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The a-melding guide

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The a-melding guide

Table of content

Guidance cover page
  • Error messages (MAGNET/EDAG) and feedback List of error messages, feedback and how to make corrections
    • Overview of error messages (MAGNET/EDAG) Severity and how to correct mistakes
    • Feedback What is feedback
    • Replacement a-melding or new a-melding Two ways of submitting an a-melding when you have to make corrections
  • Organisation number Employer, pension company or others you're submitting the a-melding for
    • Organisation number for the main entity and sub-entities Which number should you use when submitting the a-melding
    • Organisation number in public sector Applies to public sector
  • Pension scheme arrangement (mandatory occupational pension scheme) Private arbeidsgiver skal oppgi pensjonsselskap eller pensjonskasse det er inngått avtale om sparing med
  • National identity number, D number or international ID (income recipient) Identifies employees, pensioners and others who receive salary and benefits
  • Employment Type of employment, start and end date, leave, change of payroll system, etc.
    • Type of employment Whether the employment is ordinary, maritime or other, and how to change in the event of an error
      • Ordinary employment Employee who receive salary (applies to the vast majority)
      • Maritime employment Employee who works at sea, on a vessel or a mobile installation
      • Exceptions for ordinary and maritime employment Examples of when you do not need to provide information about ordinary or maritime working conditions.
      • Pensions or other benefits Person who receives a pension and other benefits without being employed or on assignment
      • Freelancers, contractors and fee recipients Person who works on an assignment without being employed
      • Select the correct employment type When you're uncertain which employment type you should select
      • Change the employment type Examples of how to switch from one employment type to another.
    • Information on employment Start and end date, FTE percentage, leave and other information
      • Employment start date
      • Employment end date
      • Cause of end date
      • Percentage employment (FTE percentage)
      • Date of change in FTE percentage
      • Hours per week for a full-time position
      • Working hours arrangement
      • Date for change of salary
      • Type of appointment
      • Wage seniority
      • Pay grade
      • Occupation code
      • Employment ID
      • Leave
      • Layoffs
      • Remuneration type
    • Special circumstances Changing payroll system, merger, acquisition etc.
      • Employment in the case of salary to employee who has left
      • Change of payroll system
      • Change jobs with the same employer
      • Demerger
      • Mergers
      • Acquisition, change of owner or transfer of enterprise
      • Changes in municipal or county structure
  • Salary and benefits Cash benefit, expense allowances, payments in kind, national insurance contributions, pension, etc.
    • Overview of salary and other benefits Descriptions of salary and other benefits you can use
    • Correcting errors in salary and benefits Incorrect amount or description, paid too much or too little
  • Deductions Trade union fees , premiums for pension schemes and other deductions
    • Trade union fees
    • Premium for pension schemes
    • Premiums for foreign pension schemes
    • National Insurance premiums and education and development fund premiums
    • Portacabin rent
  • Withholding tax How to state obligation to deduct withholding tax, calculate and pay advance tax deduction
  • Attachment of earnings How to state obligation to attachement of earnings, calculate and pay attachment of earnings
  • Employer’s national insurance contributions and financial activity tax How to calculate, what you have to specify and pay
    • Employer’s National Insurance contributions Calculation codes, rates, zones and payment
    • Employer’s Additional National Insurance contributions Calculation codes, rates, zones and payment
    • Financial activity tax on salary Applies to the finance and insurance sector
  • Special groups International, seafarers, tax-free organisation, withholding tax on pensions, net salary, Jan Mayen and Svalbard
    • Abroad Foreign employers with assignments in Norway
    • Foreign relations Norwegian employers with employees abroad or with foreign employees in Norway
    • Net salary For employers who have employees with net salary
    • The PAYE scheme
    • Withholding tax on pensions Tax on pension payments for persons who are not tax resident in Norway
    • Special allowance for seafarers For seafarers who require a special allowance
    • Tax-free organisation How to specify salary and benefits for employees in tax-free organisations
    • Svalbard For persons who are covered by the Svalbard Tax Act
    • Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies For persons who are covered by the Jan Mayen Tax Act
  1. The a-melding guide
  2. Special groups

Tax-free organisations

  • Updated: 09 December 2021

Applies to the reporting obligation and the tax and contribution rule for tax-free organisations.

    Brief information about the reporting obligation for tax-free organisations

    If you submit an a-melding for a tax-free organisation in accordance with Section 2-32, subsection 1, of the Tax Act, the reporting obligation applies when salary and other benefits paid to an employee exceed NOK 10,000 during the year. "Other benefits" initially include all types of expense allowance subject to withholding tax and taxable benefits, such as car allowances subject to withholding tax, free board and free lodging.

    If the total payment does not exceed the reporting obligation threshold, you don't need to specify salary or other benefits in the a-melding.

    See also the explanatory information concerning tax-free organisations

     

    Two ways for tax-free organisations to provide information

    For tax-free organisations, you can provide information about salary and other benefits in the a-melding in two different ways.

