Periodiseringsfond 2026: 30% for sole traders, 25% for companies
With a periodiseringsfond (tax-allocation reserve) you defer the tax on up to 30% of the profit of a sole trader business and 25% of a limited company, for at most six years. How to calculate it, when it must be reversed and why the 2020 reserve belongs in the 2026 return.
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- Taxes
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- Norman
In Sweden you may set aside up to 30% of the profit of a sole trader business (enskild firma) and up to 25% of the profit of a limited company (aktiebolag) to a periodiseringsfond (tax-allocation reserve) in 2026, and the tax on that amount is deferred. The reserve must be reversed and taxed by the sixth year after the allocation at the latest, so a 2026 reserve must be taken up in the 2032 return at the latest.
Legal position on 14 November 2026
The rules on tax-allocation reserves are in chapter 30 of the Income Tax Act (inkomstskattelagen 1999:1229, IL) and apply unchanged for the 2026 tax year. The government bond rate (statslåneränta) that sets the companies' deemed income for 2027 is the rate on 30 November 2026 and is not known yet.
Periodiseringsfond 2026 in one table
| Rule | Sole trader | Limited company | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum allocation | 30% of the result adjusted for the reserve | 25% of the surplus before the allocation | ch. 30 ss. 5 and 6 IL |
| Where the allocation is made | Only in the tax return (NE appendix) | In the accounts and in the tax return (INK2) | ch. 30 s. 3 IL; Skatteverket |
| Reserves at the same time | Six at most, one per year | Six at most, one per year | ch. 30 ss. 4 and 7 IL |
| Latest reversal | The sixth tax year after the allocation year | The sixth tax year after the allocation year | ch. 30 s. 7 IL |
| Order of reversal | Oldest reserve first | Oldest reserve first | ch. 30 s. 7 IL |
| Deemed income on the reserves | No | Yes: the government bond rate, 2.55% of the reserves at the start of 2026 | ch. 30 s. 6 a IL |
| Uplift on reversal | No | 104% for reserves from tax years that started in 2019 or 2020 | Skatteverket |
| Reserve reversed at once | When you stop the business or go bankrupt | On ending the business, liquidation, bankruptcy or merger | ch. 30 ss. 8 and 9 IL |
The money does not have to go into a separate account. The allocation is a tax item: the profit stays in the business, but part of it is taxed later.
How a periodiseringsfond works
You deduct the allocation from this year's profit. The tax that would otherwise fall on the amount is paid only in the year you reverse the reserve. This evens out tax between good and weak years, and the reserve gives you a buffer for investments or a weaker period.
Each year's allocation forms its own reserve (ch. 30 s. 4 IL). You can reverse all or part of a reserve earlier than you have to, but the earliest deduction is always reversed first (ch. 30 s. 7 IL).
Sole trader: 30% and no interest
For a sole trader the cap is calculated on the result before the allocation, with the deductions for egenavgifter (self-employed contributions), pension savings and the expansion reserve (expansionsfond) added back (ch. 30 s. 6 IL). According to Skatteverket (the Tax Agency), the base equals the sum in box R33 of the NE appendix. You report the reversal in box R32.
A lower income this year means lower egenavgifter and municipal tax this year, and lower state income tax if your income would otherwise have gone above the threshold of SEK 643,000 (ch. 65 s. 5 IL). The deferred tax carries no deemed income: the rule in ch. 30 s. 6 a IL applies only to legal persons.
Limited company: 25% and a deemed income
A limited company may set aside at most 25% of the surplus before the deduction (ch. 30 s. 5 IL). The base is the taxable surplus after deducting earlier years' losses and after this year's reversals, but before this year's allocation (Skatteverket). The company must also make the allocation in its accounts, or the deduction is not allowed (ch. 30 s. 3 IL).
Each year the company reports a deemed income (schablonintäkt) on its reserves: the government bond rate at the end of November of the previous year, at least 0.5%, times the sum of the reserves at the start of the tax year (ch. 30 s. 6 a IL). For 2026 the rate is 2.55% (the government bond rate on 30 November 2025). With 20.6% corporate tax, a reserve therefore costs about 0.53% a year.
How to set aside to a periodiseringsfond at year end
- Work out this year's taxable result. Start from the year-end accounts and make the tax adjustments. As a sole trader you add back the deduction for egenavgifter under ch. 30 s. 6 IL.
- Work out the cap. 30% for a sole trader, 25% for a limited company. You may set aside less, but not more.
- Limited company: book the allocation in the year-end accounts. Without the allocation in the accounts the company gets no deduction (ch. 30 s. 3 IL).
- Fill in the tax return. Sole trader: the allocation in the NE appendix, the reversal in box R32. Limited company: the allocation in item 3.22 and the reversal in item 3.21 of INK2R; the deemed income in item 4.6 a and the uplift on reversal in item 4.6 d of INK2S.
- Note the year of each reserve. The 2026 reserve must be reversed in the 2032 return at the latest.
- Plan the reversal. Reverse in a year with a lower profit if you can. In the same year you can make a new allocation, so the reversal does not raise your income as much.
