Finland
Finland: 5 company types, its taxes, banking and business environment, and what it is known for.
Forming a company
Company types in Finland
The 5 forms a founder can choose here, each with its own figures. Open one for its sources.
What it is known for
Where Finland is in the world’s top 10 on a measure anyone can check, the best rank first. Only the top is shown; a low rank is never stated.
- World’s2ndLogistics and freight Logistics Performance Index4.2 of 5 of 138 economies · 2022 World Bank, World Development Indicators See the top 12
- World’s2ndWorld-leading exports Coated paper and paperboardPaper and paperboard, coated on one or both sides with kaolin (China clay) or other inorganic substances, with or without a binder, and with no other coating, whether or not surface-coloured, surface-decorated or printed, in rolls or rectangular (including square) sheets, of any sizeUS$3.5 bn · 13.4% of world exports of 159 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s3rdWorld-leading exports Uncoated kraft paper and paperboardUncoated kraft paper and paperboard, in rolls or sheets, other than that of heading 4802 or 4803US$927 m · 6.0% of world exports of 157 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s3rdWorld-leading exports Pulp and paper-making machineryMachinery for making pulp of fibrous cellulosic material or for making or finishing paper or paperboardUS$888 m · 15.6% of world exports of 128 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s10thResearch and technology Research and development spending3.09% of GDP of 78 economies · 2023 World Bank, World Development Indicators See the top 10
A rank is among everything the source reports for that year, so it moves when the source adds or drops economies. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Doing business here
Business accounts
Providers whose own published list of countries names Finland. A listing means a company formed here may apply, not that it will be accepted.
Not in our records No provider's country list has been read for Finland.
EU listings
Two lists a bank checks when it opens an account for a company or its owner.
- EU high-risk third countries (AML)
- Not listed
- EU non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
- Not listedOfficial EUR-Lex, 52026XG01465, Annex I as of 2026-02-17
Official sites
The authorities’ own sites for Finland: where to register, file and check.
Blocs and agreements
The trade arrangements Finland belongs to, as each arrangement’s own texts state them: since when, and what each covers. What a membership means for a business is for you to judge.
- European Union: internal market and customs union
- Single market · since 1995
Covers goods, services, establishment, capital, movement of people, a common external tariff.
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EU Member State since 1995, Euro area member since 1999, Schengen area member since 2001 and more about Finland’s participation in the EU.
- European Union: VAT territory
- Inside it
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‘Community’ and ‘territory of the Community’ mean the territories of the Member States as defined in point (2);
- Euro area
- Monetary union · since 1999
Covers a common currency.
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EU Member State since 1995, Euro area member since 1999, Schengen area member since 2001 and more about Finland’s participation in the EU.
- Schengen area
- Free movement area · since 25 March 2001
Covers movement of people.
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As from 25 March 2001, and subject to Article 3(2):
- European Economic Area
- Single market · since 1 January 1994
Covers goods, movement of people, services, establishment, capital.
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which now covers the EU and its 27 Member States, and three of the four EFTA members: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Regional and customs arrangements only, 36 of them; bilateral trade agreements are not yet in our records.
Tax
Company tax
Tax, and what the company owes the registry each year.
- Corporate income tax
- 20%
- Distributions
- Not in our records
- Audit
- Not in our records
- Small-company relief
- Not in our records
- Annual obligations
- Not in our records
- Annual registry fee
- FreeOfficial The registry or ministry page as of 2026-10-14
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Tilinpäätöksen ilmoittaminen YTJ-palvelussa on maksutonta 8 kuukauden ajan siitä, kun tilikausi on päättynyt.
VAT
The tax on what the company sells in Finland, and when it must register, as the tax authority states it.
- Standard rate
- 25.5%Official European Commission, Taxes in Europe Database situation on 2026/07/01
- Other rates
- 13.5% Food and groceries, restaurant and meal services, books, pharmaceuticals, sanitary products and baby nappies, sports and fitness services, cultural and entertainment admissions, passenger transport, accommodation and performing artists' fees
- 10% Newspapers and magazines, print and electronic
- 0% Zero-rated sales such as exports outside the EU and intra-Community supplies to VAT-liable buyers
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2. Reduced VAT rate 13,5% Up to 31 December 2025, the reduced rate was 14%.
- Registration threshold
- EUR 20,000
turnover (net sales) subject to VAT; calendar year
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The company is liable to pay VAT and it has to be entered in the VAT register if its turnover exceeds €20,000 in a calendar year.
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A business with turnover of no more than €20,000 in a calendar year may register for VAT voluntarily; VAT is then payable from the date of registration.
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In some circumstances, the company can register for VAT voluntarily, for example if it is engaged in small business where the turnover is no more than €20,000 in a calendar year.
- A foreign company
- The same threshold applies
The €20,000 calendar-year threshold applies to a foreign business too: if turnover is expected to stay below it, the company need not enter the VAT register. EU businesses may instead use the EU SME scheme up to €100,000 of Union turnover. The Tax Administration's guidance names no fiscal representative requirement.
