How to report and declare Tax Account taxes
- One periodic tax return form is used to declare taxes paid by payer’s own initiative.
- VAT refunds no longer require a separate application procedure, because VAT refundable is also declared in periodic tax return form.
- Filing dates are unified.
- Periodic tax returns must arrive in the tax office on the filing date. If not, penalties for late filing will apply.
- Small companies have longer intervals between periodic tax returns.
Periodic tax return
Tax Account taxes are declared with Periodic tax return. (www.tax.fi)
Periodic Tax Return, form (www.tax.fi)
Instructions how to fill in Periodic Tax Return - Instructions
Extended periods of reporting for small companies
Small companies may be entitled to quarterly or yearly periods of reporting and payment under the following conditions:
If sales/turnover does not exceed €50,000 — tax returns and payments for VAT, withholding taxes, social security contribution and source taxes will be permitted once per quarter.
If sales/turnover does not exceed €25,000 — tax returns and payments for VAT will be permitted once a year, and tax returns and payments for withholding taxes, social security contribution and source taxes will be permitted once per quarter.
Deadlines for Periodic Tax Return
Periodic tax returns must arrive in the tax administration on the 12th day of the calendar month of the relevant due date, as defined for each tax type by law. This rule concerns monthly and quarterly reporting. The 12th is the last filing date of electronically supplied Periodic tax returns only.
However, Periodic tax returns submitted on paper forms must arrive in the tax administration on the 7th day of the calendar month.
If reporting frequency is yearly, the due date is the last day of February of the following year for reporting VAT for the ended calendar year. Periodic tax returns must be submitted to the tax administration not later than on the last day of February.
If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday, reporting and payment will be permitted on the following working day.
Important Dates and Deadlines for Corporate Taxpayers (www.tax.fi)
How to submit Periodic Tax Return
With user interfaces in Finnish and Swedish, the Tax Account Online Service is available for electronic filing of periodic tax returns. Alternatively, other Web service providers’ and operators’ Services can be used. Taxpayers can also file Periodic tax returns on paper-printed forms, but the filing deadline is five days earlier than with online filings.
Periodic tax return filings must be signed
The person who can put a signature in the Periodic tax return is expected to have the right to sign the company name. However, taxpayers are entitled to authorize another person or an accounting firm to file Periodic tax returns on the taxpayer's behalf. If there is a contract between the taxpayer and the accounting firm to permit the accounting firm to deal with the taxpayer's taxes, the accounting firm's signature will be enough to confirm inbound Periodic tax returns. On request by the Tax Administration, the parties involved should be able to present documentation showing that the accounting firm can sign Periodic tax returns. For electronically filed Periodic tax returns, no handwritten signatures are necessary because filers have to identify themselves before they start using the computer interface.
Sanctions for late filing
If a Periodic tax return arrives late, a late filing penalty will be charged on the amount of tax that has been reported late. The rate as of 1 January 2013 is 15% per annum; 20% per annum up to 31 December 2012. The minimum late-payment charge is €5.00 and the maximum — €15,000.00 for each type of tax.
Periodic tax return filings arriving late will be subject to penalty charges for late filing.
For more information, see
Refraining from collection and tax relief