Preliminary tax

Preliminary tax (preliminärskatt) is the tax paid on an ongoing basis during the income year, before the final tax has been determined. For employees, the employer deducts it from their salary. For companies and self-employed people, the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) sets it based on a preliminary income tax return, and it is paid every month.

Limited companies (aktiebolag, AB) pay preliminary corporation tax based on their expected profit. Sole traders pay preliminary income tax and self-employment contributions (egenavgifter). The amount must be in the tax account (skattekonto) by the 12th of each month, except in January and August, when the date is the 17th.

If it turns out that the profit will be higher or lower than estimated, the company can submit a new preliminary tax return at any time during the year. This avoids both residual tax (kvarskatt) with interest and the company tying up money unnecessarily.