Compliance Centre

Daily allowances in Finland

Written by Andreea Susanu | May 13, 2025 1:40:04 PM

 

Daily allowances in Finland

Domestic Daily Allowance

Domestic per diems in Finland may be paid out as follows:

Trip duration Amount
More than 6 hours (partial amount) €24,00
More than 10 hours (full amount) €53.00

If travel time exceeds the last full day of travel:

  • by at least 2 hours

€24,00
  • by more than 6 hours
€53,00

 

In the following cases, the per diem should be halved:

  • travel days (e.g. to and from the destination)

  • if the employee receives a free meal, or a meal included with their travel ticket

Free meals comprise two free meals in the case of a full per diem, and one free meal in the case of a partial per diem.

Overnight allowance

An allowance for night travel can be paid only if the following conditions are met:

  • at least 4 hours (during a day of travel for which the employee is entitled to a per diem) are between the hours of 9 PM and 7 AM

  • the employer has not arranged and paid for accommodation for the employee, or paid them an allowance for accommodation or for a sleeping car berth.

The maximum allowance for night travel is €16 for 2025.

Foreign Daily Allowance

When employees are travelling abroad for business, they may also be entitled to a per diem. The maximum tax-free amount of this per diem varies by country and on the following rules:

Trip duration  Amount
10 hours or more Foreign country rate
Less than 10 hours Domestic domestic rate
Day of return to Finland Half the per diem for foreign travel paid for the last completed day of travel if the business trip exceeds it by more than 2 hours
Day of return to Finland A full per diem for foreign travel is paid for the last full day of travel if it exceeds the business trips by more than 10 hours

 

The lump sum allowances employees are paid to cover their business travel expenses bust be reduced by 50% if the employee receives free meals or meals included in the price of a ticket or hotel room.

For the purposes of calculation of per diems for foreign travel, two free meals constitute ‘free meals’.

For business trips outside of Finnish territory without an overnight stay and where no other per diem is being paid, the maximum allowance for business travel is €18.

Source: https://www.vero.fi/en/detailed-guidance/decisions/47405/tax-exempt-allowances-in-2025-for-business-travel/