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The Selkoraha blog
Clear guides and tips on Finnish personal finance: salary, taxes, Kela benefits, immigration, business and pension.
Salary and taxes
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Public broadcasting tax 2026 — €13.33 a month for almost everyone
The Yle tax is 2.5 per cent of income above €15,150, capped at €160 a year. The cap is reached at €21,550, so almost every employee pays exactly the same amount.
Gross salary 2026 — one net euro costs two gross euros
Above €3,500 net, every extra €100 in hand requires €196 more gross. Tables converting a net target into gross across four cities.
Municipal tax in Finland 2026 — where do you pay least?
Finnish municipal tax 2026 ranges from 4.70 to 10.90 per cent on the mainland. Kauniainen is the lowest, Pomarkku the highest. Comparison and worked examples.
Final pay in Finland 2026: loppupalkka and holiday compensation
Final pay 2026: holiday compensation is monthly salary / 25 × unused vacation days. Accrual of 2 or 2.5 days a month, the holiday bonus and taxation.
Holiday pay and holiday bonus (lomaraha) in Finland 2026
The holiday bonus (lomaraha) is typically 50% of holiday pay and based on the collective agreement, not the law. Leave accrues 2–2.5 days/month. How both are calculated in 2026.
Marginal tax in Finland 2026: how much of a pay rise do you keep?
On a €3,000/month salary you keep about €61 of a €100 rise. Marginal tax is 39–47% for middle earners. How extra income, overtime and bonuses are taxed in 2026.
How much of your salary is left in Finland 2026?
On a €3,000 monthly salary in Helsinki you keep about €2,440/month in 2026 (deductions 18.7%). How net pay is calculated: social contributions, taxes and reductions.
Immigration · Migri
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Work permit 2026 — one job, two routes, a €2,337 gap in the threshold
The salary threshold for a work-based residence permit ranges from €1,149 to €3,937 depending on the type. The specialist threshold is 2.5× higher, but the permit is cheaper and faster.
Permanent residence permit in Finland 2026 — how do the new paths work?
Permanent residence permit 2026: the old 4-year rule was replaced on 8 January 2026 by several application paths. Standard path 6 years, faster 4-year paths by income, degree or language.
Strong identification in Finland 2026: personal code and bank codes
To use Finnish e-services (Kela, Vero, Migri, a bank) you need a personal identity code and strong identification — usually online banking codes. How to get them in 2026.
Migri fees 2026: how much do a residence permit and citizenship cost?
A first residence permit costs €750 online in 2026 (€800 on paper), a citizenship application €550, an extension €230. Migri fees by application type, no VAT.
How long must you live in Finland for citizenship? (2026)
The residence period for Finnish citizenship in 2026: usually 8 years, 5 years with language skills or a Finnish spouse, 2 years for Nordic citizens. Table and conditions.
Family reunification income requirement in Finland 2026
How much income is needed for family reunification in 2026? The net threshold by family size and municipality: adult €1,210, child €610 in the capital region. Table and conditions.
Kela and benefits
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Yleistuki 2026 — how much does Kela pay an unemployed person?
Yleistuki replaced the basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy on 1 May 2026. EUR 37.21 a day, about EUR 800 a month, with a 7-weekday waiting period and a means test.
Child maintenance allowance in Finland 2026 — when does Kela pay?
Finnish child maintenance allowance 2026 is EUR 197.71 a month per child. Kela pays it when child support goes unpaid or is confirmed below the full amount.
Medicine reimbursement in Finland 2026 — what do prescriptions cost you?
Finnish medicine reimbursement 2026: initial deductible EUR 70.33, reimbursement 40/65/100% and an annual cap of EUR 636.12. After the cap, EUR 2.50 per medicine.
Student financial aid in Finland 2026 — how much, and how much can you earn?
Finnish student aid 2026: study grant EUR 279.38 a month, housing supplement 80% of rent (max 296/248/216), loan guarantee EUR 850. Income limit EUR 20,127 on nine aid months.
Social assistance in Finland 2026 — how much does Kela pay?
Basic social assistance 2026: EUR 578.43 a month for a person living alone, 665.19 for a single parent. Formula: basic amount + housing costs − income. 2026 reforms.
Earnings-related unemployment allowance 2026 — how much does the fund pay?
Finnish ansiopäiväraha 2026: basic component EUR 37.21 a day, earnings component 45% up to the EUR 3,534.95 breakpoint. Reduced to 80% after 40 days, 75% after 170.
Sickness allowance in Finland 2026 — how much does Kela pay?
