The Finnish household deduction

What the deduction is

The household deduction (kotitalousvähennys) is a deduction in Finnish taxation available for work done in your home or holiday home. It applies to the labour share — not to materials, equipment or travel. In practice part of what you pay for the work comes back through taxation, so the real cost is lower than the invoice.

The maximum amount, the deductible share and the excess change almost every year, and depend on the type of work as well. We do not repeat them here, because a wrong figure is worse than no figure. Current amounts are always on the Tax Administration's pages.

Which jobs generally qualify

The deduction normally covers ordinary household work and the maintenance or renovation of a home. Of Pystyy's categories, these typically belong to that group:

• Cleaning, window cleaning and other ordinary household work.
• Garden and outdoor work such as mowing, snow clearing and tidying the yard.
• Maintenance and renovation of the home, such as painting and surface work.
• Electrical and plumbing work in the home.
• Care and nursing work at home, under certain conditions.

It generally does not cover:

• Materials, supplies and equipment — only the labour share is deductible.
• Travel costs and transport.
• Removal services and the transport of goods as such.
• Work carried out away from the home, such as repairing furniture in a workshop.
• Work done anywhere other than your own home, a parent's home or a holiday home.

The boundary is not always obvious: the same job may qualify in one situation and not in another. When unsure, ask the Tax Administration before agreeing the work.

Two conditions worth confirming in advance

Most refused deductions fail on these two points, and both are easy to check before the work starts:

1. The provider must be in the prepayment register. Anyone can check this free of charge in the Business Information System. We mark a provider's profile once we have checked it and state when the check was made — but the situation can change after that, so confirm it yourself before agreeing.
2. You must have a receipt or invoice. It must show the provider, the type of work, the labour share of the price and the date of payment. Always ask for one, including for small jobs and when paying cash.

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If the work is done by a private person who is not in the prepayment register, the situation differs: the deduction is determined on other grounds and you may take on obligations of your own as the payer. Check those terms separately with the Tax Administration before agreeing.

How to claim it

The deduction is not claimed through Pystyy but in your own taxation:

1. Keep the receipt or invoice. It is not attached to the return, but you must be able to produce it on request.
2. Report the work in MyTax — either on the tax return afterwards, or by amending your tax card during the same year, so the benefit shows in your pay straight away.
3. Report the labour share and the materials share separately if the invoice contains both.
4. Spouses can often divide the deduction between them in whichever way is most favourable.

How this appears on Pystyy

Once we have checked that a provider is in the prepayment register, it appears on their profile together with the date of the check, and the profile links straight to the public register. We cannot promise the deduction on your behalf and we are not tax advisers: the mark records what we saw on that day, and the definitive answer always comes from the Tax Administration.

Find a provider whose register entry has been checked →