Guides

Clear guides to Estonian taxes, benefits and money matters - fresh 2026 figures with a calculator for every topic.

Gross vs net salary in Estonia: where the money goes

Your contract states a gross salary, your bank account receives the net, and the employer pays yet a third amount. Here is a concrete example of how the three numbers relate and where the difference goes.

Estonian basic exemption 2026: 700 € for everyone

The biggest Estonian tax change of 2026 is simple: the basic exemption is now 700 € per month, 8400 € per year, for everyone regardless of income. The complicated regressive system is history. Here is what it means for your wallet.

Estonian minimum wage 2026: 886 EUR a month, 5.31 EUR an hour

The minimum wage in Estonia is 886 EUR a month for full-time work in 2026, and 5.31 EUR an hour. Those two numbers are two expressions of the same floor, but they do not always give the same result, which surprises employees and small employers alike.

What an employee really costs: gross salary is not the employer's expense

Every job has three numbers attached: what the employer pays out, what the contract calls gross salary, and what reaches the employee's account. Conversations usually mention only the middle one. The gap between the first two is employer taxes, and in Estonia that gap is large.

Holiday pay in Estonia: why a holiday month looks different

Almost every employee has one month a year when the payslip does not look normal. The cause is almost always annual leave, and it is not an error. Holiday pay is calculated on a different basis from monthly salary, and that is where the difference comes from.

Sick leave in Estonia: who pays for which day

The financial side of sick leave confuses people because the payer changes twice mid-illness. The first three days are paid by nobody, the next five by the employer, and only then does the Health Insurance Fund step in. That three-part split is why a short illness hits your wallet disproportionately hard.

Losing your job in Estonia 2026: benefits and first steps

Losing a job is stressful, but the Estonian system cushions the blow quite well - if you know what to do and when. From 2026 the benefit system became simpler. Here is a clear action plan with all the figures.

Estonian parental benefit 2026: amount, duration, sharing

The parental benefit (vanemahüvitis) is one of Estonia's key family benefits: it replaces your previous income after a child is born. The ceiling changed in 2026, so the rules are worth a refresher. Here are all the key numbers and principles in one place.

Estonian VAT in 2026: 24%, and what it actually means

VAT is the single largest source of Estonian budget revenue and also the tax whose logic is understood least often. The most important thing to know: a VAT-registered business does not pay VAT. It collects it. The entire burden lands on the final consumer.

Loan payments: why the early years are almost all interest

A loan offer is almost always judged by its monthly payment. That is understandable, since it is the number that hits the budget each month. But the payment hides two things that cost a great deal more: how much of it is interest, and what stretching the term actually costs.

Estonian car tax 2026: how the annual tax works

The motor vehicle tax has applied in Estonia since 2025 and still raises plenty of questions. Here is a plain explanation of what the annual tax consists of, who pays and when, and how to estimate the amount in advance.