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If you estimate that your company's turnover for the financial year (12 months) will be less than EUR 20,000, the company does not have to be registered in the VAT register.
- Returns filed
- Monthly
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In general, the default value is the calendar month.
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Tax calendar
When the main returns and payments fall due in Finland, tax year 2026, as the tax authority states it.
- Corporate tax return
- 4 months after the end of the accounting period · each year
The four months run from the end of the last calendar month of the accounting period, not from the exact year-end date: an accounting period ending 15 March 2026 must file by 31 July 2026.
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Corporate taxpayers must file their tax return within 4 months after the end of the last calendar month of their accounting period.
- Corporate tax, final payment
- Day 3 of the following month · each year
The month runs from the end date of the corporation's tax assessment, which is no later than 10 months after the last day of the calendar month in which the accounting period ended.
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Corporate taxpayers must pay their back taxes by the 3rd day of the first month after the end date of the corporation’s tax assessment.
- Corporate tax, instalments
- Day 23 of the following month · each month
The prepayment decision sets the number of instalments; each instalment is due on the 23rd of the month (months_after 0 means the 23rd of the instalment month). A due date falling on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday is moved to the next business day.
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The due date for tax prepayment is the 23rd of the month.
- Personal income-tax return
- Set each year by decree · each year
The due date is assigned to the taxpayer and is one of four published dates, so it is recorded as a list of dates rather than a formula. These are the published 2026 dates; the return is created in MyTax by the end of March and the taxpayer's own due date is shown on it.
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The due dates for the individual taxpayers’ pre-completed tax return this spring were either 1 April, 14 April, 21 April or 28 April 2026.
- Personal income tax, final payment
- Set each year by decree · twice a year
The balancing amount is divided into two instalments where more than €170 is owed. The two dates are the first and second instalments for most taxpayers for the 2026 assessment; the exact dates depend on when the taxpayer's assessment ends and can change if corrections are made.
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Most of those individuals who have back taxes must pay the first instalment by 3 August 2026 and the second instalment by 1 October 2026.
- Personal income tax, instalments
- Day 23 of the following month · each month
The prepayment instructions are for private individuals as well as companies and organisations. The prepayment decision sets the instalments; each is due on the 23rd of the month (months_after 0 means the 23rd of the instalment month), and a due date falling on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday moves to the next business day.
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These instructions are for private individuals and for companies and organisations.
- VAT return
- Day 12 of the following month · each month
Standard monthly period: the return and payment are due on the 12th of the second month after the reportable month (e.g. for March, by 12 May). Quarterly and annual periods are available to smaller businesses by turnover. The 12th moves to the next business day if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday.
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File and pay your VAT every month. The due date is the 12 th of the second month after the reportable month.
- Payroll withholding
- Day 12 of the following month · each month
The withheld amounts must also be reported to the Incomes Register (earnings payment report) within five days of the payday; the payment of the employer's contributions, which include the withheld tax, is due on the 12th of the month. A due date falling on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday is moved to the next business day.
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You can pay your employer’s contributions in MyTax . The due date is the 12th of the month.
Running the company
Running a company here
Not in our records The authorities’ pages on running a company have not been read for Finland yet.
Economy and trade
What it exports
Goods Finland exported, by product, as a share of its goods exports each year. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. A share describes Finland’s own trade; it does not compare places.
| Product (HS heading) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Value, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, other than crude; preparations not elsewhere specified or included, containing by weight 70 % or more of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations; waste oils HS 2710 | 7.4% | 7.2% | 6.1% | US$5 bn |
| Paper and paperboard, coated on one or both sides with kaolin (China clay) or other inorganic substances, with or without a binder, and with no other coating, whether or not surface-coloured, surface-decorated or printed, in rolls or rectangular (including square) sheets, of any size HS 4810 | 4.8% | 4.5% | 4.4% | US$3.5 bn |
| Flat-rolled products of stainless steel, of a width of 600 mm or more HS 7219 | 4.4% | 4.2% | 3.7% | US$3 bn |
| Chemical wood pulp, soda or sulphate, other than dissolving grades HS 4703 | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.5% | US$2.9 bn |
| Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6 mm HS 4407 | 3.2% | 2.5% | 2.8% | US$2.2 bn |
| Medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses (including those in the form of transdermal administration systems) or in forms or packings for retail sale HS 3004 | 0.98% | 1.7% | 2.4% | US$2 bn |
| Electrical transformers, static converters (for example, rectifiers) and inductors HS 8504 | 1.3% | 2.0% | 2.1% | US$1.7 bn |
| Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons (other than those of heading 8702), including station wagons and racing cars HS 8703 | 3.7% | 2.1% | 2.0% | US$1.6 bn |
| Cruise ships, excursion boats, ferry-boats, cargo ships, barges and similar vessels for the transport of persons or goods HS 8901 | 1.6% | 2.6% | 1.5% | US$1.2 bn |
| Gold (including gold plated with platinum), unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, or in powder form HS 7108 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.5% | US$1.2 bn |
Total goods exports, 2024: US$80.8 bn. The ten largest headings are shown.