This page is intended to help those who use the public information on individual income taxes to understand what the data included in the public information actually indicates about an individual’s income and assets.
Summary
Data included in the public information on individual income taxes
- Taxable earned and capital income after deductions.
- Tax collected on the income after deductions and credits.
- Income tax and municipal tax paid by the individual during the year.
- Tax refund received or back taxes payable by the individual.
Examples of what is not included in the public information on individual income taxes
- Tax-exempt earned or capital income.
- Details on what the individual’s earned or capital income consists of.
- Exact amounts of wages or pension received by the individual.
- The individual’s employer or number of jobs.
- If the individual is unemployed or how long they have been unemployed.
- Amounts or types of deductions made.
- Data on gift taxes, inheritance taxes, or transfer taxes.
Not all income is shown in the public information
Tax-exempt earned or capital income is not included in the public information on individual income taxes. Tax-exempt income includes, for example, social assistance, child benefit, strike pay, and capital gains from the sale of residential property under certain conditions. Dividend income may also be partly tax-exempt under certain conditions.
In addition, an individual’s public tax information does not include data on the following taxes:
- Gift tax
- Inheritance tax
- Transfer tax
Example: How inheritance affects the public information on individual income taxes
Assi inherits an apartment from her mother. The apartment is valued at €200,000 at time of death. Assi must pay €21,700 of inheritance tax on the apartment. The apartment’s value or the amount of inheritance tax are not included in Assi’s public information.
If Assi rents out the apartment, the rental income she receives is part of the capital income included in the public information. In the same way, if Assi later sells the apartment, the profit she receives from that is part of her capital income and therefore public information.
Deductions from income are taken into account in the public information
The figures shown in the public information on individual income taxes are the end results of each individual’s tax assessment as they were at the time tax assessment was completed. The public information on an individual’s earned and capital income includes deductions made from that income either by the Tax Administration or by the individual themself and accepted by the Tax Administration.
This means that the amounts included in the public information cannot be used to directly determine how much pay an individual has earned in a certain job or how much dividend income they have received, for example. There are also certain credits that are deducted directly from the amount of tax payable, such as credit for household expenses and student loan credit. The exact amount of credits cannot be determined from the public information, either.
Example: No income or taxes shown in the public information
Maija receives less than €12,000 of pension per year. She has no other income. After deductions, she has no income that is taxable in state taxation or municipal taxation. Each data entry in Maija’s public information is shown as €0.00.
Example: Deductions from earned income for an employed individual
Daniel’s gross wages during the year are €35,000. He is a member in a trade union and an unemployment fund. He works mainly from home, so he reports the full home office deduction of €920 as expenses for the production of income, but no other deductions.
Example: Deductions from earned income for an employed individual
| Details included in Daniel’s tax decision |
€ |
| Wages, fees and compensation |
35,000.00 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment/In state taxation and municipal taxation |
|
| Trade union fees and unemployment fund fees |
350.00 |
| Expenses for the production of income |
920.00 |
| Pension insurance contributions |
2,502.50 |
| Unemployment insurance contributions |
525.00 |
| Daily allowance contribution of health insurance |
413.00 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment/Only in municipal taxation |
|
| Deduction for earned income |
2,682.15 |
| Public information on income tax assessment |
|
| Earned income subject to state taxation |
30,289.50 |
| Income subject to municipal taxation |
27,607.35 |
Example: Deductions from earned income for an individual in changing life situations
Janne is a veterinary student who graduates in the spring. During his studies, he has received monthly study grants. After graduation, he gets a summer job in retail. In early autumn, he is unemployed for three months. Later in the year, he gets a full-time job as a veterinary nurse. Study grants and labour market subsidies are considered benefits. The public information on individual income taxes does not indicate whether Janne’s income is from employment, benefits, or their combination. The public information also does not show how many different jobs Janne has had or if he has been studying or unemployed.
Example: Deductions from earned income for an individual in changing life situations
| Details included in Janne’s tax decision |
€ |
| Wages, fees and compensation |
13,500.00 |
| Benefits |
3,843.03 |
Deductions made in tax assessment/ In state taxation and municipal taxation |
|
| Expenses for the production of income |
750.00 |
| Pension insurance contributions |
965.25 |
| Unemployment insurance contributions |
202.50 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment/Only in municipal taxation |
|
| Deduction for earned income |
3,453.31 |
| Public information on income tax assessment |
|
| Earned income subject to state taxation |
15,425.28 |
| Income subject to municipal taxation |
9,713.72 |
Example: Deductions from earned income for a retired individual
Siiri is retired. The gross amount of pension she receives during the year is €18,000. She reports no deductions in her tax return.
Example: Deductions from earned income for a retired individual
| Details included in Siiri’s tax decision |
€ |
| Pensions |
18,000.00 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment/In state taxation and municipal taxation |
|
| Pension income deduction |
9,209.40 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment/Only in municipal taxation |
|
| Pension income deduction |
5,406.60 |
| Basic deduction |
2,146.39 |
| Public information on income tax assessment |
|
| Earned income subject to state taxation |
8,790.60 |
| Income subject to municipal taxation |
10,447.01 |
Example: Deductions from capital income
Elisa owns shares in listed companies. She receives €25,000 of dividend income from her shares. 85% of dividend income from listed companies is subject to tax. In Elisa’s case, this means €21,250.
During the tax year, Elisa sells some forest property she has owned for a long time. This sale results in a loss of €20,000 for her. She also reports €500 in expenses for management and safekeeping of securities and shares.
Example: Deductions from capital income
| Details included in Elisa’s tax decision |
€ |
| Taxable portion of capital income from dividends |
21,250.00 |
| Deductions made in tax assessment |
|
| Capital losses from other assets |
20,000.00 |
| Expenses for management and safekeeping of securities and shares |
500.00 |
Public information on income tax assessment |
|
| Capital income |
750.00 |
Example: How different deductions affect the tax assessment of individuals with the same wages as reflected in their public information
Risto and Tarja live in the same municipality and they both earn €40,000 in wages per year. Neither of them has any capital income. Both have a tax rate of 18.5%.
Risto lives a long distance away from his place of work, so he commutes by car. Tarja lives right next to her place of work. Risto is a member of a trade union and an unemployment fund. He has also purchased work equipment during the year and made voluntary pension insurance contributions. Tarja reports no deductions.
Because Risto has many different deductions, his amount of income looks smaller than Tarja’s, even though they have both received the same amount of wages during the year.
Example: How different deductions affect the tax assessment of individuals with the same wages as reflected in their public information
| |
Risto, € |
Tarja, € |
| Gross income (not public information) |
40,000.00 |
40,000.00 |
| Public information on income tax assessment |
|
|
| Earned income subject to state taxation |
31,968.00 |
35,318.00 |
| Capital income subject to state taxation |
0.00 |
0.00 |
| Income tax |
1,141.73 |
1,719.61 |
| Income subject to municipal taxation |
29,383.50 |
32,884.25 |
| Municipal tax |
5,950.16 |
6,659.06 |
| Total taxes and charges |
5,649.46 |
7,380.45 |
| Total withholdings |
7,400.00 |
7,400.00 |
| Tax refund |
1,750.54 |
19.55 |
| Back taxes |
0.00 |
0.00 |