Montenegro: Witholding tax on dividends and its methodology

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Montenegro: Witholding tax on dividends and its methodology

zivkovic.jpg

Jelena Zivkovic

March 31 was the deadline in Montenegro for a number of statutory filings, particularly in the area of taxation and annual financial statements. This includes the annual balance sheets, income statements and annual tax reports after which the distribution of dividends is possible. As a first step in the process, companies are obligated to settle their liabilites for corporate income tax at the rate of 9%. After tax liabilities are settled, joint stock companies as well as limited liability companies are able to distribute dividends in line with the Law on Business Entitites and per the nominal value of the shares or percentage of ownership in the LLC.

Shareholders or owners of LLCs can be legal or physical entitites. Taxation of the distribution of dividends is done in line with the Law on Corporate Income Tax (for legal entities) or the Law on Personal Income Tax (for physical persons).

In cases when the shareholders or owners of an LLC are legal entitites, a withholding tax of 9% has to be calculated and paid against dividends according to Article 29 of Law on CIT.

In the other situation, when the shareholder or owner of an LLC is a physical person, the base for taxaton is the gross amount of the distributed dividend, on which a 9% tax should be calculated, witheld and paid by the company on behalf of the shareholder or owner per Article 50 of the Law on Peronsal Income tax. In addition to this, the dividend-distributing company should pay sur-tax (15% or 13% depending on the municipality where the company has a seat).

Jelena Zivkovic (jelena.zivkovic@eurofast.eu)

Eurofast Global, Podgorica Office

Tel: +382 20 228 490

Website: www.eurofast.eu

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

The High Court’s dismissal of barrister Setu Kamal’s legal challenge represents the first successful strike-out under a new law on SLAPPs
IP lawyers, who say they are encouraging clients to build up ‘tariff resilience’, should treat the risks posed by recent orders as a core consideration in cross-border licensing
As Coca-Cola awaits a crucial 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision this year, its multibillion-dollar tax dispute could have profound implications for investors, cash flow, and corporate transparency
However, women in tax face greater career obstacles than their male counterparts, an exclusive ITR survey of more than 100 women tax leaders revealed
Under Jeff Soar’s leadership, WTS UK aims to scale to 100 partners within five years and challenge the big four
As the firm embarks on a major shakeup of its EMEA partnerships, some staff will be watching nervously
The buyout of Hucke and Associates continues Ryan’s streak of firm acquisitions; in other news, a UK appeal against VAT on private school fees was dismissed
Tax teams are responding to usual client demand in the region, albeit with increased working from home flexibility, local sources indicate
A 120-plus-day delay to refunds would cost taxpayers almost $3bn in additional interest, the Cato Institute warned; plus indirect tax updates from February
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s pessimistic pillar two forecast accompanied the UK chancellor’s muted Spring Statement, dubbed ‘as dull as possible’ by one adviser
Gift this article