Tax mechanics

How gift card tax rules work per country

We publish the mechanism, you supply the figure. The thing that costs money is not the height of a threshold — it is the type of threshold. Below, per country, which of the two applies.

We are not a tax adviser. This is general information about how a scheme works, not tax advice; the final assessment is made by your own adviser.

What we do and do not claim

No amount is shown anywhere on this page. Not one of the countries below has a figure signed off by external counsel with a validation date and a named source, so we show none — not small, not with an asterisk. What we do publish is the mechanism, because that is verifiable and it barely changes from year to year.

The mechanism per country

Two mechanisms exist. Which one applies decides whether one unit over the line costs you a little or costs you everything.

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

Allowance with an excess

Only the amount above the line is taxable. The part below it stays exempt.

Deutschland

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Germany, and this we can state without a figure: a broad multi-brand choice card does not qualify for the Sachbezug threshold, because of the ZAG.

Vereinigtes Königreich

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Frankreich

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Niederlande

Allowance with an excess

Only the amount above the line is taxable. The part below it stays exempt.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Belgien

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Österreich

Allowance with an excess

Only the amount above the line is taxable. The part below it stays exempt.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Irland

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Schweiz

Not reviewed

We have not verified this country. Ask your account manager rather than assuming either way.

Not reviewed by us. We will not present it as exempt or as taxable.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Spanien

Not reviewed

We have not verified this country. Ask your account manager rather than assuming either way.

Not reviewed by us. We will not present it as exempt or as taxable.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Italien

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Polen

Allowance with an excess

Only the amount above the line is taxable. The part below it stays exempt.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Schweden

Threshold with a cliff

One unit over the line and the entire amount becomes taxable, not just the excess.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

USA

Allowance with an excess

Only the amount above the line is taxable. The part below it stays exempt.

The current figure comes from your adviser or ours.

Whether a multi-brand choice card qualifies here has not been reviewed.

Work out your own situation

Fill in the threshold that applies to you — from your own tax adviser or from our account manager. We do the mechanism, you do the figure.

Fill in the fields above. Without a threshold we calculate nothing and show no example figure.

Have this worked out for your situation

An account manager runs your numbers against the country rules and comes back by email.

Only used to answer your question.