Accounting for consultancy companies

Limited company or sole trader?

As a sole trader (enskild firma) you are personally liable for contracts and debts. A limited company (aktiebolag, AB) is liable for its own debts and requires share capital of at least SEK 25 000. A limited company gives you more ways to take money out, through salary or dividends, but it also means more administration, with an annual report and the K10 form. Which one suits you depends on your turnover, the risk in your assignments and how much you want to leave in the company. We can help you start a limited company or start as a sole trader.

Salary, dividends and the 3:12 rules

If you own your own consultancy company, it is almost always a close company (fåmansföretag), which means the 3:12 rules govern how much of your dividend is taxed as capital income. New rules apply from the 2026 income year: a basic amount (grundbelopp) replaces the simplification rule, and there is only one calculation rule. We go through the changes in the 3:12 rules 2026, and the K10 form is included in the Complete package.

F-tax and invoicing

If you have F-tax (F-skatt), your client should not deduct tax or pay employer's contributions on your fee: you do that yourself. If you do not have F-tax, the client should normally deduct tax and, if you are a natural person, also pay employer's contributions. That is why most clients ask for F-tax before the first invoice. Read more at the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).

Work in progress and accruals

Work that has been carried out but not invoiced at the end of a month or year must be recorded in the right period. We reconcile timesheets against invoicing and value work in progress in the year-end accounts according to the framework, K2 or K3, that the company follows. That way your profit is correct even when a long assignment is invoiced in arrears.

Services to customers in other EU countries

If you sell a consultancy service to a business in another EU country, under the main rule it is taxed in the buyer's country. You do not charge Swedish VAT. The invoice must show the buyer's VAT registration number and the wording "reverse charge" (omvänd betalningsskyldighet). The sale is reported in box 39 of the VAT return and in an EC sales list (periodisk sammanställning). Check the buyer's VAT number before you invoice. Different rules apply to private individuals, see our article on OSS VAT.

Fixed price for consultancy companies

You pay a fixed monthly price based on the number of vouchers and employees, with no lock-in period and three months' notice. Advice is included in Basic, Complete and Premium, and Premium includes tax planning for salary and dividends. See prices and bookkeeping in Gothenburg.