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Finnish invoice terms in English: viitenumero, eräpäivä, Y-tunnus

Published 3 October 2026

On a Finnish invoice, lasku is the invoice, eräpäivä the due date, viitenumero the reference number, maksuehto the payment terms and Y-tunnus the seller's business ID. An invoice in Finland can be in English: the entries the VAT Act requires can be in any language. Below are the Finnish invoice terms in English, the 0 % VAT notes in both languages, and what to write when your customer is abroad.

You do not need a separate English template. Our free invoice template prints its labels in Finnish with the English alongside, such as "Eräpäivä Due date", "Viitenumero Reference" and "Maksettava Amount due", so one invoice works for Finnish and English-speaking customers.

Who this is for

• You receive Finnish invoices and need to know what to pay, to whom and by when.
• You invoice customers who do not read Finnish.

Paying a Finnish invoice: the short version

Pay the amount due (maksettava yhteensä) to the payee's (saaja) IBAN by the due date (eräpäivä). Put the reference number (viitenumero) in the reference field, not the message field: the seller matches payments to invoices by the reference. Copy it exactly as printed, and do not turn a Finnish reference into an RF reference or back.

Finnish invoice terms in English

Invoice details and amounts

Payment, reminders and other invoices

Terms that need more than a translation

Viitenumero and RF reference

The viitenumero is the Finnish national reference. The seller forms it, for example from the invoice or customer number, and the last digit is a check digit, which our reference number calculator works out. The RF creditor reference is the international one: it starts with RF and two check digits, and it can be used on domestic and cross-border invoices alike.

Maksuehto and eräpäivä

"14 pv netto" means "14 days net": the full amount is paid within 14 days, with no discount. The eräpäivä is the last day for payment.

Y-tunnus and ALV-numero

Y-tunnus is the Finnish business ID. When you sell to a buyer registered in another EU country, the invoice also shows your VAT number, such as FI07654321. The buyer's VAT number goes on the invoice when the buyer pays the VAT under the reverse charge, or when you sell goods to another EU country.

Bank barcode and virtual barcode

The pankkiviivakoodi and the virtuaaliviivakoodi hold the account number, amount, reference and due date in machine-readable form. A bank barcode may be printed only for a Finnish IBAN account. An invoice with a barcode can still be paid by typing the details in.

Maksumuistutus and viivästyskorko

When a reminder may be sent, what it may cost and what the late-payment interest is are in our article on payment reminders and late-payment interest.

Hyvityslasku and verkkolasku

A hyvityslasku, a credit note, must refer to the original invoice. A verkkolasku is a structured invoice that can be processed automatically; a PDF sent by email is not an e-invoice. Who can require one is in our article on e-invoicing.

The 0 % VAT notes in Finnish and English

When a sale is VAT-free or the buyer pays the VAT, the invoice says why. The Tax Administration recommends these notes:

Our invoice template prints the zero-rate ground you choose in both languages.

Invoicing a customer abroad

An invoice in English carries the same entries as one in Finnish, listed in our article on invoice requirements. The language does not change the VAT; who you sell to and where they are does:

• A service to a business in another EU country: no Finnish VAT. The invoice shows both VAT numbers and the words "Reverse charge", and must be issued by the 15th of the month after the service.
• A service to a business outside the EU: no Finnish VAT.

The exceptions, the VAT return and the EU sales list are in our article on selling services abroad. For services you buy from abroad, see reverse charge on purchases.

Other Finnish business words, such as tilinpäätös, ennakkovero and YEL, are in our glossary of Finnish accounting and tax terms.

Make your next invoice with our free invoice template, with the bilingual labels, reference number and bank barcode built in.

We keep the books in English or Finnish, so questions about invoices and VAT get answered in either language. More about our services.

Sources

• Tax Administration: VAT invoice requirements, detailed guidance
• Finance Finland: forming a Finnish reference number (PDF)
• Finance Finland: structure of the RF creditor reference, ISO 11649 (PDF)
• Finance Finland: introducing the RF reference in a Finnish company (PDF, in Finnish)
• Finance Finland: bank barcode guide (PDF, in Finnish)
• Act on electronic invoicing 241/2019 (in Finnish)

Please note: this is general information about Finnish rules, not advice for your own situation, and the rules change. Ask us before you act on it.

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