What is a tax return questionnaire?
Every January, we open a tax return survey in the UKKO service, where you can fill in the additional deductions you want to apply for with a tax return.
How do I fill out the tax return questionnaire correctly?
There are three parts to the survey, where we ask about home office deduction, car expenses and travel allowances:
1. Home office deduction
You can apply for a home office deduction if you have worked at least part of your working days from home during the year. If you are a part-time entrepreneur and have done both business-related and paid employment at your home office, you can claim a home office deduction on both your business and personal tax return. Fill out the UKKO tax return questionnaire only on the part of your business taxes.
You can apply for a home office deduction either as a formulated tax deduction or based on actual costs. The formula-based deduction is a simple option: just select from the options in our questionnaire how big a part of the year's workdays you have worked from home.
If you are applying for a home office deduction based on actual costs, you must have proof of the costs. For a deduction based on actual expenses, on the tax return questionnaire you fill in the area of your apartment in square-meters and the portion of the apartment you use as a home office. Then add up all your home's expenses: electricity bills, heating, and furniture purchases for your home office (which you haven’t added to your accounts during the year). We calculate deductible expenses based on what part of your apartment is your home office.
(Please note that you can deduct furniture purchases only once for tax purposes: either on your business or on your personal tax return.)
Here you can also read the tax authority's instructions on workspace costs.
2. Car expenses
If less than half of the kilometers driven with your car are related to your business, you can apply for tax deductions for car expenses with the tax return. To receive deductions, fill out the mileage you drove for your business in the tax return questionnaire.
If, on the other hand, more than half of the driving kilometers are related to your business, you have been able to add your car expenses directly to the accounts, and you do not need to complete this section of the tax return questionnaire. Here you can read the taxpayer’s instructions for the entrepreneur’s vehicle.
3. Business trips
For your business trips, tell us the dates you have traveled and the mileage if you have traveled with your own car. We do not need more detailed information or vouchers about travel and expenses at this point, but please make sure you have the information and vouchers in your own records: the tax authority obliges the entrepreneur to keep the vouchers for business trips. Read more about business trips here at Vero.fi.
Other frequently asked questions about your tax return:
Is the tax return included in the price of the UKKO Entrepreneur service?
Yes it is!
What is a business tax return?
The business tax return means the tax return of your company, ie your business name / private trader company. Now that you’re an entrepreneur, you have two tax returns to fill out, one for your business and one for your personal taxes. Your company's tax return will show your company's income and expenses for the year and there's a possibility to apply for additional tax deductions if necessary. As our accounting client, you don't have to worry about your company's tax return, we take care of it for you!
When has UKKO filled out my tax return?
We prepare tax returns for all our customers by the due date, April 1st. You will receive an email from us once your return has been sent to the tax office.
What does it mean to use a car for business?
That means you drive trips that are related to your business and it entitles you to tax deductions. Such trips may include visits to a customer, but not your regular daily commute from home to work (then again, you can deduct these commute expenses with your personal tax return). The car can be used in part or in full for your business. If the car is fully used by your company, you can record the costs of the car in the accounts during the year, and if partially, you can deduct the costs with your company's tax return.
What about business trip expenses, what are they?
You can get travel expenses deducted in your taxes if you make temporary business trips, for example customer visits. In this case, you can use your company's tax return to apply for tax deductions to cover your travel expenses.
What is a home office deduction?
The home office deduction applies to entrepreneurs who work from home. There are two ways to apply for a workroom deduction with a tax return: a flat-rate formula-based deduction or a deduction based on the actual cost of the office space in your home. The first method is more straightforward, while the second requires you to record your home office expenses and keep receipts for the expenses.
I received a paper tax return in the mail, what is that about?
The tax authority will always send you your tax return by mail, even though it's easiest to do so on MyTax nowadays. We handle the preparation of tax returns for our customers electronically, and there is no need to worry about a paper return dropping in the mailbox.
I did telecommuting from home earlier during the year, but then rented a separate office space, what deductions can I get?
If you have worked from your home office for at least part of the year, you are entitled to a home office deduction. When filling out the tax return questionnaire, select in what portion of the working days of the year you worked from home or fill in the actual costs of your home office, if you have them.
I am a part-time entrepreneur and have done both paid work and work related to my business from my home. Will I add a home office deduction to my personal or business tax return?
If you have done both paid work and work related to your business from your home office, you can apply for a workroom deduction with both your personal and your company tax return.
When will I receive the VAT relief to my account?
The lower limit VAT relief is always applied for on the last VAT return of the year, which is due in February. You will receive an email from us when the decision for the relief is complete. You can then take a look at MyTax to see how much relief you received and when it will be paid to you.
Can something prevent UKKO from filing in my tax return?
Only unpaid service fees or a missing Suomi.fi authorization can prevent your tax return from being prepared by us. If they are okay, just answer the tax return questionnaire and we will take care of the rest!
See also: Business name tax return in the UKKO Entrepreneur service.