If you set money aside, your final tax for the year is lower, and the standard amount for your preliminary tax two years later is based on it. Read more in the guide Preliminary tax in Sweden 2027.
The 2020 reserve must be reversed now
An allocation for the 2020 tax year must be reversed by the sixth year after it: 2026 (ch. 30 s. 7 IL). If you have such a reserve, it must be taken up in the 2026 tax return, filed in 2027.
For limited companies the reserve is uplifted on reversal. According to Skatteverket, reserves from tax years that started after 31 December 2018 and before 1 January 2021 are reversed at 104%, because the deduction was made when corporate tax was higher. Reserves from years that started in 2021 or later are reversed at 100%.
Worked examples
Sole trader: Lina sets aside SEK 100,000
Lina runs an enskild firma. The sum in box R33 of her NE appendix for 2026 is SEK 520,000.
| Step | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Base before allocation (R33) | SEK 520,000 | |
| Maximum allocation 30% | 520,000 × 0.30 | SEK 156,000 |
| Lina's allocation | SEK 100,000 | |
| Left to tax in 2026 | 520,000 − 100,000 | SEK 420,000 |
Lina goes on parental leave in 2028 and the business makes a profit of SEK 150,000. She reverses the whole 2026 reserve:
| Step | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Profit 2028 before reversal | SEK 150,000 | |
| Reversed 2026 reserve (R32) | SEK 100,000 | |
| Business income 2028 | 150,000 + 100,000 | SEK 250,000 |
So the SEK 100,000 is taxed in a year when her income is lower. Had she not reversed it voluntarily, it would have been taken up by 2032 at the latest.
Limited company: SEK 20,600 of deferred corporate tax
Svensson Konsult AB has a taxable surplus of SEK 400,000 for 2026 before the allocation.
| Step | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Surplus before allocation | SEK 400,000 | |
| Maximum allocation 25% | 400,000 × 0.25 | SEK 100,000 |
| Taxable surplus | 400,000 − 100,000 | SEK 300,000 |
| Corporate tax with reserve | 300,000 × 0.206 | SEK 61,800 |
| Corporate tax without reserve | 400,000 × 0.206 | SEK 82,400 |
| Deferred tax | 82,400 − 61,800 | SEK 20,600 |
The company also had reserves of SEK 300,000 in total at the start of 2026. The deemed income for 2026 is 300,000 × 2.55% = SEK 7,650, and the tax on it 7,650 × 0.206 = SEK 1,575.90.
Among the reserves is SEK 50,000 from 2020. It must be reversed in 2026 at 104%: 50,000 × 1.04 = SEK 52,000. SEK 50,000 goes in item 3.21 and the SEK 2,000 uplift in item 4.6 d. The corporate tax on the reversal is 52,000 × 0.206 = SEK 10,712.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the money must sit in its own account. It does not. The reserve is an item in the accounts and the tax return.
- Forgetting the accounts in a limited company. A limited company only gets the deduction if the allocation is also made in the accounts (ch. 30 s. 3 IL).
- Choosing which reserve to reverse. The oldest reserve is always reversed first (ch. 30 s. 7 IL).
- Missing the sixth year. The 2020 reserve must be taken up in the 2026 tax return.
- Closing the business with reserves left. When the business ends, all reserves are reversed in the same year (ch. 30 s. 9 IL), which can mean a high income that year. According to Skatteverket you can sometimes ask for a special tax calculation (särskild skatteberäkning).
Choosing between the legal forms? The guide Sole trader or limited company in Sweden compares the whole tax. To take the profit out of a limited company, the new 3:12 rules apply.
Differences from Germany
If you come from Germany: there is no reserve that evens out profit between years without an investment requirement. The closest is the Investitionsabzugsbetrag, which needs a planned investment. In Sweden a profit is enough; you do not have to say what the money will be used for.
Norman in Sweden
Norman is an AI bookkeeping app for the self-employed and small companies: bookkeeping, invoicing and taxes in one app. You review and approve. Norman is live in Germany and Poland today. For Sweden, Norman is in preparation. Until then, you find free guides and tools for businesses in Sweden here on norman.finance/se.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I put into a periodiseringsfond?
As a sole trader at most 30% of the result before the allocation, adjusted under ch. 30 s. 6 IL (box R33 of the NE appendix). As a limited company at most 25% of the surplus before the allocation.
When must a periodiseringsfond be reversed?
By the sixth tax year after the allocation year at the latest. A 2026 reserve must be reversed by 2032, and a 2020 reserve must be reversed for 2026.
Does a tax-allocation reserve cost anything in Sweden?
Not for a sole trader. A limited company reports a deemed income on its reserves every year, for 2026 2.55% of the reserves at the start of the year. With 20.6% corporate tax that is about 0.53% of the reserve a year.
Does the money in a periodiseringsfond have to be in a separate account?
No. The reserve is a tax allocation, not a bank account. The money can be used in the business as usual.
What happens to my periodiseringsfond if I close my sole trader business?
All reserves are reversed and taxed in the year you stop the business (ch. 30 s. 9 IL). If you move to a limited company, the company can take over the reserves under certain conditions (ch. 30 s. 11 IL).