Advice in good time
We warn you about the decisions that are best taken early, so you have time to prepare them. It matters even more when the rules and the calendar are not the ones you know from home.
Financial and tax advisory for companies
Before you decide, know what each route costs.
Buying, hiring or restructuring in Portugal has tax and financial consequences, and they are settled before the transaction, under rules you may not know yet. We calculate the effect of each option on tax and on cash flow, and explain the differences in your language. Then you choose with the numbers in front of you.
Who it is forFor companies from abroad with a decision to make in Portugal: buying, hiring, restructuring or selling
What is included6 areas of work
How it startsA free first meeting
Six areas of financial and tax advisory
You can hire us for just one. Many clients start with a specific transaction.
01
Strategic tax planning
We follow the changes in Portuguese tax law, so you do not have to, and design the strategy that uses the benefits available and reduces risk.
02
Compliance and putting things right
We check that the company is meeting its Portuguese tax obligations and help put right whatever is outstanding.
03
Tax optimisation
We identify where there is a legitimate tax saving and the effect it has on your cash flow.
04
Restructurings
We support mergers, acquisitions and restructurings, on the accounting side and on the tax side.
05
Business valuation
We estimate the value of a company, for anyone looking to sell or to buy in Portugal.
06
Financial management, control and risk
We organise how the accounts are read, internal control and the risks of the business, with tools your team then uses day to day.
Buying, hiring or restructuring in Portugal has tax and financial consequences, and they are settled before the transaction, under rules you may not know yet.
We calculate the effect of each option on tax and on cash flow, and explain the differences in your language. Then you choose with the numbers in front of you.
Book a meeting →Option A
TaxCash flowRisk
Option B
TaxCash flowRisk
How we work on financial and tax advisory
Three principles that guide our work
Real caseVocational education
The team managed projects it could not read in the accounts
90 hof consultancy
7 out of 7gained confidence in the project
5 / 5in the final evaluation
- The challenge
- ETP Sicó had projects under way and a team managing them day to day, but without a shared way of reading the numbers, monitoring delivery and identifying risks before they turned into problems.
- What we did
- We delivered 90 hours of consultancy in financial management, control and risk, with Marisa Santos. The programme was adjusted along the way to the real projects of the organisation, and it left behind a Financial Management, Control and Risk Manual with the tools the team now uses.
- How we worked
- The consultancy was not a course delivered straight through: it started from the weaknesses the team identified and found, for each one, the tool that answered it. In the words of the participants, it “identified our weaknesses and went straight to the point, providing the necessary tools”, and “the fit with our context” was what they highlighted most. Written procedures and control instruments were left in place and continue to be used now that the consultancy has ended.
- What changed
- In the final survey, the seven participants gave the consultancy the highest score and all of them said they now feel more confident in the development of the project.
Do you need this or management support?
This page
You have a specific decision on the table
Buying, selling, restructuring, bringing in a partner, valuing the company. We come into an operation, work out the effect of each route and leave once the decision is made. It has a beginning, a middle and an end.
The other one
You want support month after month
If what you need is to look at the results, costs and cash flow regularly, and to make day-to-day decisions with the numbers in front of you, the service is management support.
See management support →Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
The ones we hear when there is a decision on the table.
Can I ask for advisory work without moving my accounts to you?
You can. Many clients come with a specific transaction (buying a property, selling a stake, bringing in a partner) and keep the accountant they have. With your authorisation, we ask them for the information we need and work together.
When should I talk to you?
Before you sign. Once the contract is signed or the deed is done, the tax treatment is almost entirely decided and there is little left to do. If the transaction is still weeks or months away, this is the right time: the routes can still be compared.
What do I get at the end?
A written document, in plain English, with the options side by side: how much tax is paid in each, when it is paid, what obligations it brings and what risks it carries. And a meeting to go through it with you. The decision is still yours; our job is that you take it knowing what each route costs.
Is this legal tax planning? Where is the line?
It is. Choosing, between two routes the law allows, the one that pays less tax is every taxpayer's right. What Portuguese law does not accept are artificial arrangements, set up with the main purpose, or one of the main purposes, of obtaining a tax advantage, with no economic substance. We work on the right side of that line and, when a route risks being challenged by the Portuguese Tax Authority, we say so in writing.
How long does an opinion take?
It depends on the transaction and on the information available. We tell you the timing after hearing the case and before we start. If you already have a date set for signing, tell us in the first conversation, so we can organise the work around it.
Do you support us in a tax inspection?
Yes. We help you understand what is being asked, which usually arrives in Portuguese and with a deadline running, gather the documents, prepare the answers and support you before the Tax Authority, to the extent the law allows a Certified Accountant. When the case calls for a lawyer, we say so. If there are adjustments you do not agree with, we explain the ways to respond and what each one involves.
Do you value companies for purchase and sale?
Yes, on both sides of the deal. We estimate the value of the company and calculate the tax effect of the way the deal is structured, because the same price can leave very different net amounts for the seller and for the buyer.
How much does tax advisory cost?
It depends on the transaction. After hearing the case, we tell you the fee and the timing before we start, so you decide with no surprises.
We also handle these
01Financial accountingPortuguese accounts up to date and explained in English: bookkeeping, tax filings, payroll and year-end accounts, with online access to your documents
02Grants and incentives for companiesFor companies that invest, hire or innovate in Portugal: we identify the grant, prepare the application and manage it to the end
03Financial trainingFor teams that deal with accounting, tax and financial management: courses, workshops and tailor-made programmes, in English or Portuguese
Do you have a decision on the table?
Describe the transaction you are thinking of making in Portugal. We tell you the tax impact before you sign anything.