The Tax Administration has reminded taxpayers that pre-filled tax forms for 2022 would be available to wage earners and pension recipients starting on Thursday, 6 April.
The scheduled deadlines for completing the forms are on 9, 16 and 23 May. Many taxpayers receive their pre-filled tax information digitally, via the OmaVero system.
"The pre-filled tax returns must be checked. If the information is correct, the customer does not need to do anything. Some income and deductions must be self-declared because the Tax Administration does not necessarily receive information about them elsewhere," the Administration's customer relations chief, Hilkka Pelander, said in a press release issued on Thursday.
Adjustments or additions to the pre-filled forms should be made, for example, if taxpayers have received rental income for renting out a residence or a boat, or if they need to report income from the trade of cryptocurrencies.
"Also, for example, travel expenses and household deductions must be entered yourself," Pelander explained.
However, she noted, that customers who plan on claiming deductions for excessive electricity costs should not do so on the pre-filled forms, but next year, since the deduction is limited to January-April of this year.
Face masks, remote working
The Tax Administration also pointed out that deductions can still be claimed by taxpayers against the cost of face masks used for commuting up until mid-April of last year.
The Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) rescinded recommendation on face mask use in public spaces on 14 April, 2022.
"Thus, those who used face masks at the beginning of 2022 on public transport commutes to and from work and bought the masks themselves during 1 January to 14 April 2022, can deduct their cost as travel expenses. The deduction amount for the masks is two euros per travel day. The deductible for travel costs is 750 euro," Pelander said.
The customer relations chief also reminded people who started working remotely due to the Covid crisis to declare such deductions for working room and equipment, as well as work commute costs, if applicable.
There is a standard 920 euro deduction for remote work-related expenses, if the taxpayer has worked from home more than 50 percent of their working hours last year. The deduction is intended to cover costs such as lighting, electricity, heating, cleaning as well as furniture like desks and office chairs. Meanwhile, travel expenses can only be deducted for the days that customers commuted to and from work, according to Pelander.
The tax authority also warned customers about links to fake Tax Administration websites, instead advising them to type in "mytax.fi" (omavero.fi) in their browsers to avoid revealing personal data to fraudsters.
"Over the past year there's been an irritating number of various types of frauds circulating online, in the name of the Tax Administration. It's important to remember that the Tax Administration never asks customers for credit card details or bank codes. We also do not ask [customers] for personal information by email or text messages," Pelander said.
Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email.