The household tax credit (kotitalousvähennys) is one of the most widely used tax deductions in Finland. You can claim it for cleaning, move-out cleaning, and renovating your home or holiday home, among other things. It is calculated on the labour portion only, and you get it only if the company doing the work is in the prepayment register.
We have gathered the key conditions from the Finnish Tax Administration's guidance. Tax details change, so always check your own situation with the Tax Administration.
How much you can deduct in 2026
Under the Tax Administration's current guidance, you can deduct 35 per cent of the VAT-inclusive labour cost of work bought from a company. The credit is capped at €1,600 per person per year, and a €150 deductible is subtracted once a year.
The government has put a bill to parliament that would temporarily raise the rate to 40 per cent and the cap to €2,100 for 2026 and 2027. If it passes, the increase would apply retroactively to work paid for from 1 January 2026, and the deductible would stay at €150. The bill had not been passed when this guide was checked.
- Credit: 35% of the labour portion (VAT included)
- Cap: €1,600 per person per year
- Deductible: €150 per person per year
- Proposed temporary increase for 2026–2027: 40% and up to €2,100
Example: a bathroom renovation
If the labour portion of a bathroom renovation invoice is €4,000, the credit is 35%, or €1,400, less the €150 deductible. Your household tax credit is therefore €1,250.
The credit is personal, but spouses can share it. If the credit exceeds one person's cap, the Tax Administration moves the excess to the spouse's taxation, and the deductible is then subtracted for both.
What work qualifies
The credit applies to household, care and nursing work, and to maintenance and improvement work on a home. Cleaning counts as household work — including cleaning the old and the new home when you move. For renovation, it covers work such as renovating the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms.
- Regular and deep home cleaning
- Move-out cleaning of the old and the new home
- Bathroom and kitchen renovations
- Painting, skimming and flooring work at home
When you cannot claim it
The credit does not cover materials or travel costs — only the labour portion. That is why the invoice must show the labour portion separately.
A landlord cannot claim the credit for renovating an apartment that is let out, and a housing company cannot claim it at all. Nor does it apply to new construction or to work that an insurer has paid for.
Where the work must be done
The work must be done in your own home — owned or rented — in your holiday home, or in the home of your parents or grandparents.
Check the company before you sign
The company must be in the prepayment register when the contract is made. You can check this in the YTJ business search by company name or business ID. InvestmentInsight Nordic Oy has been in the prepayment register since 23 August 2024.
How to claim
The credit belongs to the year in which you paid the invoice. You claim it in MyTax (OmaVero): either by changing your tax card in the year you pay, or with your pre-completed tax return the following year.