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TAXES

What happens if you don’t file your Norwegian tax return on time?

Generally speaking, you must check and submit your tax return in Norway by April 30th this year. But what happens if you don't make the deadline?

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Here's what you should do if you are unable to meet Norway's tax return deadline. Photo by Ellie Ellien on Unsplash

It’s tax return season in Norway, which means that many people have already submitted the final version of their tax return to the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten).

We say “many” and not “most,” as every year, a number of people wait until the very last minute to submit their tax returns.

READ MORE: Five things to do when you check your tax return notice in Norway

While the Norwegian authorities warn people to avoid doing everything in the last few days, the advice usually falls on deaf ears.

In 2023, up to 1.4 million people in Norway didn’t even open their tax return notices by April 25th, just a week before the deadline expired.

This year, the deadline falls on April 30th.

Why waiting until the last minute could get you in trouble

There are two reasons why waiting until the last moment to submit your tax return is a bad idea.

Firstly, you’ll have a harder time reaching the Tax Administration in case of any questions or doubts.

Secondly, the website of the Tax Administration might experience issues when a huge number of users try to submit their tax returns in the final days before the deadline expires.

While tech issues don’t happen every year, in 2023, Norwegian tax authorities announced they would consider extending the deadline for submitting this year’s tax return due to such problems.

They might show similar flexibility in 2024 if people report being unable to access the site and submit their tax returns.

Timely tax return submission can help you avoid such headaches.

What to do if you can’t make the deadline

If you realise that you don’t have enough time to submit your tax return by April 30th – for any reason – contact the Tax Administration and apply for a postponement as soon as possible.

Most taxpayers who do so get an automatic postponement of 30 days.

But what happens if you don’t submit the tax return in time?

The consequences of breaking the deadline

As the Tax Administration explains on its website, tax returns not submitted by this year’s deadline will be considered as having been submitted with the pre-completed information (sent to all taxpayers in Norway in March).

This means that you may being missing out on potential deductions, which could mean that the tax administration owes you money. It could also mean that you could end up owing the tax administration money as the information in the partially-completed form wasn’t correct. 

If you’re not getting a return but instead need to pay additional taxes, try to do so by May 31st.

Should you fail to pay by the deadline, you will have to pay interest on the tax you owe the Norwegian state.

If you’re late with your tax return submission, you’ll likely have problems contacting the Tax Administration, as they will be overwhelmed in the days around the April 30th deadline.

However, the authorities have created a number of useful guides that can help taxpayers when it comes to issues often brought up in the submission process, available on the web pages of the Tax Administration.

Try to check your preliminary tax return and submit the updated version in early or mid-April – that will make the entire experience much smoother and less stressful.

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MONEY

How Norway has become cheaper for tourists

The recent drop in Norway's price level has made it a more appealing destination for tourists looking to visit Scandinavia without breaking the bank.

How Norway has become cheaper for tourists

Norway has long held a reputation for being one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

From sky-high prices for everyday items like groceries and dining out to costly accommodation and transportation, Norwegian prices often raise eyebrows among visitors and newcomers.

READ MORE: What will be cheaper and more expensive in Norway in 2024? 

The perception of Norway being unbelievably pricey is not unfounded; historically, its price levels have consistently ranked well above the European average.

Recent figures, however, indicate a potential shift in this dynamic.

The latest EU price statistics

In 2023, Norway’s price level was 25 percent higher than the average in EU countries, according to preliminary figures from the European purchasing power survey.

This marks a significant decrease from the previous year, when Norwegian prices were 43 percent above EU prices, as reported by Statistics Norway (SSB).

This decrease in price levels has implications for tourism.

As the cost differential shrinks, Norway becomes a more attractive destination for foreign visitors who may have previously been deterred by the high prices.

“The decrease in the price level in Norway compared to the rest of Europe has made it significantly more attractive for foreign tourists to holiday here with us.

“In return, it has become more expensive than before for Norwegians to holiday abroad,” Espen Kristiansen, a section manager at the SSB, said, according to the business newspaper e24.

Comparison with neighbouring countries

It must be noted that hotel and restaurant prices, which tend to be higher in Norway than in many European countries, still contribute to Norway’s overall high price level.

For these services, prices were still 43 percent higher than the EU average in 2023.

Comparatively, neighbouring Sweden’s prices were 14 percent higher than the EU average, down from 22 percent in 2022.

READ MORE: Five reasons why 2024 will be a good time to visit Norway

Denmark’s relative price level remained consistent, at 43 percent above the EU average, largely because the Danish krone is tied to the euro, unlike the Norwegian and Swedish currencies.

“Part of the explanation for the different developments in price levels in the Nordic countries is that the Danish krone follows the euro, unlike the Norwegian and Swedish ones,” Kristiansen said.

The most expensive country last year was Switzerland, with prices 74 percent above the EU average, according to the preliminary findings of the European purchasing power survey.

How a (relatively) weak krone also favours tourists visiting Norway

When travelling to Norway, tourists can still benefit from a favourable exchange rate (despite the currency’s recent uptick) even after taking inflation into account.

The weaker krone means visitors get more value for their money when exchanging foreign currency for Norwegian kroner.

READ MORE: How the weak Norwegian krone will affect travel to and from Norway

For instance, if a hotel room in Bergen costs 1,000 kroner per night, it would be around 88 euros at the current exchange rate. Three years ago, the same room would have cost approximately 100 euros.

Another example is dining out. A meal priced at 250 kroner (a main consisting of grilled salmon steak with vegetables, for example) is equivalent to 22 euros today, compared to 25 euros three years ago.

If you want a better understanding of how much cheaper a trip to Norway has become over time, you can use historical currency calculators to get a more exact estimate.

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