What is a Norwegian organisation number used for?
A Norwegian organisation number is the equivalent of the Polish NIP, which is given to new companies and individuals. The number is needed to deal with many matters that have to do with public administration, such as paying tax or social security contributions.
How long is a translation of documents made by a sworn translator valid?
A sworn translation into a foreign language is valid for two months.
Do entrepreneurs in Norway have to submit a tax return?
Yes, it is the responsibility of everyone who starts a business in Norway to submit a tax return and send it to the tax office. The expected amount of income for the entire financial year must be entered on the return.
What taxes do entrepreneurs have to pay in Norway?
Entrepreneurs must pay income tax of 23% on the company's profit, social security contribution of 11.4% on the company's profit and VAT (MVA) if the company is registered for VAT. If an entrepreneur has employees, he or she must additionally pay employee employment tax, which is 14.1% on the employee's gross salary.
I have a sole trader business. Can I benefit from the deduction of the tax-free amount?
The tax-free amount applies to sole proprietorships, but not to companies and other forms of business where the entity is a legal person.
Do I have to pay any fees to set up the company?
No, setting up a sole proprietorship is completely free of charge.
How much is the income tax?
22% on the income of the company.
How does the office calculate the tax and advance payments for it?
After opening a business, the entrepreneur declares how much he will earn in the current financial year. The office calculates 33.4% tax on this amount (22% income tax and 11.4% tax - the equivalent of the Polish Social Insurance Institution). This amount is divided throughout the year into four instalments, which the entrepreneur pays to the office in the form of advance payments. The tax return submitted at the end of the financial year allows the calculation of whether the turnover was higher and a tax surcharge will have to be paid, or lower and the entrepreneur will be refunded the excess.
Is the tax rate the same for all companies?
The tax rate differs for sole proprietorships and companies with employees. The latter incur an additional employment tax of 14.1%.
What amounts must be paid when employing an employee?
When employing an employee in a Norwegian company, there are fixed and variable costs to be paid. The former include:
• arbeidsgiveravgift, i.e. the equivalent of the Polish Social Security of 14.1% (it may be slightly lower due to the geographical zone of the country),
• feriepenger or min. 10.2% of the employee's salary set aside for a "holiday reserve",
• OTP i.e. compulsory pension insurance of 2% on the employee's gross salary.
Fixed costs in total amount to 26.3% of gross salary.
Variable costs are:
• NNW of NOK 2 000 to 10 000 per year,
• costs related to occupational health and safety (HMS),
• other training,
• sikepenger or sick pay,
• bookkeeping costs,
• other additional and unplanned expenses (e.g. special clothing for the employee, equipment such as a computer or telephone required for work).
Together with variable costs, the cost of employing an employee is approximately 31% of the employee's gross salary of the additional costs incurred by the employer.
Is it necessary to have an accounting programme to run a business?
No, but it will make your work much easier.
What is the tax payment system in Norway?
An entrepreneur in Norway is required to declare the expected amount of profit each financial year. From this amount, the office calculates tax of 33.4%, i.e. income tax of 22% and Norwegian Social Insurance of 11.4%. The resulting amount is divided by the office into four equal instalments, which the entrepreneur must pay to the office on a specified date in the form of advance payments.
By when must advance tax payments be made during the financial year?
The first instalment is payable by 15 March and the subsequent instalments by 15 May, 15 September and 15 November.
What is needed so that petrol for a private car can be paid from a company account?
You will need a Kjørebok, or 'driving book', which must be kept for the purpose of being able to make payments from the company account for petrol for a car that is not registered with the company. The maximum amount per year is 6 000 km at NOK 4.10 per kilometre.
What are the options when a customer is late with a payment?
Firstly, you can send a purring, i.e. a reminder, if payment has not been made within two weeks of the invoice being issued. Up to NOK 65 can then be added as a penalty fee - the deadline for repayment is 14 days. Inkassovarsel then works on the same principle. The final step is to use the services of a debt collection company, which will add its fee and percentage.
What happens if the entrepreneur does not file a tax return?
Skatteetaten will calculate the tax due itself, but this may be to the entrepreneur's disadvantage.
By when must the tax return be submitted?
You must submit your tax return by 31 May. Your return must include your income and indicate the amount of tax payable.
I have an underpayment of tax. What now?
In the annual tax return that you have received from the office, there is information about the amount of the tax surcharge and the deadline for payment. The downside of this situation is that the office will add interest to the underpayment.
