Private limited company
Osakeyhtiö (Oy), private limited company abFinland
What it takes to form, own and run a private limited company in Finland, and how its profit is taxed. Each figure links to the page it was read from.
This company type
At a glance
Owners' liability
Limited to what the owners put in
Officialfinlex.fiRead 10 Oct 2026
Quote
Osakkeenomistajat eivät vastaa henkilökohtaisesti yhtiön velvoitteista.
Owners
At least 1 · a company may be one
Officialfinlex.fiRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
Jos yhtiössä on vain yksi osakkeenomistaja, osakkeenomistus on viipymättä ja viimeistään kahden kuukauden kuluttua saannosta ilmoitettava merkittäväksi osakasluetteloon.
Directors
At least 1 · one must live there · individuals only
Officialfinlex.fiRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
Hallitukseen on valittava yhdestä viiteen varsinaista jäsentä, jollei yhtiöjärjestyksessä määrätä toisin.
Minimum capital
None
Formation fee
EUR 300
Tax on profit
Flat · 20%2 special regimes may apply
Officialvero.fiRead 10 Oct 2026
Quote
The income tax rate of 20% applies to the profits of limited liability companies, cooperative societies and other corporate entities.
Notary needed: NoResident director needed: YesFormed without visiting: YesFormed online: Yes
Form it
Who registers it
- Registry
- Formed without visiting
- Yes
- Formed online
- Yes
What it takes to form
- A notary
- Not required
- A resident director
- Required
- Paying up the capital
- The founding agreement states the subscription price of each share and its payment period (Companies Act 2:2). A money payment goes to the company's account at a deposit bank in Finland or an equivalent account abroad (2:5); a payment in kind must be worth at least the price, and a commitment to work or services does not count (2:6). Only fully paid shares can be notified for registration (2:8). There is no minimum share capital for a private company.
Quote
Vain osakkeet, jotka on täysin maksettu, voidaan ilmoittaa rekisteröitäviksi.
Own it
Who may own and run it
- Directors
- At least 1 · one must live there · individuals only
Quote
Hallitukseen on valittava yhdestä viiteen varsinaista jäsentä, jollei yhtiöjärjestyksessä määrätä toisin.
- Shareholders
- At least 1 · a company may be one
Quote
Jos yhtiössä on vain yksi osakkeenomistaja, osakkeenomistus on viipymättä ja viimeistään kahden kuukauden kuluttua saannosta ilmoitettava merkittäväksi osakasluetteloon.
- Members
- At least 1 · one person may form it alone
Quote
Yhtiön perustamiseksi on laadittava kirjallinen perustamissopimus, jonka kaikki osakkeenomistajat allekirjoittavat.
- A local company secretary
- Not required
Quote
Yhtiöllä on oltava hallitus. Sillä voi olla myös toimitusjohtaja ja hallintoneuvosto.
- A local registered agent
- Not required
Quote
Kaupparekisteriin merkittävällä elinkeinonharjoittajalla on oltava edustaja, jolla on oikeus ottaa vastaan haasteita ja muita tiedoksiantoja elinkeinonharjoittajan puolesta.
Each year, at the registry
- Annual registry fee
- Free
Quote
Tilinpäätöksen ilmoittaminen YTJ-palvelussa on maksutonta 8 kuukauden ajan siitä, kun tilikausi on päättynyt.
- Accounts on the public record
- Yes
Quote
Tilinpäätöksen tiedot ovat julkisia, ja ne löytyvät PRH:n Virre-tietopalvelusta.
- Audit for a small company
- Not required
Quote
tilintarkastaja voidaan jättää valitsematta yhteisössä, jossa sekä päättyneellä että sitä välittömästi edeltäneellä tilikaudella on täyttynyt enintään yksi seuraavista edellytyksistä:
- Audit
- Not in our records
Important dates
When each obligation falls due, as the authority states it.
Not in our records No dates for the ab are in our records.
What is public
- Directors
- Public
Quote
Jokaisella on oikeus saada kaupparekisterin merkinnöistä ja rekisteriviranomaisen hallussa olevista asiakirjoista tietoja, otteita ja todistuksia.
- Shareholders
- Public
Quote
Jokaisella on oikeus saada kaupparekisterin merkinnöistä ja rekisteriviranomaisen hallussa olevista asiakirjoista tietoja, otteita ja todistuksia.
- Beneficial owners
- To those with a legitimate interest
Quote
Jokaisella on oikeus saada kaupparekisterin merkinnöistä ja rekisteriviranomaisen hallussa olevista asiakirjoista tietoja, otteita ja todistuksia.
Tax
Tax on profit
How this company type is taxed, which can differ from its place’s headline rate.
Flat · 20%+2 regimes
The income tax rate of 20% applies to the profits of limited liability companies, cooperative societies and other corporate entities.
Quote
The income tax rate of 20% applies to the profits of limited liability companies, cooperative societies and other corporate entities.
Work it out on a profit figure: the company’s tax, the owner’s, and what is left.
Special regimes that may apply
- Tonnistoverotus tonnage
Limited companies generally liable to Finnish tax that carry on international maritime transport, and Finnish permanent establishments of companies resident in another EU member state that do so Tonnistoverolaki (476/2002), 1 § - Yhteisön saaman osingon verovapaus holding · 100% exempt
Companies receiving dividends within the business income source — unlisted-company dividends without condition, and listed-company dividends where the recipient is itself listed or holds at least 10 per cent of the payer's share capital Laki elinkeinotulon verottamisesta (360/1968), 6 a §
Whether a company qualifies depends on its activity and conditions set in each statute.
- CFC rules in Finland
- Yes
Close it
Closing it
The other end, which most guides leave out.
- Route
- Voluntary liquidation under the Companies Act ch. 20: the general meeting decides to place the company in liquidation by the qualified majority of 5:27 (20:3); the liquidators are registered (20:10) and must apply to the registry for a public summons to the creditors (20:14); they give a final account (20:16), and the company is dissolved when the liquidators have presented it at a general meeting, which they notify for registration (20:17).
Quote
Yhtiökokous päättää yhtiön asettamisesta selvitystilaan.
- Statutory fee
- EUR 200
Quote
joista Patentti- ja rekisterihallitus jättää maksun perimättä, ovat:
Every business in Finland
VAT
- 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
Quote
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
Quote
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.
Quote
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.
Quote
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
Quote
In general, the default value is the calendar month.
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Payment and banking services
5 services name Finland on their own list: Paysera, Airwallex, Stripe, Revolut, N26. Each provider, and what a listing means.
Reference
Its name and code
- Kind
- Private limited companyDerived our grouping, the same words in every country
- Name in law
- Osakeyhtiö (Oy), private limited company (ab)
- ISO 20275 code
- DKUWSecondary GLEIF, Entity Legal Forms code list