After you register an Estonian OÜ, four things fall due in your first month: a business account (bank or EMI), a beneficial-owner (UBO) filing, VAT registration only if you expect to cross the €40,000 rolling turnover threshold or choose to register voluntarily, and your first monthly tax return if you pay anyone or hold a VAT number. A company that pays no salary, board fee, or dividend in month one, and has no VAT number, has nothing to file with the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) that month — the only obligation that never depends on activity is the annual report, due by 30 June every year. Below is exactly what falls due, day by day, in your first 30 days.
The short answer
Days 1–7: open a business account — an EMI (Wise Business, Revolut Business, Paysera) or a bank. Estonia does not require an Estonian IBAN.
UBO filing: usually done during incorporation; if not, file it now — no state fee, no signature, effective immediately.
VAT registration is only mandatory once you cross €40,000 in a rolling 12 months, or if you register voluntarily earlier (common for EU B2B invoicing).
First TSD (income and social tax return) is due by the 10th of the month after any declarable payment — salary, board fee, dividend, fringe benefit.
First KMD (VAT return) is due by the 20th of the month after your VAT registration takes effect — only if you are VAT-registered.
No payroll and no VAT number? The only thing you must ever file, regardless of activity, is the annual report by 30 June.
Verified: August 2026.
What’s actually due in your first 30 days
Your first month splits into two kinds of obligations: ones triggered by the company existing (a UBO entry, an account) and ones triggered by activity (VAT, payroll, first invoices). Nothing forces you to hire staff or register for VAT in week one — but the account and the UBO entry apply to every company, from day zero. The table below lays out the realistic sequence for a company registered today, assuming you did not already complete every step during incorporation itself.
Window | What’s due | Action |
|---|---|---|
Day 0 (registration day) | Nothing filed yet | Save your registry code from the e-Business Register and note whether you registered for VAT at step 11 of the incorporation form. |
Days 1–7 | Business account | Open an account with an EMI (Wise Business, Revolut Business, Paysera) or a bank. Any EEA account works — Estonia does not require an Estonian IBAN. |
Days 1–7 | Beneficial owner (UBO) filing | Usually filed during incorporation (step 12 of the portal). If it wasn’t, file it now — no state fee, no signature, effective immediately. |
Days 1–14 | VAT registration decision | Register only if you expect to cross €40,000 in a rolling 12 months, or want to register voluntarily (common for EU B2B invoicing). |
Days 7–21 | First documents to your accountant | Send your registry code, account access or a statement export, and any invoices or contracts issued so far. |
Days 14–30 | Payroll setup, if paying anyone | Register any employee — including a board member drawing a salary — in the Employment Register (TÖR) before their first working day. |
By the 10th of the month after any declarable payment | First TSD | Due only if you paid a salary, board fee, dividend, or fringe benefit that period. |
By the 20th of the month after VAT registration takes effect | First KMD + KMD INF | Due only if you’re VAT-registered; the two are filed together. |
Open a business account: bank or EMI
You do not need an Estonian bank account to run an Estonian OÜ. The company can use any EEA business account — a traditional bank or an EMI (electronic money institution) — and most non-resident founders end up with an EMI because it opens fully online. An EMI gives you an IBAN and most banking features, but it must segregate (safeguard) client funds at a licensed credit institution rather than hold them as an insured deposit; that is a different, still-regulated mechanism, not a lack of protection.
The e-Residency digital ID is not an identity document, and e-resident status by itself is not a sufficient basis for opening a bank account.
That line comes from Estonia’s own e-Residency knowledge base, and it explains most first-month account friction. Traditional banks like LHV want a clear connection to Estonia and a traceable business need; fintechs publish long prohibited-industry lists (adult content, gambling, crypto, CBD, dropshipping, MLM, among others). Apply in a considered order rather than in parallel — each refusal narrows the pool for the next application. See which option fits your company for a closer comparison.
