Owner of a fishing vessel

If you run a business and own your own fishing vessel, you may, in addition to the fishermen's allowance, also claim a deduction for expenses you’ve incurred. You must pay tax on the wealth of the fishing vessel and the fishing permit.

Does this apply to me?

This applies to you if you run a business and own a fishing vessel (you’re a fisherman with an accounting obligation or a bookkeeping obligation), regardless of whether you’re a solitary fisherman or have employees.

What you need to do

  • If you have a bookkeeping obligation, you must keep accounts of income and expenses.
  • You must pay advance tax of the expected profits.
  • Know what deductions you can claim and check that the amounts are correct in the tax return/business information.
  • If you have employees, you must also complete the a-melding.
  • If you’re registered in the VAT Register, you must also submit VAT returns.

Fishermen's allowance

If fishing on the coast or the sea has been your main type of work for at least 130 days in the year, you're entitled to a fishermen's allowance (special allowance for fishermen and hunters).

The fishermen's allowance is 30 percent of your total income from seafarers' wages. The maximum deduction is NOK 154,000 (from 2022).

The fishermen's allowance is automatically calculated, but you must check that the operating time (number of workdays) is correct, and that income and expenses have been entered with the correct amounts.

You are not supposed to enter the fishermen's allowance in the account/business information.

The 130 days of work do not need to be in a consecutive period. If you work less than 130 days on board due to starting or quitting, or unforeseen interruptions in the fishing activity, you may still be entitled to the fishermen's allowance.

When you have started or quit during the income year

You're entitled to the fishermen's allowance if you have worked less than 130 days and:

  • start working as a fisherman and it’s likely that you will fulfil the requirement the following year
    or
  • quit working as a fisherman during the income year and have fulfilled the requirement in previous years
When you work as both a fisherman and seafarer

If you work partially as a fisherman and partially as a seafarer, it is enough to work a total of 130 days during the year. You must check that the total operating time (number of workdays) is correct in your tax return.

As a basis the fishermen's allowance is calculated using your net income in your account/business information, but the following expenses do not reduce the calculation basis:

  • expences for fishermen’s oilskins etc.
  • travel expenses to/from a fishing vessel
  • extra expenses in connection with work-related stays away from home
  • interest expenses
  • expenses for national insurance premiums

Please note that the exeptions only apply to you as the owner of a fishing vessel and not to your employees.

Sickness benefit from work at the vessel is included in the calculation basis.

Shares of catches that accure to the owner of the vessel is not included in the calculation basis.

Income from shares of catches of seaweed and kelp must not be included.

Eksempel: Enkeltpersonforetak med båt (enefisker), uten mannskap
   Inntekter fra fangst og tilskudd
   (ført i regnskapet)                                                    500 000 kr
+ Uttak av fisk til eget bruk                                             1 600 kr
+ Garantilott ved enefiske                                             20 000 kr
= Inntekt fra enefiske                                                521 600 kr

- Driftsutgifter* (ført i regnskapet)                                100 000 kr

= Nettoinntekt fra enefisket
    (beregningsgrunnlaget)                                           421 600 kr

- 30 prosent av nettoinntekten                                          
= Fiskerfradraget som trekkes fra inntekten           126 480 kr

* Driftsutgifter er utgifter til for eksempel
avgifter, drivstoff, redskap, forsikring,
regnskapsfører og proviant.

Eksempel: Enkeltpersonforetak med båt  (enefisker) og mannskap
   Inntekter fra fangst og tilskudd
   (ført i regnskapet)                                                    500 000 kr
+ Uttak av fisk til eget bruk                                             1 600 kr
+ Garantilott ved enefiske                                            20 000 kr
= Sum                                                                         521 600 kr

 - Reduksjon for fangstinntekter og offentlige
    tilskudd ved fellesfiske inkl.
    egen andel fra fellesfisket                                       150 000 kr

