Ivory Coast tax rates center on a 25% corporate income tax, a progressive individual salary tax that tops out at 32%, and an 18% standard value-added tax. Non-standard rates apply in several sectors: telecoms, IT, and communications companies pay 30% corporate tax, essential goods attract a reduced 9% VAT, and withholding taxes on payments to non-residents run from 9% to 20% depending on the payment type. The Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) administers the system, and the country taxes residents on worldwide income while non-residents pay only on Ivorian-source income.
Corporate Income Tax Rate
The standard corporate income tax rate is 25% of taxable profit. Companies in telecommunications, information technology, and communications pay 30%. A company is resident if it is incorporated in Côte d’Ivoire or if its central management and control operates there.
Capital gains are taxed at the full corporate rate, though tax on the gain (excluding recaptured depreciation) can be deferred if reinvested within three years. Gains from selling shares directly fall under the securities income tax (IRVM) instead.
Losses can be carried forward for five years. Losses tied to depreciation carry forward indefinitely. No carryback is allowed.
Minimum Flat Tax
Every company owes the Minimum Flat Tax (IMF) whether or not it earned a profit. The IMF equals 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 lower floor of XOF 500,000. At year-end the company pays the higher of its IMF or its standard corporate tax bill.1Direction générale des Impôts de Côte d’Ivoire. Impôts et Taxes en Côte d’Ivoire 2025
Individual Income Tax Rates
An individual is a tax resident if they keep a principal residence in Ivory Coast, have a permanent home available there, or spend more than 183 days in the country during a calendar year. Different income categories are taxed under separate rules: employment income runs through the progressive salary scale, non-commercial income is flat at 20%, and investment and rental income each follow their own scheduler rates.
Salary Tax Brackets
After the salary tax reform, the tax on wages is calculated on gross salary using a monthly progressive scale, with a top marginal rate of 32%:
- 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 system and the standard deduction for employment expenses were both abolished. The RICF (Réduction d’Impôt pour Charge de Famille) replaces them, applying a fixed monthly reduction to the gross tax figure based on the taxpayer’s number of “shares,” which increase with dependents. The reduction is capped, so high earners see a smaller proportional benefit.
National Contribution
Employees also owe the National Contribution, calculated on 80% of gross income at progressive rates:
- 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 Taxes and Social Security
Employers pay a payroll tax of 2.8% on total taxable remuneration for local employees and 12% for expatriates, applied directly to gross pay.
Social security goes to the CNPS. Retirement contributions are 6.3% from the employee and 7.7% from the employer, combined 14%, on a monthly salary ceiling of XOF 3,375,000. Employers also pay 5.75% for family allowances, but that contribution is capped at a monthly ceiling of XOF 70,000.
Value Added Tax
The standard VAT rate is 18% on goods and services supplied within Ivory Coast. A reduced 9% rate applies to 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, under the 2026 budget law, fertilizer production inputs and packaging materials. Exports are zero-rated.
Some transactions are fully exempt, including certain financial, insurance, and educational services. Equipment for solar energy production is also exempt. Registered businesses remit output VAT collected less input VAT paid.
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%. Tobacco also carries a 7% special tax for sports development and a 6% solidarity tax for AIDS and smoking prevention. Electronic cigarettes, pipes and pipe preparations, and shisha are all covered. Tourism vehicles, cosmetics, and perfumes face excise duties too, with rates varying widely by product.
Withholding Tax Rates on Payments Abroad
Payments to non-residents without a permanent establishment in Ivory Coast face domestic withholding on the gross amount:
- Dividends and directors’ fees (IRVM): 15% for companies, 17% for individuals. Dividends from companies listed on the regional stock exchange (BRVM) are taxed at 10%.
- 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%
Branches face the 25% corporate rate on attributable profits plus a 15% remittance tax (IRVM) calculated on 50% of taxable profit, roughly matching what a subsidiary paying dividends would owe.
Treaty Rates
Ivory Coast has double taxation treaties with a limited number of countries, mostly in Europe and Africa. Royalty rates drop to 10% for most European partners and as low as 5% for Portugal and the UAE. Within WAEMU the treaty applies 10% on dividends and interest and 15% on royalties. The ECOWAS treaty applies a flat 10% across dividends, interest, and royalties. The United States has no treaty with Ivory Coast, so US recipients pay the full domestic rates.
Customs and Import Duty Bands
Ivory Coast follows the ECOWAS Common External Tariff, which places imports into five bands:
- 0%: Essential social goods
- 5%: Basic necessities, raw materials, and capital goods
- 10%: Intermediate goods and inputs
- 20%: Finished consumer goods
- 35%: Goods designated for economic development protection
Importers also pay several levies on the CIF value: 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 force since January 2019, products from the European Union covered by relevant tariff lines enter duty-free. That exemption covers customs duties only, not the community levies, statistical duty, or domestic consumption taxes.
Registration Duties on Transactions
Registration duties apply to specific legal transactions:
- Real estate sales: 4%
- Lease transfers: 10%
- Business sales: 10%
Capital contributions and increases are taxed at 0.3% for amounts between XOF 10 million and XOF 5 billion, and 0.1% above XOF 5 billion, with a minimum duty of XOF 18,000. Capital increases funded by incorporating reserves are taxed at 6%. In a merger, the acquiring company’s capital increase is taxed at half the normal rates.
Investment Incentives That Change the Rate
The CEPICI-administered investment code divides the country into three zones. Zone A covers the most developed areas, Zone B moderately developed regions, and Zone C the least developed. The less developed the zone, the longer and more generous the tax holiday.
Under the Investment Approval Regime, large companies (turnover above XOF 1 billion) must invest at least XOF 200 million; SMEs qualify at XOF 50 million. Major structuring investments carry thresholds from XOF 15 billion to XOF 100 billion depending on the zone. A separate Investment Declaration Regime has no minimum threshold.
In Zone A, large companies get a 50% exemption from corporate income tax, business license tax, real estate tax, and employer payroll contributions for five years; SMEs get 75%. In Zone B, the exemptions are 100% for the first five years, then 50% (large) or 75% (SMEs) for the remaining five. Zone C offers 100% exemption for ten years for large companies and the full fifteen years for SMEs.
A separate capital investment incentive allows companies to deduct 35% to 40% of total investment in fixed assets from taxable income. The minimum qualifying investment is XOF 100 million, reduced to XOF 25 million for SMEs.
What US Taxpayers Should Know
Because Ivory Coast and the United States have no tax treaty, US taxpayers face the full domestic withholding rates on Ivorian-source dividends, interest, and royalties (15% to 20% depending on the payment). The primary relief is the US Foreign Tax Credit, which offsets US tax liability by the amount of income taxes paid to Ivory Coast. Individuals, estates, and trusts claim it on Form 1116; corporations use Form 1118.3Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Tax Credit
Only income taxes, war profits taxes, and excess profits taxes qualify. The credit is limited to the share of US tax that corresponds to your foreign-source income relative to worldwide income, so Ivorian taxes cannot reduce US tax on domestic earnings. If you elect the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or foreign housing exclusion, you cannot also claim the credit on the same income.3Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Tax Credit
If a foreign tax you previously claimed is later refunded or adjusted, you must file an amended return or face penalties. US taxpayers with accounts or business interests in Ivory Coast should also watch separate US filings, including FBAR for foreign bank accounts exceeding $10,000 in aggregate value and Form 5471 for US shareholders of certain foreign corporations. Those are US obligations, not Ivorian ones, but the penalties for missing them are steep.