Malta has just made one of the boldest moves in European private wealth in years.

It recently implemented a new flat 15% income tax rate for senior professionals working within Malta-based family offices, effective from the 2026 year of assessment.

This positions the island as the EU's most competitive family office destination, and for U.S. advisors with internationally mobile clients who are exploring European structuring platforms, this development presents an active planning opportunity.

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What Has Changed

Legal Notice 250 of 2025 introduces a flat 15% income tax rate on qualifying employment income for senior professionals within Malta-based Single-Family Offices, Multi-Family Offices, back-office operations, and treasury management functions.

The qualifying roles are broad, covering Chief Investment Officers, portfolio managers, Chief Executive Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, and senior structuring professionals, and the rate applies on income up to €7 million.

The regime is available for an initial five-year period, extendable twice for five years each, offering up to 15 years of tax certainty. To qualify, individuals must be non-domiciled in Malta and entering their first qualifying employment in the jurisdiction from 2025 onwards.

In 2026, Malta also consolidated its various preferential tax regimes into a unified framework for highly skilled individuals, providing greater clarity and long-term legislative stability.

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Why It's Attractive Right Now

The abolition of the UK non-dom regime has displaced a significant cohort of internationally mobile UHNW individuals who previously used the UK as their European base.

Many are actively seeking alternatives and Malta, with its EU passport, remittance-based non-dom regime, zero succession taxes, and now one of the continent's most competitive executive tax rates, is one of the clearest beneficiaries.

For U.S. advisors whose clients are navigating this disruption, Malta offers a coherent, well-structured, and immediately available solution.

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What This Means for U.S. Clients

For U.S. advisors with clients who are internationally mobile, seeking a more tax-efficient base for senior wealth management professionals, Malta's new incentive is directly actionable.

Beyond the 15% rate, Malta's broader non-dom framework continues to exempt foreign-source income and capital gains from Maltese tax on a remittance basis. There is no inheritance tax, no wealth tax, and no gift tax, creating a structurally clean environment for estate and succession planning that complements, rather than conflicts with, U.S.-based trust and estate structures.

EU membership, English as an official language, and a legal system influenced by both civil and common law traditions make Malta unusually accessible for U.S. advisors and their clients.

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How Affinity Can Help

Affinity is experienced in the structuring and administration of Malta-based Single and Multi-Family Offices and works alongside U.S. private wealth advisors to assess client eligibility, design appropriate structures, and manage the practical implementation of Malta's incentive regimes.

If your clients are exploring European family office platforms or post-UK restructuring options, Malta should be at the top of the list. Get in touch with the Affinity team today.

Contact Joanne, our Managing Director (Malta) to arrange a meeting.

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