    • You can use the “Tax-free organisation” tax and contribution rule from the first krone, or
    • not provide information about payments until the threshold has been reached. When the threshold amount is exceeded, you must specify all payments without the tax and contribution rule.

    Regardless of the method you use, you must calculate employer’s national insurance contributions from the first krone.

     

    If you use the tax and contribution rule

    If you use the “Tax-free organisation” tax and contribution rule, you won't need to consider whether you will pass the reporting obligation threshold of NOK 10,000 during the year. If you use this rule, you must do so from the first krone and for all payments made throughout the year.

    You must mark all salary and other benefits to which you can apply the rule with “Tax-free organisation”.

     

    Example

    Anne works for a tax-free organisation. The tax-free organisation specifies the payments made to Anne from the first krone in the a-melding.

    A-melding for January
    Income recipient Anne
    Amount NOK 9,000
    Type of salary or benefit Cash benefit, fixed salary
    Tax and contribution rule Tax-free organisation

    They also enter all the other mandatory information.

    A-melding for February
    Income recipient Anne
    Amount NOK 9,000
    Type of salary or benefit Cash benefit, fixed salary
    Tax and contribution rule Tax-free organisation

    They also enter all the other mandatory information.

     

    If you don't use the tax and contribution rule

    If you don't use this rule, you must not specify salary and other benefits for the employee while the amount is below the reporting obligation threshold. If you pay an employee more than NOK 10,000 during the year, you must specify all salary and other benefits without applying the “Tax-free organisation” tax and contribution rule.

    In the month in which the employee’s salary and other benefits pass the threshold, you must specify the full amount in the a-melding.

    Note!
    You must pay employer’s national insurance contributions even if the amount is below the reporting obligation threshold. Remember to specify this in the contribution basis.

     

    Example

    Peter works for a tax-free organisation. The tax-free organisation specifies payments made to Peter after the reporting obligation threshold has been passed. Peter received NOK 10,000 in salary in April. In May, he receives NOK 3,000.

    A-melding for April
    Basis for employer's national insurance contributions NOK 10,000

    They also enter all the other obligatory information.

    Note that when the amount is below the reporting obligation threshold, the employment won't be covered by the obligation to report information to the Aa register. The reporting obligation is only triggered when the threshold amount is exceeded.

    A-melding for May
    Basis for employer's national insurance contributions NOK 3,000
    Income recipient Peter
    Amount NOK 13,000
    Type of salary or benefit Cash benefit, fixed salary

    They also enter all the other obligatory information.

    The tax-free organisation will receive the error message MAGNET_EDAG 184 for the a-meldings which concern April and May. This is because the contribution basis and Peter's income don't match. This is OK, and the organisation doesn't have to correct this.

     

    Benefits that the tax and contribution rule covers

    You can only apply the “Tax-free organisation” tax and contribution rule to certain types of salary and other benefits.

    When you use the tax and contribution rule, you must specify the benefit as “Tax-free organisation”.

    See summary of which benefits are covered by the tax and contribution rule

     

    What about withholding tax

    You must specify all deductions of withholding tax that you have made. If the total benefits paid during the year are less than NOK 10,000, you should not make any deductions. If the threshold is passed during the year, you must make deductions if there are any cash benefits to make deductions from.

     

    What about employer’s national insurance contributions

    You must pay employer’s national insurance contributions on all salary and other benefits that you pay. This applies regardless of whether or not the amounts exceed the reporting obligation threshold.

    If you have waited to specify salary and benefits until the reporting obligation threshold has been passed, you may receive error message MAGNET_EDAG 184 in the a-melding for the month in which you pass the threshold. This is because you have specified the contribution basis on an ongoing basis, while salary and benefits were not specified until the month in which the threshold was passed. As a result, the contribution basis and salary and benefits subject to employer’s national insurance contributions will not match. This is OK and you don't need to correct this.

     

    What we use the information for

    NAV uses information concerning salary and benefits to calculate unemployment benefit and to check benefits such as sickness benefit, parental benefit, disability benefit and advance child maintenance payments.

    The Norwegian Tax Administration uses the information to ensure that employees who have earned less than the reporting obligation threshold don't pay tax on the income.

    Statistics Norway (SSB) uses the information for statistical purposes.

     

    Applicable regulations

    These regulations are only available in Norwegian.

    • A-opplysningsloven

    • A-opplysningsforskriften

    • Skatteforvaltningsloven § 7-2

    • Skatteforvaltningsforskriften § 7-2-1

    • Skatteforvaltningsforskriften § 7-2-9

    • Skatteloven § 2-32

    • Folketrygdloven § 23-2

    • Folketrygdloven § 25-10

    • Folketrygdloven § 21-4

    • Statistikkloven § 10

     

    To top

    A-melding – a collaboration between:

     

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