Colombia's 2026 wealth tax: which threshold is actually in force
If over the last few months you asked three different people at what amount Colombia's wealth tax kicks in, you probably got three answers: five billion pesos, two billion ninety-four million, or three billion seven hundred seventy million. All three numbers existed. Only one is in force today.
The confusion matters. That number decides something very concrete: whether you are subject to the tax, and therefore whether you must file and pay it this year.
The number in force
For tax year 2026, the wealth tax applies to net worth equal to or above 72,000 UVT on January 1.
The UVT, Colombia's tax unit, was set for 2026 at 52,374 pesos by DIAN Resolution 000238 of December 15, 2025. That gives a threshold of COP 3,770,928,000.
The tax is governed by articles 35 to 41 of Law 2277 of 2022. A point often overlooked: that law stopped treating it as a temporary tax. Colombia's wealth tax is now permanent, not a measure for a couple of years like its earlier versions.
What happened to the decree that lowered the threshold
On December 29, 2025, under the economic emergency declared by Decree 1390 of 2025, the government issued Legislative Decree 1474 of 2025. That decree lowered the threshold from 72,000 to 40,000 UVT, that is, to COP 2,094,960,000, and raised the marginal rates. For many families that meant entering the tax for the first time, and several adjusted their planning accordingly.
The Constitutional Court suspended its effects as of January 29, 2026, through Order 084 of 2026 (file RE-388), and later declared it unconstitutional in Ruling C-079 of 2026.
Why it fell matters, because it explains why it will not come back the same way. It was struck down as a consequence: in Ruling C-075 of 2026 the Court had already declared Decree 1390 of 2025 unconstitutional, and that was the emergency declaration that empowered the government to issue the tax decree. Without that basis, Decree 1474 had to go.
The practical consequence is twofold. Direct taxes triggered while the decree was in force are not subject to filing, assessment or collection by DIAN. And anyone who paid under that regime has the right to a refund, upon proving the payment was actually made.
And the five billion
It is the number most people remember, and the one causing the most problems today, because whoever has it in mind tends to conclude the tax does not apply when it does.
Five billion pesos was the threshold of the temporary wealth tax of 2019 to 2021, created by Law 1943 of 2018 and later carried into Law 2010 of 2019. That regime has been repealed. It is not a reference for 2026.
How it is actually measured
Three points that change the result more often than one would expect.
It is net worth, not gross. The base is gross assets minus debts outstanding on the same date. A family with five billion in assets and a mortgage of one and a half billion is not measuring five billion against the threshold.
The cut-off date is January 1. The tax is triggered that day, based on net worth as of December 31 of the previous year. This has an implication worth understanding: any structuring decision made in October or November affects the next year, not the current one. By December the position for the current year is already set.
The family home has a partial exclusion. Individuals can exclude from the base the first 12,000 UVT of the value of the house or apartment they live in. Two points often overlooked: it is an exclusion of part of the property's value, not of the whole property, and it applies only to the home where the person actually lives most of the time. Vacation homes and second homes do not qualify.
What to review now
If you are close to the threshold, or thought you were far from it because you had the five billion number in mind, four things are worth looking at before the year closes:
Net worth declared as of last December 31, against the threshold in force of COP 3,770,928,000.
Whether the family home exclusion was applied, and for the right amount.
Whether there are assets abroad adding to the base that were not considered.
Whether advance payments were made under Decree 1474 of 2025 that are now refundable.
Wealth planning is rarely about one big decision. It is about having the structure that holds the assets in order before the cut-off date, not after.
At GB Partners we run that diagnosis with concrete numbers. If you want to start, write to us and we will set up a first thirty-minute conversation to understand the family situation and the assets, without going into exact figures yet.
Informational content only. It is not legal or tax advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship; each case depends on its own facts.
Responsible for this content: Camila Giraldo Bolívar, attorney admitted in New York and Colombia. GB Partners, Calle 5 A # 39-93, oficina 702, Medellín, Colombia. Phone and WhatsApp +57 305 234 6543. www.gbpartnersllc.com
Comments