Register your beneficial owners (UBO)
Every OÜ must have its beneficial owners — the natural persons who ultimately own or control it — registered in the commercial register. Most founders file this during incorporation itself, at step 12 of the portal; if yours wasn’t submitted then, file it now. The filing needs no state fee and no signature, and it takes effect immediately. If nothing about ownership changes, you simply confirm the existing data once a year, alongside your annual report; if it does change, the update is due immediately, not at year end.
The penalties are real: failing to submit, failing to notify a change, or knowingly filing false data can bring a fine of up to €1,200 for a natural person and up to €32,000 for a legal person. An unregistered or outdated UBO entry can also complicate renewing an e-Residency card. This UBO filing is separate from your shareholder register — the two are not the same list, even though both live in the commercial register.
Do you need to register for VAT in your first month?
Not automatically. VAT registration becomes mandatory once your taxable turnover crosses €40,000 within a rolling 12-month period — most new companies are nowhere near that in month one. You can also register voluntarily earlier, and many founders do: it lets you charge EU business clients under the reverse-charge mechanism with a valid VAT number, and it lets you reclaim input VAT on your own purchases and tooling from day one.
Consider a founder who invoices a single German B2B client from month one: without a VAT number there’s no reverse charge to apply, so the client either pays Estonian VAT or the founder registers voluntarily to issue a clean reverse-charge invoice. Weigh that against the extra monthly KMD filing before opting in early — see how VAT works after incorporation for the full mechanics.
Get your first documents to your accountant
Hand your accountant a starter pack in the first two to three weeks, before your first monthly close is due. This is also when you agree on a document-submission rhythm for every month after, so nothing gets missed once the business is actually trading.
Your registry code and articles of association
Access to your business account or EMI, or a statement export
Any invoices already issued or received
Contracts with clients or vendors
Digital copies of receipts for company expenses
Keep source documents for 7 years — that’s the statutory retention period, and it applies regardless of how small the company is. If you’re unsure exactly what to send and when, this monthly checklist covers the recurring list, not just the first month’s.
File your first TSD by the 10th
TSD is Estonia’s combined income and social tax return, filed monthly, due by the 10th of the following month. It is only required if the company made a payment that must be declared in that period: salary, a board member’s fee, a dividend, a fringe benefit, an expense unrelated to business, or a gift beyond the tax-free exemption. If you made none of those payments in a given month, there is nothing to file for TSD that month — you don’t file a zero return.
If the 10th falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day. This matters more than it sounds: the first TSD a founder files is often for their own first board-member fee or salary, and getting the trigger right (payment made, not payment planned) avoids filing early or missing the window.
File your first KMD by the 20th if you’re VAT-registered
KMD, the VAT return, is due monthly by the 20th of the following month, filed together with its annex, KMD INF. Both apply only to VAT-registered companies — if you didn’t register for VAT in month one, skip this section entirely for now. KMD INF lists invoices, issued or received, above €1,000 excluding VAT with any single counterparty in the period; smaller invoices don’t need listing unless you choose to.
The standard rate applied on most sales lines is 24%. If you registered voluntarily for the reasons above — EU B2B invoicing or reclaiming input VAT — this is the return that follows from that choice, every month, not just once.
What you can skip entirely with no payroll and no VAT number
If your OÜ has made no payment that triggers TSD and hasn’t registered for VAT, an entire category of filings simply doesn’t apply to you yet. This is the part most guides never spell out, because most guides are written for companies already trading.
TSD — no declarable payment, no return
KMD and KMD INF — no VAT number, no VAT return
VD/VDP (the EU sales list) — only relevant with intra-Community supply
OSS — only relevant if registered for the EU distance-selling scheme
All INF annual forms (1, 3–9, 14, 16, 17) — tied to payroll, dividends, or specific institution types you don’t have yet
One obligation survives all of that: the annual report, due within 6 months of your financial year end — 30 June for a calendar-year company. It is due every year regardless of turnover, payroll, or VAT status, and it is the one line item a company with genuinely zero activity still cannot skip.