Finnish sickness allowance 2026: about 64% of gross pay on middle incomes, minimum EUR 31.99 a weekday. Waiting period 9 weekdays, maximum 300 weekdays.
Parental allowance in Finland 2026 — how much does Kela pay?
Finnish parental allowance 2026 is about 70% of annual income, with the first 16 weekdays at a higher rate. Minimum EUR 31.99 a weekday. 320 days, 63 transferable.
Child benefit in Finland 2026 — how much does Kela pay per child?
Finnish child benefit 2026: EUR 94.88 a month for the first child, 104.84 for the second, 133.79 for the third. Supplements of EUR 26 under age 3 and 73.30 for single parents.
How much does daycare cost in Finland in 2026?
The municipal daycare fee from 1.8.2026: at most 335 €/month, 10.7 % of income above the threshold, thresholds by family size, sibling discount. Tables and examples.
Home care allowance in Finland 2026: how much for caring at home?
Home care allowance for a child under 3: care allowance €377.68/month + income-tested supplement up to €202.12/month, together up to about €580/month. Plus a municipal supplement in many areas.
General housing allowance in Finland 2026: who gets it and how much?
The general housing allowance is 70% of accepted housing costs after the basic deductible. Single in Helsinki: max costs €563/month. How it is calculated in 2026 (rentals only).
Business
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Company car benefit 2026 — €909 a month with no cash changing hands
The 2026 company car benefit: age group A 1.5 %, B 1.2 %, C 0.9 % of the new retail price plus a fixed monthly part. A €45,000 car gives a free benefit of €909 a month.
Starting a business costs €75 — the first year costs €3,300
Registering a sole trader costs €75 and a limited company €300. The first year runs to about €3,300, and the largest single item is YEL insurance, not registration.
Break-even 2026 — how much you must sell before anything is left for you
The break-even point shows how much you must sell for revenue to cover costs. Contribution margin, your own salary as a fixed cost, and why a price rise beats extra volume.
Finland cut mileage by four cents in 2026 and raised the per diem by one euro
The 2026 mileage allowance in Finland is €0.55 per kilometre, the full per diem €54 and the partial €25. See what the four-cent cut costs over a year and when the allowance stays tax-exempt.
Household tax credit in Finland 2026 — €1,600 or €2,100?
Under the law in force the 2026 credit is 35% of the labour cost, max EUR 1,600 per person, EUR 150 threshold. A rise to EUR 2,100 was proposed but has not been enacted.
Advance tax in Finland 2026 — how is a sole trader taxed?
Sole trader advance tax 2026: a 5% entrepreneur deduction and YEL come off the profit, the rest splits into capital and earned income. Instalments 2–12, minimum EUR 170.
What is left of a 1,000-euro invoice in Finland in 2026?
About 460 euros of a 1,000-euro invoice reaches a light entrepreneur. The chain: VAT 25.5%, service fee, YEL 24.40% and income tax. VAT threshold EUR 20,000.
Employer costs in Finland 2026 — what does an employee really cost?
Statutory employer contributions in 2026 are about 19.9% of gross pay: TyEL 17.10%, health insurance 1.91%, unemployment 0.31%. Multiplier 1.2, or 1.35 with holiday pay.
Dividend tax in Finland 2026 — what is left of a private company dividend?
Private company dividends 2026: the 8% net-assets limit, the €150,000 limit, and 25% of a capital-income dividend taxable. Three worked examples and effective rates.
Sole trader or limited company 2026 — which should you choose?
Sole trader or limited company 2026: a toiminimi is taxed as the owner income, an Oy separately at 20% corporate tax. Comparison of setup costs, taxation and liability.
VAT registration threshold 2026 — when must an entrepreneur register?
Finnish VAT-registration threshold 2026 is €20,000 of turnover per calendar year. It rose from €15,000 on 1 January 2025, and the lower-limit relief was abolished at the same time.
Start-up grant (starttiraha) 2026: amount, duration and conditions
In 2026 the start-up grant equals the basic amount: €37.21/day, about €800/month gross. Up to 12 months, apply before starting. Taxable — set aside 20–30% for tax.
YEL insurance for new entrepreneurs 2026
The YEL contribution in 2026 is 24.40% of work income; new entrepreneurs get a 22% discount for 48 months (effective 19.03%). How work income affects the contribution and benefits.
VAT in Finland 2026: rates and the registration threshold
Finland’s standard VAT is 25.5%, reduced rates 13.5% (food etc.) and 10% (press). The small-business VAT-registration threshold is €20,000/year. How VAT is added to a price in 2026.