I did not pay advance tax payments for a whole year. What now?
If an entrepreneur has not paid advance payments for the whole year, he or she can transfer the funds in late April/early May, at the time when the Tax Office sends the tax return for the previous year. At the bottom of the return received, there is an account number and KID.
These details are used to transfer a specific amount for advance payments. The entrepreneur determines the amount himself.
How is VAT settled in Norway?
In Norway, VAT is settled in the form of tax returns, which entrepreneurs usually have to submit every two months (the exact list of deadlines is published by the Tax Office).
Can tax returns be submitted electronically?
Yes, declarations can be submitted via the web portal altinn.no.
Is it necessary to pay tax on all gross receipts of a sole proprietorship?
Due to the costs of doing business, the total revenue is not as important as the total profits of the company. It is on the basis of this that the authority calculates income tax. Minstefradrag is a tax-free amount that only employees are entitled to.
What does MVA stand for?
MVA is otherwise equivalent to Polish VAT, which in Norway is 25%.
Do all Norwegian businesses have to pay VAT?
Certain industries in Norway are exempt from paying VAT (MVA). Businesses such as banking or insurance companies do not have to pay tax.
If you have a company in Poland, can you recover VAT for goods purchased in Norway?
Yes, if you are not a Norwegian business and are not registered in Norway. The deadline for submission is 30 June and must be submitted in Norwegian, English, Swedish or Danish. In addition, the lowest amount of VAT to be reimbursed that entitles you to make a claim is NOK 2 000 and that applies to a whole calendar year is NOK 200. The application must be accompanied by invoices and a certificate from the tax office that you are a VAT payer.
Does a Polish company have to report the signing of an assignment contract in Norway?
If the remuneration for the contract is less than NOK 10 000, there is no need to report the assignment anywhere. If the turnover of a Polish company exceeds the threshold of NOK 50 000 within 12 months, the company should either establish a branch in Norway or set up a Norwegian company. At the same time, it is the principal's responsibility to inform the authorities about the contractor and employees. The contractor, on the other hand, should report its employees to the tax office using form RF-1199 within 14 days of the start of the work.
How do I complete form RF-1030 Selvangivelse for naerinsdrivende when submitting the annual tax return for a sole trader?
This form relates to company income. If you are running a sole trader company, you can document your income by selecting RF-1175 Naeringsoppgave 1 and completing the sections on income and individual expenses.
How do I check whether a company is liable for Norwegian VAT?
Go to https://www.brreg.no/ and enter the company name in the field Finn foretak/en het. If the field saerlige opplysninger shows the status merverdiavgiftsregistere, the company is a VAT payer.
How long does it take to register a company in the Norwegian VAT register?
Approximately one month.
Above what amount must a company be registered for VAT?
Above an amount of 50 000 kroner, if this has been reached within 12 months of starting the business.
What does the merverdiavgiftsregistere status next to the company name mean?
It means that the company is registered for VAT.
How do I register a company for VAT?
You must fill in form DEL 2 - Tillegg for Merverdiavgiftsregisteret and send it to the office together with the invoices issued to date (it is advisable that the total amount of invoices does not exceed NOK 50 000).
Is it possible to write back electronically to a letter received in connection with the registration of a sole proprietorship as a VAT payer?
Yes, it is possible to do so via altinn.no if all conditions are met.
What if the entrepreneur exceeds NOK 50 000 of annual turnover without being registered for VAT?
In this situation, there are two options: if the invoice exceeds NOK 50 000 with an MVA rate of 0 per cent, or already with 25 per cent. If the office orders you to invoice already with VAT, you run the risk of having to correct a zero invoice and recover the missing amount from the customer. It is therefore better to invoice immediately with an MVA of 25%, even though the company is not yet listed in the register.
If I run a company in Norway and pay tax here, can I count on medical assistance in other EU countries?
Medical assistance is available in all EU countries, the EEA and Switzerland. You must bring proof of your entitlement to this care. This can be the European Health Insurance Card (europeisk helsetrygdkort in Poland known as EKUZ), form E-106 or E-109.
I will soon be closing my business and would like to settle my annual tax. Can I do this now, before the end of the accounting period?
Unfortunately, no. The annual tax return must be done after you have obtained Selvangivelse, which you do not receive until after the New Year.
I run a sole trader company. Do I use the same form for tax as when ordering skattekort for private individuals?
Yes, you will need the same document, but completed slightly differently. You can arrange this by telephone, in person at Skatteetaten or by post.