Independent information portal · Not a government institution
📄 Maksu- ja Tolliamet

Filing the income tax return

Declaring last year's income runs from 16 February to 30 April. The easiest channel is e-MTA (emta.ee): the return is largely pre-filled with data from employers, banks and institutions. Refunds of overpaid income tax start on 5 March for e-MTA filers (18 March for paper); the final deadline for both payment and refund is 1 October. The refund amount does not depend on filing speed.

Service passportUpdated: 29.07.2026.
Cost
Free
Duration
Pre-filled — often 10 minutes
Deadline
16.02–30.04; settlement by 1 October
Where
e-MTA (emta.ee)
Open the official service →
✓ Information verified: 2026-07-29 Report an error

Who this applies to

Estonian residents with income from Estonia or abroad: wages, rent, investments, crypto gains, business income. Filing pays off even without an obligation — deductions (third-pillar contributions, training costs, donations) bring tax back. The tax-free income for 2025 is up to 7,848 euros a year (9,312 in pension age). Mortgage interest is no longer deductible from 2024 income onwards.

Step by step

Log in to e-MTA and open the return

Log in only via the official emta.ee site (phishing is common). The return is pre-filled, but you are responsible for its accuracy — check everything.

Add missing income and deductions

Pre-filled data usually lacks foreign income, some asset sales and certain training costs. For property sales add the acquisition cost and improvement expenses; investment-account users should delete duplicated Baltic securities trades.

Submit and track the settlement

File by 30 April. Refunds start on 5 March; the final settlement deadline is 1 October. In e-MTA you can also donate your refund to up to three organisations.

Common mistakes

Trusting the pre-filled data blindly — foreign income, crypto and some sales must be added yourself.
Rushing in the first days — the refund does not depend on speed, and the system is overloaded in mid-February.
Applying the tax-free income at two employers — an unexpected spring payment follows.

Frequently asked questions

When can the return be filed?

From 16 February to 30 April. Refunds start 5 March for e-MTA filers and 18 March for paper filers.

Must crypto be declared?

Yes — profitable trades are taxed. On MiCA-licensed platforms both profitable and loss-making trades must be reported from 2025.

Official sources

Verified against official sources · 29.07.2026.

See also