Staying longer – your tax rate depends on your income
If you come to Finland temporarily but stay for longer than 6 months, you are treated as a resident taxpayer. This means that you will usually have to pay tax to Finland on all the income you receive. However, your home country and Finland may have signed a tax treaty that prohibits Finland from taxing the income you receive from outside Finland.
If you have a Finnish employer, your tax depends on your annual gross income according to a progressive scale. You will need a Finnish personal ID and a tax card.
See further instructions if you will be working in construction.
Paying taxes
APPLY FOR A FINNISH PERSONAL ID
You must visit a tax office to sign the form after you have filled it in.
APPLY FOR A TAX CARD
Fill in the form and take it to the tax office.
You can use the tax percentage calculator to estimate your withholding rate.
RESERVE AN APPOINTMENT AT A TAX OFFICE
You must visit a tax office so that you can be identified and you can be given a personal ID.
Please bring the following with you:
- the forms you have filled in
- a valid passport or official proof of identity (not a driver’s licence)
- a valid residence permit or visa if necessary
- photocopy of your work order or employment contract
- a written account given by your employer regarding your work in Finland, if the following information is not included in your work order or employment contract:
- employer details
- the party in Finland who ordered the work
- your full name and date of birth
- length of employment in Finland including start and end dates
- place of work and a short description of the work to be done
- photocopy of A1 certificate, if you have one (A1 is a certificate on social insurance coverage issued by the authorities in your home country). You can get an A1 certificate from your country if you are coming from another EU or EEA state or Switzerland.
If you cannot log in to MyTax, make an appointment by calling 029 512 000.
The Tax Administration makes sure that your tax matters are in order. We will send you a tax card or instructions for making prepayments.
GIVE THE TAX CARD TO YOUR EMPLOYER
When you start working, give the original copy of your tax card to your employer. Based on your tax card, your employer will withhold tax on your pay.
Remember to file a Finnish tax return
You must file a Finnish tax return if you stay in Finland for longer than 6 months. The Finnish Tax Administration will send you a pre-completed tax return form in the spring following the year when you worked in Finland. Check the information printed on the pre-completed tax return form.
If all the information on the pre-completed tax return is correct, you do not need to do anything. You have received your final assessment decision as an enclosure to the tax return form.
If the pre-completed tax return does not have your income information or some information is missing, make the necessary corrections in MyTax or on paper forms. You must also include all income that you received from foreign sources during your stay in Finland.
How to file information for your tax return on paper
You will receive a new tax decision in the autumn with the final amounts of taxes. If you have paid too little, you will be given instructions on how to pay back taxes. If you are not satisfied with the tax decision, instructions for appeal are enclosed with it.
If you do not receive a pre-completed tax return, you must file a return at your own initiative in MyTax or on paper forms.
How to file information for your tax return on paper
Normally, you will not have to report income that you have received
- before you moved to Finland
- after you moved out from Finland.
This income is normally not taxed in Finland. However, if you receive income that is connected to your work in Finland (such as stock option benefits), this income is normally subject to Finnish tax.