Investment Savings Account (ISK)
An Investment Savings Account (ISK) is a tax-advantaged account where you can easily invest in funds, stocks, and other securities. You do not need to worry about declaring individual gains and losses to the tax authority because the account is subject to a standardized annual tax.
Why Choose an ISK?
An ISK is the most popular account type for saving in funds and stocks at Quartal.
- Free to Open: There are no fixed monthly or annual administrative fees to open or maintain an ISK.
- Standard Taxation: You do not pay 30% capital gains tax every time you sell an asset at a profit.
- Easy Declaration: The standard tax is automatically calculated by Quartal and reported directly to the Swedish Tax Agency. You only need to review and approve your pre-filled tax return.
- No Lock-in: Your money is never locked. You can sell your assets at any time and transfer the cash to your regular bank account.
How is ISK Taxed?
An ISK is taxed annually based on a standard expected return, regardless of whether your actual account balance has increased or decreased in value during the year.
Because you pay this tax even if your portfolio loses value, you should always keep the money in your ISK actively invested. Leaving large amounts of uninvested cash in your ISK liquidity account means you are paying tax on capital that is generating zero return.
New Tax Rules for 2026: Starting in 2026, you will only be taxed on capital exceeding 300,000 SEK. This threshold applies to the combined total of all your ISK and Capital Insurance accounts across all banks.
Calculation of Standard Income
To calculate the standard income, the capital base (the average value of your account over the four quarters of the year plus all new deposits) is multiplied by the government borrowing rate from November 30 of the previous year, plus 1 percentage point. You then pay a 30% tax on that resulting standard income.
Global Trading and Pricing
To buy Swedish and foreign stocks, you need to open an ISK linked to our Securities Service Custody.
Available Markets:
- Quartal’s full fund offering and externally managed funds.
- Nordic stocks and ETFs (Nasdaq OMX Nordic, Oslo Stock Exchange, First North, NGM, Spotlight).
- European and North American markets (UK, France, Germany, USA, Canada, etc.).
Brokerage Fees:
- Account Fee: 0 SEK.
- Nordic Securities: 0.09% (Minimum 1 to 19 SEK depending on the exchange).
- Foreign Securities: 0.09% (Minimum 29 SEK).
Deposit Guarantee and Investor Protection
Your assets are highly secure. Deposits in Quartal’s ISK cash accounts are covered by the Finnish and Swedish deposit guarantee. If Quartal were to go bankrupt, you are entitled to compensation up to 1,150,000 SEK for liquid funds. Your invested securities remain your private property, additionally backed by a 250,000 SEK investor protection guarantee.
