Transfer tax
In Finland, transfer taxation is used, which means, for example, taxation paid on the exchange of ownership of a housing share or real estate.
Transfer tax is based on the Transfer Act, which is described in more detail in the following sections.
When should the transfer tax be paid?
The transfer tax must be paid when you buy, for example, a property or a housing share.
Transfer taxation is usually handled entirely by the buyer.
Transfer tax form
A transfer tax form is usually a notice given by the buyer of a change in ownership under the Transfer Tax Act. This notice must be given on your own initiative. The deadline for the notification depends on the object and, for example, in the case of a housing share, the notification must be made 2 months after the deed of sale, while for a building the deadline is 6 months.
You can find more detailed deadlines here.
Where and how do I file a transfer tax form?
Nowadays, a transfer tax form can be made easily and quickly directly in self-tax. A certificate of declaration and payment of the tax will also appear in the self-tax within a few days. This particular document may then be needed in the direction of the bank, for example.
Amount of transfer tax
The amount of transfer tax depends on the type of item. There are three types of tax rates: 1.6%, 2% and 4%.
More detailed specifications on transfer tax can be found here.
Transfer tax calculator
The transfer tax calculator makes it easy to calculate the amount of tax payable when you know the purchase price.
The tax offices transfer tax calculator can be found here.
https://www.vero.fi/henkiloasiakkaat/asuminen/varainsiirtovero/varainsiirtoverolaskuri/
Transfer Tax Act
The Transfer Tax Act sets out detailed guidelines for the use of the Act.
The law deals in more detail with the following entities, among others:
Transfer of property
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960931#L2
Transfer of security
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960931#L2
Payment of the tax and explanations to the authority
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960931#L4
Supervision and imposition of tax and rectification of the decision
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960931#L5
The full law can be found here:
https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1996/19960931
When do you not have to pay transfer tax?
There are also exceptional cases of transfer taxation, in which case the actual tax does not have to be paid, but only a declaration is sufficient.
Such exceptional cases are, for example, the purchase of a first home for several people, in which case it is possible to avoid the payment of transfer tax if certain conditions are met.
More information on buying a first home and the special conditions related to it can be found at the link below:
Tax liability of the first home buyer
https://www.vero.fi/henkiloasiakkaat/asuminen/varainsiirtovero/ensiaselun_ost/
Other examples of exceptional situations are, for example, situations where the amount of tax is small and the amount is less than € 10. Even then, just notifying the taxpayer is enough.
The third common situation is the purchase of shares or securities on a stock exchange. In these cases, no notification is required.
All exceptional situations can be found in detail on the taxpayer’s website: https://www.vero.fi/henkiloasiakkaat/asuminen/varainsiirtovero/