Making payments: What are the due dates?

When should Tax Account taxes be paid?

All tax types reportable with the Periodic tax return form are Tax Account taxes.  The general due date for these taxes is the 12th day of the month.  If the 12th is not a banking day, the amount can be paid on the following banking day. 

Thus, the due date for payments is the 12th, the only exception being yearly VAT that must be reported and paid by the last day of February. 

Important Dates and Deadlines for Corporate Taxpayers (www.tax.fi)

Bank transfer to the Tax Account is permitted in advance. Early payment balances arriving before the due date can earn interest.

The tax administration regards the date of electronic bank transfer as the date of payment. Correspondingly, the tax administration regards the date of cash payment of the tax as the date of payment. 

Bank accounts intended for Tax Account settlements cannot be used for any other purpose. This means that any tax payments not taken in by the new Tax Account arrangement should also in the future be paid to the bank accounts specified in the tax decision document.

Reference number is mandatory

When making payments by electronic bank transfer, the reference number must be used every time. Each Tax Account user has a permanent taxpayer-specific bank reference number (a string of numbers). Tax Administration uses the reference information to register the payment to the tax-payer’s tax account. 

How to receive the taxpayer-specific reference

When a new taxpayer liable for VAT or Employer’s payments is registered, the Tax Administration will issue a bank reference number and send it to taxpayer along with instructions for payment. Other taxpayers can submit requests to Tax Account Online Service or Palkka.fi web interface or by telephone, 020 697 056 (standard call rate).

You cannot choose which tax you pay

When paying taxes reported in periodic tax return the payer cannot choose which of the reported tax he is paying. Tax Administration allocates the payments to cover the taxpayer’s tax account taxes from the oldest one first, as the law stipulates. From this follows that taxpayers cannot state any preferences as to which one of the taxes should be paid first.   

When are the incoming payments shown in the tax account

It takes 1 - 2 working days for payments to clear between the bank account and the Tax Account systems. As a rule of thumb, the Tax Account will show a record of an incoming payment in 2 - 3 working days.  Even though the amount will not show immediately because of this lag, it will be included in Tax Account balances as an accounting record. 

Paying off a tax debt already removed from Tax Account

Special methods of payment are applied to taxes removed from the tax account to collection and recovery procedures. When paying taxes already removed from the tax account you cannot use the tax account bank reference nor tax account bank accounts. Instructions for such payments are given at telephone 020 697 056 (standard call rate).  If the tax has already been transferred to the enforcement authority, it should be paid to enforcement authority. 

Payments by error or mistake

If an incoming payment has been made by mistake, instructions for clearing up the situation will be given at telephone 020 697 056 (standard call rate).  It is necessary to contact the helpline  if the incoming payment was: 

• Paid to Tax Account not using correct bank reference number. 
• Intended as a Tax Account payment but made to another bank account of the Finnish Tax Administration, not the usual bank account of Tax Account. 
• Paid to Tax Account bank account, but should actually have been paid to another bank account of the Finnish Tax Administration.

If the taxpayer has sent money to the Tax Account by mistake or without a valid reason, it will not be refunded unless the taxpayer requests it. The minimum refundable amount is €20. To submit a refund request electronically, launch the Tax Account Online interface.

Taxpayer in temporary financial difficulties

Instructions to taxpayers for making the necessary arrangements in a situation of financial difficulty are given at telephone 020 697 028 (standard call rate).