4x1000 (GMF) Exemption in Colombia: How a Foreign Resident Gets One Savings Account Treated as Exempt, and What Still Applies Above the Monthly Cap

You pay the rent, send a transfer, and later notice a small extra line on your statement: four pesos for every thousand that left the account. That is the 4x1000, and almost every foreign resident hits it in the first month. The good news is that one savings account can be exempt up to a monthly limit. The catch is that you still have to ask your bank to mark it.

Short answer: the tax is real, the rate is 0.4%, and as of late 2026 you should still ask your bank to mark one savings account in your sole name as the exempt one. Everything above the monthly cap is taxed anyway.

What the 4x1000 actually is

The 4x1000 is the Gravamen a los Movimientos Financieros (GMF). Article 872 of the Estatuto Tributario, as replaced by Ley 1819 de 2016, artículo 214, sets the rate at four per thousand (4 x 1.000). That is COP 4,000 on every COP 1,000,000 of a taxed movement.

One warning: DIAN's public GMF FAQ still prints an old schedule saying the tax would fall each year and disappear in 2022. That text is stale and is not the current article 872. The tax was not abolished.

The tax is caused when you dispose of money, not when you receive it. ATM withdrawals, debit-card purchases, bill payments and outgoing transfers count. A salary deposit or a wire arriving from abroad does not. The base is the full amount of each transaction, and you never file a GMF return yourself, because the bank withholds it.

Who and what qualifies

Article 879, numeral 1, exempts withdrawals from a savings account, electronic deposit, or prepaid card at a supervised institution, up to 350 UVT a month. The older text requires the holder to tell the institution that this product is the only one with the benefit.

• Sole holder only. A joint account with your partner does not qualify.
• Savings, not checking. Bancolombia says a checking account is always charged.
• One product. Not one per bank. One in total.
• Nationality is not the test. There is no separate rule for foreigners. If you are the only holder of the account, you are inside the rule. A cédula de extranjería is simply the identity the bank already has on file.

This article starts after the account exists. If you are still opening one, read our guide to opening a Bancolombia account as a foreigner.

The 2026 cap in pesos

The cap is written in UVT, not pesos. DIAN Resolución 000238 of 15 December 2025 sets the 2026 UVT at $52,374. So:

• 350 × $52,374 = $18,330,900 a month of exempt dispositions.
• 65 × $52,374 = $3,404,310 (the separate low-amount deposit exemption, covered below).

Treat these as arithmetic, not as a bank tariff. Above the monthly exempt volume, the 4x1000 applies to the excess. Your account does not become illegal or blocked; the extra movements are simply taxed. Income-tax deadlines are a different subject, covered in the 2026 DIAN tax calendar for expats.

Honestly, I would not copy peso caps from bank help pages. Several still show 2025 numbers. Do the multiplication yourself.

Law versus the counter: article 881-1

Ley 2277 de 2022 added article 881-1. It told banks to build a shared information system so the 350 UVT exemption would apply without marking a single account, with a deadline of 13 December 2024. That is why you will read that nobody has to mark anything anymore.

Reality is messier. In Concepto 6727 of 24 April 2026, DIAN said that system is not implemented and that banks still apply single-account marking in practice. DIAN also says holders may demand the 350 UVT exemption, and that if too much tax was withheld, they can ask the bank in writing to refund the excess under Decreto 1625 de 2016, artículo 1.6.1.25.3.

My advice: do not bet on the shared system. Mark one savings account now. Keep the written refund request as your fallback if you were charged inside the cap. I cannot give you a refund timeline, because the sources do not set one.

Bank-by-bank steps

Each of these is that institution's own instruction. Banks change menus, so follow the live app if it differs.

Bancolombia

As of its help page dated 23 July 2026, you call the Sucursal Telefónica (national line (+57) 01 8000 912 345) or go to a branch with your identity document. Only the holder can request it; a friend with your password cannot. If another account is already marked, the bank says to unmark first and mark the new one the next day because of CIFIN.

