Payment of interests

If you have tax arrears, you are required to calculate and pay interest on the amount of tax outstanding by the due date. Interest is calculated as of the day following the day on which payment of the tax was due pursuant to law until the date of payment or set-off, inclusive of the latter.

Payment of interest

In case you have not paid interest on tax liabilities unpaid by deadline, we will issue a claim for interest, unless the interest amount is less than 10 euros.

You can pay calculated interest voluntarily in the Estonian Tax and Customs Board’s electronic environment e-MTA by compiling the respective interest calculation. It is necessary to ensure sufficient funds on your prepayment account for interest payment. The Estonian Tax and Customs Board will deduct the amount of interest payable from your prepayment account.

Pay interest

In case of difficulties with payment, you can apply to pay tax arrears in instalments. The easiest and fastest way to apply for payment of tax arrears in instalments is to submit an application via the e-MTA. More information in the article “Payment of tax liabilities in instalments”.

Important

Until full payment of tax arrears, the arrears are subject to a daily interest rate of 0.06 per cent (i.e. 21.9% per year).

Due to the emergency situation announced by the Government of the Republic on 12 March 2020, interest was not calculated during the period from 1 March to 17 May 2020 (inclusive). From 18 May 2020 to 31 December 2021 (inclusive), interest on the principal debt had to be calculated and paid at the rate of 0,03 per cent per day.

Amount of interest = amount of tax not paid by the due date × number of days of delay × interest rate.

Rounding the interest amount

On 1 January 2020 an amendment to § 97 of the Taxation Act entered into force, according to which interest amounts are rounded to the nearest euro. 

Rounding is done according to mathematical rules. Examples:

  • if the calculated interest is 10.49 euros, after compilation of the interest claim, 10 euros are to be paid;
  • if the calculated interest is 10.50 euros, after compilation of the interest claim, 11 euros are to be paid.

In case the calculated interest is less than 0.50 euro, interest claim cannot be compiled or paid, since the interest is rounded to 0. Calculated interest is not displayed in public inquiry of tax arrears. After full payment of the principal debt, calculated interest will expire and is deleted automatically after one year has passed from the tax calculation (§ 118 of the Taxation Act).

Non-calculation of interest

Interest on tax arrears is charged in the event of delaying with payment of tax liabilities. However, in certain cases, the tax authority will suspend calculating interest.

The beginning of suspension may be:

  • suspension of the activity of the credit institution used to fulfil tax liabilities;
  • compromises related to bankruptcy proceedings of the taxable person;
  • declaration of bankruptcy;
  • the amount of interest exceeds the amount of tax claim which is the basis for the interest calculation;
  • debt restructuring is taking place (from the initiation of proceedings until the approval of the debt restructuring plan).

A more detailed list of grounds for suspension is provided in § 119 of the Taxation Act

Based on good governance practice and according to the decision of the Administrative Law Chamber of the Supreme Court of Estonia, we do not calculate interest in situations where the tax proceedings have been delayed due to reasons caused by the tax authority itself. Such cases may be:

  • there has been an unreasonable delay in performing control activities due to the inaction of the tax authority;
  • it takes longer than usual for the tax authority to formulate opinions on taxation and the continuation of the procedure depends on further decisions to be made on the basis of the available evidence.

A respective decision is made to reduce the period of calculating interest. The decision will be sent to you as a separate administrative act along with a notice of assessment or liability decision. The decision will indicate the period of time when the proceedings were unreasonably delayed, and the number of days by which the interest calculation is reduced.
 

Interest calculation is not suspended:

  • when, in order to ascertain relevant information to tax proceedings, it is necessary to submit an application to an authority of another Member State of the European Union (EU). In accordance with the EU Directive on Administrative Cooperation in the Field of Taxation, the authority receiving the application may respond in no later than six months beginning from the date of receiving the application.
  • when we have issued an order for submitting information and/or documents to you or a third party. The time during which the tax authority awaits for information and/or documents relevant to tax proceedings from the taxpayer or a third party cannot be considered a delay in tax procedure caused by the tax authority.

Last updated: 03.12.2021

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