What happens if you miss something in your first month
Late tax payments accrue interest at 0.06% per day (roughly 21.9% annualised) from the due date, applied automatically through EMTA’s prepayment account system — there’s no grace period built in. Deadlines that land on a weekend or public holiday shift automatically to the next working day, so double-check the calendar date rather than assuming the 10th or 20th is always a filing day.
Consider a founder who realizes on day 25 that a board fee paid on day 3 should have triggered a TSD filing by the 10th. The fix is simple: file it immediately rather than folding it into next month’s return. If you do miss a first-month filing, file it as soon as you notice rather than waiting for the next cycle — EMTA’s system applies payments oldest-due-date-first, so an unpaid balance keeps accruing interest until it’s settled.
What comes after day 30
Beyond the first month, the pattern repeats on autopilot: TSD by the 10th in any month you pay someone, KMD by the 20th in any month you’re VAT-registered, and the annual report every 30 June without exception. If you register for the EU distance-selling scheme, OSS returns follow a fixed quarterly rhythm — 30 April, 31 July, 31 October, and 31 January for the fourth quarter. Companies with intra-group loans also file a quarterly annex on the same quarterly cadence, but that’s an edge case for most new single-founder OÜs.
If you’re about to add your first hire rather than just paying yourself, the payroll-tax mechanics change the moment that person’s first working day arrives, since TÖR registration has to happen before then, not after.
Your first 30 days as a checklist
Day 0: confirm the registration and save your registry code.
Days 1–7: open a business account with an EMI or a bank.
Days 1–7: confirm or file your UBO entry.
Days 1–14: decide whether to register for VAT now or wait for the €40,000 threshold.
Days 7–21: send your first documents to your accountant.
Days 14–30: if hiring, register the employee in TÖR before their first working day.
By the 10th of the following month: file TSD if you made a declarable payment.
By the 20th of the following month: file KMD if you’re VAT-registered.
Frequently asked questions
What compliance do I have to deal with after forming an Estonian OÜ?
In your first month: a business account (bank or EMI), a beneficial-owner filing, VAT registration only if you cross €40,000 in turnover or opt in voluntarily, and monthly TSD by the 10th or KMD by the 20th only if triggered by an actual payment or VAT registration. With no payroll and no VAT number, the only recurring obligation is the annual report, due every 30 June.
Do I need an Estonian bank account for my OÜ?
No. Estonia doesn’t require an Estonian IBAN — any EEA business account works, including EMIs like Wise Business, Revolut Business, or Paysera, as long as it gives your accountant a statement your accountant can reconcile against your invoices.
When do I have to register for VAT?
Registration becomes mandatory once your taxable turnover crosses €40,000 within a rolling 12-month period. You can also register voluntarily earlier, which is common if you invoice EU business clients under the reverse-charge mechanism.
What is the deadline for my first TSD?
TSD is due by the 10th of the month following any period in which you made a declarable payment — salary, a board member’s fee, a dividend, or a fringe benefit. No such payment means nothing to file that month.
What is the deadline for my first KMD?
KMD, filed with its annex KMD INF, is due by the 20th of the month following the period, and only applies once you’re VAT-registered. It isn’t relevant to a company that hasn’t registered for VAT.
Do I need to register beneficial owners separately from incorporation?
Usually not — most founders file the UBO entry during incorporation itself. If it wasn’t submitted then, file it as soon as possible: there’s no state fee, no signature required, and it takes effect immediately.
My company had no activity in the first month. What do I still have to file?
Nothing with EMTA that month if you made no declarable payment and hold no VAT number — no TSD, no KMD, no OSS, no annual INF forms. The annual report is still due by 30 June regardless of activity.
What happens if I miss a first-month filing deadline?
Late tax payments accrue interest of 0.06% per day from the due date, applied automatically. Deadlines falling on a weekend or public holiday shift to the next working day — file as soon as you notice a miss rather than waiting for the next cycle.
Do I need to hire an accountant right away?
It’s the practical first move once the account is open: hand over your registry code, account access, and any invoices in the first two to three weeks so your monthly filing rhythm is set before your first real deadline arrives.
