Finances in Czechia for foreigners

There are three deadlines, and they depend on how you file. A paper tax return for 2025 must be filed by April 1, 2026, an electronic one by May 4, 2026, and if you use a tax advisor (or undergo an audit) — by July 1, 2026.

The main trap: the tax is paid by the same deadline as you file the return, not the latest possible one. If you filed on paper on April 1 — the money must be with the tax office by April 1, not May 4. The grace period is 5 business days. Simply put: the filing method also determines the payment date, so electronic filing gives more time not only for paperwork but also for money.

You must file a tax return if you worked for two employers with zálohová daň (advance tax) simultaneously for at least one month or had side income exceeding 20,000 CZK. And if you opened a živnosť (sole-trader licence) and became an OSVČ (self-employed person), a datová schránka (data box) was automatically created for you — with it, the tax return can only be filed electronically, meaning your deadline is May 4 by default.

Forms and filing are on the MOJE daně portal, via the datová schránka, or the Financial Administration app. Current forms and explanations are on financnisprava.gov.cz.

The personal income tax rate is 15% up to an annual base of 1,762,812 CZK. This is 36 average salaries (for 2026 tax thresholds, the average of 48,967 CZK is used), a monthly equivalent of approximately 146,901 CZK. Everything above that is taxed at a rate of 23%.

A common mistake repeated in articles: 'if you earned more than the threshold, your entire income is taxed at 23%'. No. 23% is applied only to the amount exceeding the threshold, while the part below the threshold remains at 15%. The threshold moves every year: in 2025, it was lower — 1,676,052 CZK.

In addition to income tax, contributions are withheld: social security — 7.1% (6.5% pension + 0.6% sickness benefit) and health insurance — 4.5%, totaling 11.6%. On top of that, the employer pays another 33.8% for you — you don't see this money on your payslip, but it's part of your value to the company.

The social security contribution has a ceiling — a maximum assessment base of 2,350,416 CZK per year (48 average salaries); health insurance has no ceiling at all. Rates and thresholds are on cssz.gov.cz.

It will be granted in full. Sleva na poplatníka is a basic discount subtracted not from the tax base, but from the tax amount itself: 30,840 CZK per year, or 2,570 CZK per month.

And this is the most important thing for those who arrived mid-year: the discount is granted in the full annual amount, even if you worked only part of the year. If you started working in September — you are entitled to the full 30,840 CZK, not four-twelfths of it. During the year, the employer deducts 2,570 CZK monthly, so the unused portion is returned through the annual settlement or tax return.

To have the discount considered monthly, sign the Prohlášení poplatníka (taxpayer declaration) (the same 'pink' one, form no. 27): no later than 30 days from the start of work, then annually by February 15, and only with one employer per month. Without it, for agreements up to 12,000 CZK, a 15% withholding tax (srážková daň) will be applied — the money won't be lost, but it can only be reclaimed through the tax return. Check amounts on financnisprava.gov.cz.

If you worked under an employment contract all year, the easiest way is roční zúčtování: the employer will reconcile your tax for the year and refund any overpayment. But this doesn't happen automatically — you need to ask. The deadline for 2025 is February 16, 2026 (the legal 15th falls on a Sunday). The form is 'Žádost o roční zúčtování' (Request for annual settlement), form no. 4.

You can use it if you had one employer (or several, but sequentially, not simultaneously), each with a signed Prohlášení poplatníka, and no other income exceeding 20,000 CZK. Then the accounting department does everything: the employer must calculate by March 31, 2026, and you will see the refund in your March salary.

If the conditions are not met — for example, you worked for two employers with zálohová daň simultaneously for at least one month or had side income exceeding 20,000 CZK — roční zúčtování is not available, and you must file the tax return yourself; deadlines for it are in the first question. Forms and conditions are on financnisprava.gov.cz.

Both — depending on how much you earned. A 'sleva' (discount) reduces your tax to zero at most: if the benefit is larger than the tax, the 'excess' simply doesn't apply. But the 'daňové zvýhodnění na dítě' (tax benefit for a child) goes further — the difference is paid to you in cash. This is the daňový bonus.

Amounts for 2026: 15,204 CZK per year for the first child (1,267 CZK per month), 22,320 CZK for the second (1,860 CZK), and 27,840 CZK for the third and each subsequent child (2,320 CZK). A child with ZTP/P status doubles the amount. Only one parent can claim the child benefit — not both.

To receive the bonus monthly, your gross earnings must be at least 11,200 CZK — this is half of the minimum wage, which in 2026 will be 22,400 CZK. For the annual calculation, the threshold is different: income from 134,400 CZK, which is six minimum wages. The upper limit of the bonus itself has been abolished — previously, you could not receive more than 60,300 CZK per year, now there is no ceiling.

Amounts and conditions are reviewed annually, so check your specific case on financnisprava.gov.cz or with an accountant.

Start with an account — you can't do without it: the Humanitární dávka (humanitarian benefit) is paid only to a bank account in the Czech Republic; it is not issued in cash. The general principle for opening an account is simple: an account is opened with a Ukrainian international passport, and a povolení k pobytu (residence permit) is usually not required. You need a phone, email, to be present in person, and be over 18 years old. However, banks often change specific tariffs, conditions, and bonuses — check them on the bank's website on the day you apply, not in last year's article.

The exchange rate of the Ukrainian hryvnia to the Czech koruna is a separate story, and here lies a surprise. The hryvnia is not listed at all in the daily exchange rate list of the ČNB (Czech National Bank): it is in a separate list called 'kurzy ostatních měn' (exchange rates of other currencies), which is updated once a month — on the last working day — and is valid for the entire following month. This means that a daily official exchange rate for the hryvnia simply does not exist in the Czech Republic, and referring to the 'ČNB rate for today' for UAH is fiction.

Reference for July 2026: 1 UAH ≈ 0.475 CZK (in the list it is recorded as 47.516 CZK for 100 UAH), meaning 1 CZK ≈ 2.10 UAH. For context: EUR/CZK — 24.195, inflation +1.5% year-on-year (June 2026), ČNB repo rate — 3.50%.

There is no legal limit on the amount of transfer between Ukraine and the Czech Republic — limits are set by the banks and services themselves. Compare not just the advertised commission separately, but the combination of 'exchange rate + commission + speed': the main cost of the transfer is usually hidden in the exchange rate. Tariff figures become outdated in months, so check them with the provider before sending. You can quickly convert an amount at the current hryvnia to koruna cross-rate in the currency converter. Official exchange rates are on cnb.cz.

Check yourself using two registers, both online. Centrální evidence exekucí — ceecr.cz: one query costs 60 CZK, and the first full extract about yourself within a year costs 75 CZK. Insolvenční rejstřík — isir.justice.cz: free.

If there are already debts, the main news is the latest and most important: oddlužení (personal bankruptcy) has been reduced from five years to three, and this applies to all debtors without exception. The amendment is effective from October 1, 2024, and only applies to proceedings started after this date — therefore, information in older articles about "five years" relates to other cases, not yours.