not obligated, investors often should file to register losses and recover withheld tax.
The sections that matter to investors
- Bens e Direitos — a photograph on 31 December of everything you own: each stock/FII/ETF position by acquisition cost (not market value), bank balances, crypto, foreign assets, real estate. Each item has a specific group/code.
- Rendimentos Isentos e Não Tributáveis — dividends, FII rent, exempt fixed income, exempt share gains.
- Rendimentos Sujeitos à Tributação Exclusiva/Definitiva — JCP, fixed-income earnings, 13th salary.
- Rendimentos Tributáveis — salary and other income that runs the progressive table.
- Renda Variável — a dedicated monthly grid where you enter stock/FII/ETF/day-trade results month by month, your carried losses, and the IR you paid via DARF.
How the pieces connect
The monthly DARFs you paid during the year are entered in the Renda Variável grid; the exempt and exclusive incomes go in their own boxes; Bens e Direitos proves the consistency of your wealth from one year to the next (a jump in assets unexplained by your declared income is a classic malha fina trigger).
Takeaway
The IRPF is a reconciliation, not a new calculation — if you kept good monthly records and paid your DARFs, filing is mostly transcription. The next lesson covers the records that make it painless. Educational only; confirm thresholds, codes and obligations with the current rules and an accountant.
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