Ivory Coast tax rates center on a 25% corporate income tax (30% for telecom, IT, and communications companies), a progressive salary tax that rises from 0% to 32%, and a standard VAT of 18% with a reduced 9% band for essentials. Non-residents without a permanent establishment face withholding taxes of 15% to 20% on dividends, interest, royalties, and service fees. The system is administered by the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) and uses a scheduler model, so each type of income follows its own rules.
Corporate Income Tax Rate
The standard rate is 25% of taxable profit. Companies operating in telecommunications, information technology, and communications pay 30% instead. A company is tax-resident if it is incorporated in Côte d’Ivoire or if its central management and control sits there.
Capital gains are normally taxed at the full corporate rate. Tax on the gain (excluding recaptured depreciation) can be deferred when the proceeds are reinvested within three years. Gains from directly selling shares fall under the securities income tax (IRVM) rather than the standard corporate rate.
Minimum Flat Tax
Every company owes the Minimum Flat Tax (Impôt Minimum Forfaitaire, or IMF) whether or not it turned a profit. The IMF is 0.5% of annual turnover, with a floor of XOF 3 million and a ceiling of XOF 35 million. Gas stations and butane distributors have a reduced floor of XOF 500,000. At year-end, the company pays whichever is higher: the IMF or its standard corporate tax liability.1Direction générale des Impôts de Côte d’Ivoire. Impôts et Taxes en Côte d’Ivoire 2025
Losses
Operating losses carry forward five years. Losses attributable to depreciation carry forward indefinitely. Loss carrybacks are not allowed.
Individual Income Tax Rates
An individual is a tax resident if they maintain a principal residence in the country, have a permanent home available there, or spend more than 183 days in Côte d’Ivoire during a calendar year. Residents are taxed on worldwide income; non-residents pay only on Ivorian-source income.
Income is split into schedules. Salaries go through the progressive scale below. Non-commercial profits (BNC) are taxed at a flat 20%. Investment income, rental income, and industrial and commercial profits follow their own rates.
Progressive Salary Tax Scale
Following the salary tax reform, wages are taxed on gross salary using a monthly progressive scale. The top marginal rate is 32%, down from 37.5% under the old system.
- Up to XOF 75,000: 0%
- XOF 75,001 to XOF 240,000: 16%
- XOF 240,001 to XOF 800,000: 21%
- XOF 800,001 to XOF 2,400,000: 24%
- XOF 2,400,001 to XOF 8,000,000: 28%
- Above XOF 8,000,000: 32%
The old family quotient and the standard deduction for employment expenses were both abolished. A fixed monthly reduction, the RICF (Réduction d’Impôt pour Charge de Famille), now applies to the gross tax figure. Its size depends on the taxpayer’s number of shares (parts), which grow with dependents, and is capped so very high earners see a smaller proportional benefit.
National Contribution
On top of the salary tax, employees owe the National Contribution, calculated on 80% of gross income:
- Up to XOF 600,000: 0%
- XOF 600,001 to XOF 1,560,000: 1.5%
- XOF 1,560,001 to XOF 2,400,000: 5%
- Above XOF 2,400,000: 10%
Payroll and Social Security
Employers pay a payroll tax of 2.8% on the gross taxable remuneration of local employees and 12% for expatriate employees. There is no preliminary reduction.
Social security contributions go to the Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (CNPS). The retirement fund splits 14% between employee (6.3%) and employer (7.7%), with a monthly ceiling of XOF 3,375,000. Employers also contribute 5.75% for family allowances, capped at a monthly ceiling of XOF 70,000.
Value Added Tax
Standard VAT is 18% on goods and services supplied within Côte d’Ivoire. A reduced 9% rate applies to specific essentials, including milk (excluding yogurt and other dairy products), infant food, luxury rice, meat imported from outside the ECOWAS region, pasta made entirely from durum wheat semolina, and, since the 2026 budget law, fertilizer production inputs and packaging materials. Exports are zero-rated. Certain financial, insurance, and educational services are exempt, as is equipment for solar energy production.
