Bonus
Concerns bonuses such as profit bonuses, distribution of surpluses within an enterprise and gratuities
Brief information concerning bonuses
A bonus is usually an extra payment that an income recipient may receive, and it is characterised by being paid irregularly or a few times throughout a year. A bonus is a supplement to the salary and is usually not connected to specific work tasks, and the payment is irregular compared to the period it has been earned or applies to. A bonus scheme can apply to all employees of an enterprise, groups, sections or at an individual level.
Please note that if an income recipient has a low base salary and also receives a commission on sales, this must be specified as fees, piecework, percentage or commission pay.
Specify bonus benefits that is due to an individual’s work contribution, or a bonus that is wholly or partially due to other factors.
This concerns for example:
• performance bonuses
• sharing the enterprise profits
• gratuities (gratuities are gifts, particularly in the form of money, that is paid out in addition to salary, for example, when a good result has been achieved or at an anniversary)
• profit-related management bonuses (profit-related management bonuses are a share of the enterprise’s net profit that is usually paid to the managing director, high-ranking officials, members of the board, etc. by prior agreement)
The following are not considered bonuses:
• percentage pay
• commission pay
• piecework remuneration
• fees
See fees, piecework, percentage or commission pay.
Bonus that is earned before the date of death, but paid after the date of death, must be reported as pay after death.
Paid bonuses relating to fixed-term appointments in the Norwegian Armed Forces are specified as bonus from the Norwegian Armed Forces. Paid bonuses not related to fixed-term appointments (for example, T-35 contracts) are specified as ordinary bonuses
The information you must provide
| Amount | x NOK |
| Type of salary or benefit | Cash benefit, bonus |
| Subject to withholding tax | Yes |
| Basis for employer's national insurance contributions | Yes/No |
| Tax and contribution rules | If relevant |
| Additional information: | - |
Amount
Specify the gross amount.
Type of salary or benefit
Specify “cash benefit” and “bonus”.
Subject to withholding tax
The benefit must always be specified as subject to withholding tax.
You do not deduct withholding tax if the amount to be deducted is less than the minimum thresholds for withholding tax.
Basis for employer's national insurance contributions
You must calculate employer’s national insurance contributions on this benefit.
Exemption:
You don't have to calculate employer’s national insurance contributions when the income recipient:
- is covered by the national insurance legislation of another country in accordance with a convention or the EEA Agreement
- is a foreign employee who is not a member of the Norwegian National Insurance scheme and who works on the Norwegian continental shelf or in Norwegian territorial waters
In some cases, the employee has a confirmation of a membership that is being maintained by their national insurance authority (A1 or another form). The Labour and Welfare Administration’s division for membership and contributions to the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, NAV Medlemskap og avgift, will consider all documentation, register any exceptions from membership in the National Insurance Scheme and the relevant periods of exception, as well as whether the exception applies to all or parts of the National Insurance Scheme. Registered exceptions from membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme are sendt electronically from NAV to the Tax Administration.
Only exceptions registered with the Tax Administration will allow the employer to omit calculation of employer's national insurance contributions for an employee.
The Tax Administration may assess employer's national insurance contributions if there is no exception registered for the employee, and if the reported salary or benefit is not included in the taxable basis.
The employer or the employee can contact NAV regarding questions about whether an exception from the membership in the National Insurance Scheme is registered.
Tax and contribution rules
If the income recipient fulfils the conditions, you must use the following tax and contribution rule:
This tax and contribution rule concerns:
- income recipients who are covered by the Svalbard Tax Act.
If the income recipient fulfils the relevant conditions, you must specify “Svalbard” for salary and other benefits.
You must also specify "Svalbard" for the associated withholding tax.
See detailed information on withholding tax in the a-melding
Remember also to specify the correct deduction descriptions for Svalbard regarding trade union fees, premium for pension scheme, National Insurance premiums and education and development fund premiums and portacabin rent.
This tax and contribution rule concerns:
- seafarers who are entitled to a special deduction (seafarer's allowance) from their salary and other benefits,
- when it is earned through work on-board a vessel in service.
If the income recipient fulfils the relevant conditions, you must specify “special allowance for seafarers” for salary and other benefits.
See also the detailed information concerning the special allowance for seafarers
This tax and contribution rule concerns:
- income recipients who are covered by the Jan Mayen Tax Act.
If the income recipient fulfils the relevant conditions, you must specify “Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies” for salary and other benefits.
You must also specify “Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies” for the associated withholding tax.
See detailed information on withholding tax in the a-melding
Remember also to specify the correct deduction descriptions for Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies regarding trade union fees and premium for pension scheme.
See also the detailed information concerning Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies
If you submit an a-melding for a tax-free organisation, you can use the following tax and contribution rule:
If you submit an a-melding for a tax-free organisation (tax-free companies, associations and institutions referred to in Section 2-32 first paragraph of the Tax Act), you can specify “tax-free organisation” for the salary or benefit.
If you do this, you won't need to consider whether the income recipient will pass the reporting obligation threshold of NOK 10,000 during the year. The specification must be used from the first krone and for payments throughout the whole year.
See also the detailed information concerning tax-free organisation
Additional information
No additional information.
Earnings period (voluntary)
You can specify the earnings period for all types of salary and other benefits in the a-melding. Both the start date and the end date of the earnings period must fall within the same reporting month.
See also the explanatory information concerning the earnings period
When to report
Report the benefit in the calendar month in which you paid the amount.
Correcting errors
| MAGNET_EDAG-114 Invalid value |
| MAGNET_EDAG-114B Invalid value for this calendar month |
| MAGNET_EDAG-200 This income has been reported with incorrect information and is invalid |
| MAGNET_EDAG-230B Invalid value |
| MAGNET_EDAG-243 Information on earnings period is invalid |
| MAGNET_EDAG-298 This income has been reported with incorrect information and is invalid |
What do we use the information for
NAV uses information concerning salary and other benefits to calculate unemployment benefits and to check benefits such as sickness benefit, parental benefit, disability benefit and advance child maintenance payments. Only bonuses which are the result of an employee's own work input must be included in the basis for calculating sickness benefit. In connection with NAV’s processing of claims, a specific assessment of bonus payments must be carried out in each individual case.
The Norwegian Tax Administration uses information concerning salary and other benefits to assess income. The amount is aggregated with other benefits and transferred to the tax return.
Statistics Norway (SSB) uses the information for statistical purposes.
Applicable regulations
These regulations are only available in Norwegian.
