Got a debt with the DGI or BPS? How to regularize it with a payment plan

You fell behind on a payment, debt piled up and you can't cover it all at once. It happens, especially to those starting out. The good news: you don't have to pay it all together — there are payment plans to regularize in instalments. Here's how they work.

What a payment plan is

A convenio (or payment facility) is an agreement with the agency to pay your tax debt in instalments, instead of all at once. Both the DGI and the BPS offer them. It's the formal way to get up to date without decapitalizing yourself.

It's done online

No need to queue: the procedure is handled online. At the DGI, from the convenios option in its online services; at the BPS, through its payment facilities. By identifying yourself, you see your debt and build the instalment plan:

What the debt is made of

Your debt isn't just the unpaid tax: added to it are the late-payment fine (multa por mora) and the surcharges (interest) that accrue while unpaid. So the sooner you regularize, the less you pay. We cover this in our fines & surcharges post.

Why it pays to get up to date

Beyond the debt growing, there's a strong practical consequence: if you aren't up to date, the DGI can suspend your Certificado Único, and without it you can't do many operations (sell, import, renew your passport). Doing the convenio lets you be up to date again. See our Certificado Único post.

A tip

First ask for the breakdown of your debt to know how much is tax and how much is surcharges. Set up the plan for a number of instalments you can really meet: if you stop paying them, the plan falls and you're back to the start (sometimes worse). Use Tributo so you don't fall behind again.

At a glance

In short: if you have a debt, don't let it grow — regularize it with a payment plan in instalments, online, before the DGI or BPS. Meet the instalments so you don't lose the benefit. Verify the current terms with each agency.