Excise Duties
Excise duties apply to tobacco, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and petroleum products. The tobacco excise rate was raised to 57% under the 2025 Financial Law, up from 42%, in line with regional directives. Tobacco also carries a 7% special tax for sports development and a 6% solidarity tax for the fight against AIDS and smoking. Electronic cigarettes, pipes and pipe preparations, and shisha products are all subject to these duties. Tourism vehicles, cosmetics, and perfumes carry excise duties as well, with rates varying by product.
Customs Duty Bands
Côte d’Ivoire applies the ECOWAS Common External Tariff, which sorts imports into five bands:
- 0% for essential social goods
- 5% for basic necessities, raw materials, and capital goods
- 10% for intermediate goods and inputs
- 20% for finished consumer goods
- 35% for goods designated for economic development protection
Additional levies on CIF value stack on top: a 1% statistical duty, a 0.8% community solidarity levy, and a 0.2% African Union import tax. The 0.5% ECOWAS community levy applies to most imports but is waived for goods originating in WAEMU member states, including Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Togo, Niger, and Guinea-Bissau.2ECOWAS Trade Information System. ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET)
Under the EU Economic Partnership Agreement in effect since January 2019, products from the European Union covered by the relevant tariff lines enter duty-free. That exemption covers customs duties only, not the community levies, the statistical duty, or domestic consumption taxes.
Withholding Taxes on Payments Abroad
Payments to non-residents without a permanent establishment in Côte d’Ivoire are taxed at source. Domestic rates:
- Dividends and directors’ fees (IRVM): 15% for companies, 17% for individuals; 10% for dividends paid by companies listed on the regional stock exchange (BRVM)
- Loan interest (IRC): 18%; foreign banks pay 9% on equipment loans with terms of at least three years
- Royalties and technical service fees: 20%
- Management or consultancy fees: 20%
These are final taxes on the gross payment. Treaty rates on royalties drop to 10% for most European partners and as low as 5% for Portugal and the UAE. Within the WAEMU zone, treaty rates are 10% on dividends and interest, and 15% on royalties. The ECOWAS treaty applies a flat 10% across all three categories. The United States has no double taxation treaty with Côte d’Ivoire, so US recipients pay the full domestic rates. Relief on the US side runs through the Foreign Tax Credit rather than a reduced Ivorian rate.3Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Tax Credit
Branch Remittance Tax
A foreign company’s branch pays 25% corporate tax on attributable profits. After-tax branch earnings then face a 15% remittance tax (also called IRVM), calculated on 50% of taxable profit. This mirrors the withholding on dividends so a branch does not enjoy a lower effective rate than a subsidiary.
Investment Incentive Reductions
The investment code, administered by CEPICI, ties tax reductions to geographic zones. Zone A covers the most developed areas, Zone B moderately developed regions, and Zone C the least developed. Under the Investment Approval Regime:
- Zone A: 50% exemption from corporate income tax, business license tax, real estate tax, and employer payroll contributions for five years (75% for SMEs)
- Zone B: 100% exemption for the first five years, then 50% for large companies or 75% for SMEs for the remaining five
- Zone C: 100% exemption for ten years for large companies, and for the full fifteen years for SMEs
Minimum investment thresholds run XOF 200 million for large companies (turnover above XOF 1 billion) and XOF 50 million for SMEs. Major structuring investments range from XOF 15 billion to XOF 100 billion depending on zone. A simpler Investment Declaration Regime has no minimum threshold.
Separately, a capital investment incentive lets companies deduct 35% to 40% of their investment in fixed assets from taxable income, with a minimum qualifying investment of XOF 100 million (XOF 25 million for SMEs).
Penalties for Late Payment
Corporate income tax returns are due June 30 for companies subject to audit requirements and May 30 for other entities. Monthly filings such as VAT and payroll are typically due by the 15th of the following month. Late filing or payment triggers a 10% penalty on the tax due, plus monthly interest that runs at least 1% per month for VAT. Intentional underreporting or fraud carries penalties that can reach multiples of the tax owed. Accounting records must be kept for 10 years, longer than the standard three-year audit window.