How to apply for access to research data

You can apply to use information from the Tax Administration for research purposes. The application must demonstrate that the project meets the conditions for disclosure.

Who can apply?

  • Researchers at research institutions in Norway and the EEA
  • PhD candidates who are affiliated with an educational or research institution
  • Master’s students, provided that the project has a clearly defined purpose

What you can apply for

As a rule, data for master’s theses are provided in anonymised or de-identified form to the student’s supervisor. Large data sets or data sets with many variables often cannot be anonymised. We therefore recommend that you apply for:

  • a random sample 
  • a limited number of variables 
  • data sets with a low risk of indirect identification 

Statistics Norway (SSB) receives a large share of the Tax Administration's data and makes it available via microdata.no. We recommend that students who want to write about taxation also explore the data available through SSB’s solution. 

The application process

Apply well in advance.

Processing data sets and anonymising data is resource-intensive, and applications where anonymisation cannot be achieved through a reasonable use of resources will normally be rejected. 

Whether we can prioritise the disclosure of data to master’s students depends on the scope of the request and our in-house capacity.

What you can apply for

You can apply for the information that is necessary to answer your research questions. We cannot disclose more data than is required for this purpose.

See which data you can apply for access to.

What you cannot apply for

You cannot apply for information:

  • that we have received from abroad for tax purposes
  • about secret addresses
  • from the Currency Register
  • that is administered by bodies other than the Tax Administration, for example information from the a-melding collected on behalf of other public agencies

Check whether SSB can provide the data you need

Statistics Norway (SSB) receives a large share of the Tax Administration's data and makes it available via microdata.no. We recommend that you check which data are available through SSB’s solution.

This is what the application must include

You must send us the following:

  • names of the individuals who will have access to the information 
  • institutional affiliation
  • supporting documents showing research competence (CV)
  • a description of which data you’re applying for, for which years, and your justification for needing it (see overview of research data)
  • information on whether you’re applying for identifiable or anonymised data 
    • If you’re applying for directly or indirectly identifiable data, you must justify why you need these.
  • a project description clearly stating the purpose, methodology and implementation plan 
  • required approvals, for example, from a data protection officer
    • The Norwegian Data Protection Authority requires a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) when you combine information from operations with different purposes, or process personal data on a large scale. In almost all cases, a DPIA will therefore be required.
  • a description of how the data will be stored and protected during the project period 
  • the duration of the research project
  • information of when the data will be deleted

As a rule, we do not disclose information about entire populations. Instead, we draw a random sample from the population from which the variables are taken. In your application, write how you want the subpopulation to be defined. 

If you’re unsure whether your application meets the requirements, you can contact us for guidance.

Format requirements

You must submit the application and attachments together.

The application must:

  • be written on an official letter template with the institution’s logo, showing the institution’s organisation number
  • be in PDF format
  • be signed by the responsible researcher

How to submit the application

Submit the application and supporting documents together to [email protected].

The processing of your application

Applications are assessed in accordance with the Tax Administration Act, the Public Administration Act, and the National Population Register Act. We make an overall assessment of the project’s purpose, relevance, and resource requirements. 

When your application for research data is approved, certain requirements apply to how the information must be handled. Read about the main requirements here.