Pension
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Pension gaps in Finland 2026: which periods don’t accrue pension?
Earnings-related unemployment (75%), parental allowance (121%), home care and degree study accrue pension. Kela basic security (yleistuki), non-degree study and work outside the EU are pension gaps.
Partial early old-age pension (OVE) in Finland 2026
OVE 2026: draw 25 % or 50 % of your accrued pension before retirement age. Early reduction 0.4 %/month, up to 14.4 %. Age limits, formula and examples.
Pension accrual (TyEL) 2026: 1.5% a year and the life-expectancy coefficient
Earnings-related pension accrues at 1.5% of annual earnings: €40,000/yr gives about €50/month. The 2026 life-expectancy coefficient is 0.94643 and the deferral increment 0.4%/month.
Retirement age by birth year in Finland 2026
Lowest old-age retirement age 2026 by birth year: born 1961 → 64y 9m, born 1962–1964 → 65y. Table, upper age limit and partial pension.
Loans and insurance
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Equity savings account 2026 — it only wins from year eight
An equity savings account is not automatically better. On a €10,000 investment the difference only turns positive in year eight, and with no dividends there is no advantage at all.
Home insurance 2026 — five euros for a renter, forty-seven for a homeowner
Home insurance costs an estimated €5–11 a month when renting, €11–19 in an owned flat and €28–47 in a house. The gap comes down to who insures the building.
Car insurance 2026 — the bonus matters more than the car
The no-claims bonus is the single biggest factor: a 70 per cent bonus takes a €20,000 car from roughly €860 to €350 a year. A driver under 25 pays about 40 per cent more.
Student loan compensation 2026 — why 40 per cent is really 19
Student loan compensation is 40 per cent of the part above €2,500, but only €400 a month of loan is counted. That is why a €17,550 loan earns €3,320.
Debt consolidation 2026 — it lowers the payment nearly always, the cost rarely
Consolidation almost always cuts the monthly payment, but it only saves money on a short term. The same debt over three years saves €783; over ten years it costs €5,222 more.
Car loan 2026 — the balloon shrinks the payment and grows the bill
A balloon payment cuts the monthly instalment by €132 but adds a thousand euros of interest. Car finance also falls outside the consumer-credit rate cap.
Consumer credit 2026 — the cap is 17.5 %, the APR can be 20
The 2026 interest-rate cap is 17.5 per cent, but it applies to the nominal rate. Even within the cap the APR can exceed 20 per cent once fees are counted.
Mortgage 2026 — five extra years cost €24,000
Five extra years cut the payment by €110 but cost €24,000 in interest. Compare annuity with equal principal, and see the rate sensitivity on a €212,500 loan.
Vehicle tax in Finland 2026 — what does a car cost per year?
Finnish vehicle tax 2026: base tax 106,21–654,44 EUR a year by CO2, driving power tax 5,5 cents for diesel and 1,9 cents for electric per day per started 100 kg. Tables and worked examples.
Car tax in Finland 2026 — what does importing a car cost?
Finnish car tax 2026: the tax is the taxable value times the rate. The rate runs from 2,7 to 48,9 per cent by CO2, and is 0 for fully electric cars. How the tax on an imported car is set.
Transfer tax in Finland 2026 — what does buying a home cost?
Finnish transfer tax 2026: 1,5 per cent on housing company shares and 3 per cent on real estate, charged on the debt free price. The first home exemption ended on 1 January 2024.
Gift tax in Finland 2026 — how much do you pay?
Gift tax 2026: the tax-free limit rose to €7,500 from the same donor over three years, classes I and II, the scales and cumulation of gifts. Tables and examples.
Inheritance tax in Finland 2026 — how much do you pay?
Inheritance tax 2026: the tax-free threshold rose to €30,000 per heir, classes I and II, the scales, spouse and minor deductions. Tables and worked examples.
Property tax in Finland 2026 — how much do you pay?
Property tax 2026: permanent home 0.41–1.00 %, land 1.30–2.00 %, holiday home 0.93–2.00 %. How the tax is calculated and where to find your own rates.
Mortgage and the loan cap in Finland 2026 — how much can you borrow?
Mortgages in 2026: the loan cap rose to 95 % on 30 June 2026, servicing costs capped at 60 % of net income, stress test at 6 % over 25 years. Examples and rules.
Capital gains on selling a home in Finland 2026 — when is the gain tax-free?
Capital gains 2026: your own home is exempt after two years of residence, capital income tax 30/34 %, deemed acquisition cost 20 or 40 %. Worked examples.