Nequi

Nequi's rule is specific to Nequi. A low-amount deposit cannot be marked onto the higher cap. Once converted to a savings account it can be marked, and Nequi then uses $18,330,900 as the monthly line. Clear any other mark first. Requests go through in-app chat, the website, or 300 600 0100.

Nu

Nu has published this path: Cuenta Nu, then detalles de mi cuenta, then impuestos, then liberar la cuenta. Its help article dates from 2024, so treat the button names as checkable. If another bank holds the mark, that bank must unmark first, and Nu can be marked the next day.

Davivienda and others

Davivienda has a consumer article saying you will no longer mark anything, but it quotes 2025 pesos and conflicts with DIAN's April 2026 note. Follow DIAN plus the bank that actually holds your account. At any other bank, use its app, phone line or branch and ask to mark or unmark the GMF exemption.

There is no DIAN certificate, DIAN form or fee for moving the mark. The documented step is simple: unmark at the current institution, then mark at the new one. And never pay a gestor or a social-media account to do it. The only counterparty is your own bank, in your own name.

Transfers between your own accounts

Transfers between products of the same sole holder inside the same supervised institution are exempt (Ley 1607 de 2012, numeral 14). Bancolombia confirms it does not charge those. A transfer to a different bank is a different matter: do not assume your own money moving between banks is free of GMF while the shared system is down.

A practical setup is to keep your marked savings account for rent and daily spending, so that most outflows fall inside the cap. If you pay rent that way, our housing section is a good place to start looking for a place to pay it for.

Low-amount wallets and the 65 UVT rule

Low-amount deposits have their own exemption of 65 UVT a month, separate from the 350 UVT savings rule. Using the 350 UVT mark elsewhere does not cancel it. Nequi is the worked example: a low-amount Nequi deposit starts charging above $3,404,310 of monthly outflows, and marking cannot raise that.

Pensioners have a separate special-account rule in Ley 1607, tied to a pension of 41 UVT or less. It concerns Colombian pension deposits, so ask your bank before assuming it applies to you.

Before your next large transfer, open your bank's own 4x1000 or impuestos screen and confirm which account is marked. If a bank will not correct a charge, complaints go through the financial consumer channels; for a different topic that is easy to confuse with this one, see our note on bank debts and Superfinanciera.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is the 4x1000 still charged in Colombia?

Yes, the rate is four per thousand under article 872 as replaced by Ley 1819 de 2016. DIAN's public FAQ still shows an old phase-out schedule, but that is not the law in force. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Does marking an account mean I never pay the 4x1000?

No. The marked savings product is exempt only up to 350 UVT of dispositions in the month. In 2026 that is 350 × $52,374 = $18,330,900. Movements above that volume are taxed at the normal rate. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Can a foreigner mark an account?

Yes, if you are the sole holder of an eligible savings account, electronic deposit or prepaid card. The statute does not test nationality or visa status, and joint accounts do not qualify. The bank deals with the person named on the account. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Do I still have to choose just one account?

In practice, yes. DIAN said on 24 April 2026 that the cross-bank system is not implemented and banks still mark one account. If tax was withheld above the exempt amount, you can ask the bank in writing for a refund. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ What if my Nequi or low-amount wallet charges me earlier?

A low-amount deposit uses a 65 UVT monthly exemption, which is 65 × $52,374 = $3,404,310 in 2026, not 350 UVT. Nequi says that product cannot be marked, but a Nequi savings account can be. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ I already have an exempt account at another bank. What now?

Ask that bank to remove the mark, then mark the account you actually use. Bancolombia says not to do both steps on the same day, because the mark can still show in CIFIN. Do the second step the next day. (verify with the official source, as accessed)

❓ Are transfers between my own accounts taxed?

Transfers between your products at the same bank, with you as the only holder, are the exempt case. Do not assume a transfer to a different bank is free, because that is a separate disposition of funds. (verify with the official source, as accessed)