Capital gains tax in Finland Confirm the cited source.

Capital gains realised by Finnish-resident individuals are taxed as paaomatulo (capital income) under the Tuloverolaki (Income Tax Act, TVL 1535/1992). Gains on shares, funds, real estate, and most other capital assets are pooled with other capital income -- rental receipts, dividends, and interest -- and the combined net amount is taxed at the progressive capital-income rates that apply for the tax year. Finnish residents are taxable on worldwide gains; non-residents are generally taxable only on Finnish-source gains.

01What rates apply to capital gains in Finland?

Capital gains form part of taxable capital income and are subject to a two-bracket progressive rate under the Income Tax Act. The lower bracket covers the first EUR 30,000 of net capital income in the tax year and is taxed at 30%. Net capital income above EUR 30,000 is taxed at 34%. Both thresholds are assessed per individual per year; spouses are taxed separately. For example, a taxpayer who realises a net share gain of EUR 50,000 in a year would pay EUR 9,000 (30% of EUR 30,000) plus EUR 6,800 (34% of EUR 20,000), a combined liability of EUR 15,800 before any applicable deductions.[1]

The 34% upper rate has applied since 2014. The EUR 30,000 bracket threshold has remained unchanged since 2018, when it was reduced from EUR 40,000 under a budget consolidation measure. Finland's Ministry of Finance has confirmed that these rates continue for the 2025 and 2026 tax years without amendment.[2]

02How does the deemed acquisition cost work?

When calculating the taxable gain on a disposal, Finnish taxpayers may choose between two cost-basis methods for each individual asset sold. The first is the actual acquisition cost: the original purchase price paid for the asset plus all directly attributable acquisition expenses (brokerage commissions, transfer tax, valuation fees). The second is the hankintameno-olettama (deemed acquisition cost), which replaces actual cost with a flat percentage of the disposal proceeds.

Under the deemed acquisition cost method, the deductible cost is 20% of the selling price if the taxpayer has held the asset for fewer than 10 years, and 40% of the selling price if the holding period is 10 years or more.[3] The taxpayer selects whichever method produces the more favourable result for each disposal. If actual cost was, say, EUR 2,000 for shares now sold at EUR 20,000 after a 12-year holding period, the deemed cost of EUR 8,000 (40% of EUR 20,000) would exceed actual cost, reducing taxable gain to EUR 12,000 rather than EUR 18,000. The two methods cannot be combined for the same disposal: choosing deemed acquisition cost means the actual purchase price and related expenses are disregarded entirely.[3]

The hankintameno-olettama is particularly valuable for inherited shares, long-held securities with very low original cost, and assets received as gifts, where the original acquisition documentation may be incomplete or the basis is very low relative to current market value.

03Is the gain on selling a home exempt from tax?

A gain on the sale of a primary residence is fully exempt from capital gains tax in Finland when two conditions are both met. First, the seller must have owned the property for at least two years. Second, the seller, or the seller's spouse or minor children, must have used the property as a permanent home continuously for at least two years during the period of ownership.[4]

Both conditions must be satisfied simultaneously: a property owned for 10 years but used as a holiday home rather than a permanent residence does not qualify. Conversely, a property that served as a primary home but was owned for only 18 months is also outside the exemption. If the conditions are met, the full gain is exempt regardless of its amount and no reporting to the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) is required beyond confirming the sale was correctly pre-populated on the tax return. Losses on a primary-residence sale are generally not deductible, consistent with the principle that the exempt gain could not have been taxed.[4]

Vacation properties, investment apartments, and second homes do not qualify for the exemption.

04What is the small-disposals exemption?

A complete exemption applies when the total selling price of all assets transferred during the calendar year does not exceed EUR 1,000.[3] The threshold applies to the aggregate proceeds from all disposals in the year -- shares, funds, real estate, and other capital assets -- not to individual transactions. If total annual proceeds from all sales are EUR 1,000 or less, no capital gains tax is due regardless of the gain realised.

The corollary is symmetric: if the EUR 1,000 aggregate proceeds threshold is not exceeded, any resulting capital loss is also non-deductible for that year.[3] Sales of assets that are separately exempt by statute -- notably the primary residence -- are excluded when computing the EUR 1,000 aggregate. A taxpayer whose only disposals are a primary residence sale of EUR 250,000 and share sales of EUR 900 would not breach the threshold on the share sales and would owe no tax on those gains.

05How are capital losses treated?

Capital losses are first applied against capital gains realised in the same tax year. Any remaining net loss is then applied against other capital income (rental income, dividends, interest) in the same year. Where a net capital-income deficit results -- that is, where capital losses exceed all capital income -- unused losses are carried forward and may be applied against capital income in any of the following five tax years.[5]

Losses carried forward are not inflated or discounted: they retain their nominal EUR value. The five-year window runs from the end of the tax year in which the loss arose. Losses that remain unutilised after five years are permanently forfeited. Capital losses cannot be set against earned income (wages, pension, benefits) -- the two income categories are assessed and taxed independently under the Finnish dual-income tax structure.

The table below summarises the core Finnish capital gains framework for quick reference.

For most Finnish investors, gains are reported via OmaVero (MyTax). Major Finnish brokers transmit disposal data directly to Vero under the third-party reporting framework, so share gains are typically pre-populated on the annual tax return. Taxpayers should verify pre-populated figures, add any disposals from non-Finnish brokers, and confirm which cost-basis method applies to each lot. The full framework for Finnish capital income reporting is described in the Finland country overview.

The rules summarised above are drawn from published Vero guidance current as of June 2026. Finnish tax law is subject to annual budget amendments, and individual circumstances -- including residency status, treaty position, and asset type -- can materially affect which rules apply. Consulting a qualified tax professional before completing a Finnish capital gains filing is strongly recommended.