= Bruttoinntekt av enefiske                                      371 600 kr

- Driftsutgifter* ført i regnskapet
   unntatt utgifter knyttet til fellesfisket
   inkl. øvrig mannskap.                                                 71 242 kr
   

Driftsutgiftene referer seg normalt både til enefiske og fellesfisket. Utgifter må fordeles tilsvarende etter forholdet mellom brutto inntekt av enefiske og reduksjon av fangstinntekter og offentlig tilskudd ved fellesfiske inkl. egen andel fra fellesfisket.
Eksempel: Totale driftsutgifter på for eksempel kr 100 000 basert på tallene ovenfor medfører en andel driftsutgifter for enefisket på kr 71 242 som skal fratrekkes beregningsgrunnlaget for særskilt fradrag for fiskere og fangstfolk. Andel av driftsutgifter som referer seg til fellesfisket skal ikke fratrekkes.


Nettoinntekt fra enefisket
(beregningsgrunnlaget)                                            300 358 kr


Lottinntekt fra fellesfisket                                                50 000 kr
Sykepenger til fisker innrapportert fra A-ordningen        20 000 kr

Beregningsgrunnlag for fiskerfradrag                           370 358 kr

Fiskefradrag (30 % av 370 358)                                 111 107 kr

* Driftsutgifter er utgifter til for eksempel avgifter,
drivstoff, redskap, forsikring, regnskapsfører, proviant, øvrig mannskap og utgifter til fellesfiske. 

 
Seafarers' allowance and fishermen's allowance

If you're entitled to both the seafarers' allowance (special deduction for seafarers) and the fishermen's allowance in the same income year and these exceed the maximum of NOK 154,000 (from 2022), the fishermen's allowance is reduced. This is calculated automatically in your tax return.

Example:

Jens earns NOK 300,000 per year, which entitles him to a seafarers' allowance, and NOK 250,000 per year as seafarers' wages from a fishing vessel, which entitles him to a fishermen's allowance. Jens has no expenses.

Since Jens is entitled to seafarer's allowance, this will be calculated first. The seafarers' allowance is 30 percent of the income and is limited to NOK 83,000. 30 percent of the income of NOK 300,000 as a seafarer is NOK 90,000. Jens will therefore only get a seafarer's allowance of NOK 83,000.

Jens will then get the fishermen's allowance in his seafarer's wages from fishing. 30 percent of the income of NOK 250,000 is NOK 75,000.

The total deduction cannot exceed NOK 154,000. Since Jens gets a seafarer's allowance of NOK 83,000, he can get a maximum fishermen's allowance of NOK 71,000 (154,000 - 83,000 = 71,000)

What to do if you

Board

You can receive deductions for expenses for meals you have while fishing. Enter these expenses in the accounts/business information.

Lodging

You can receive deductions for expenses for lodging if you have to spend the night away from home or aboard the fishing vessel in connection with a fishing trip or while travelling to/from a fishing trip.

As a self-employed person, you’re entitled to deductions for actual expenses. Enter these expenses in the accounts/business information and attach supporting documents in the form of receipts or other types of vouchers.

You may be entitled to a deduction for transportation/travel expenses.

How much you can deduct depends on if you regularly travel to/from the fishing vessel or not.

You could be entitled to a deduction for transport/travel expenses if:

  • you travel from your home or a lodging to a fishing vessel that is in a fixed place for a continuous period of more than 2 weeks.
    and
  • you do not spend the night aboard the fishing vessel

See rates for the travel deduction

You get a distance-based deduction instead of a deduction for actual transportation expenses. This means that the deduction is calculated based on the distance you travel. The travel distance between your home or lodging and the fishing vessel must be at least 2.5 kilometres each way.

There are no requirements regarding having incurred expenses for transportation or how you travel to and from the fishing vessel.

In addition to the distance-based deduction, you may also be entitled to a deduction for road toll or ferry expenses.

Calculate your deduction for travel

If your travel to/from the fishing vessel is not in accordance with the rules on work travel in the paragraph above, the transportation to/from the fishing vessel will be considered work-related travel and you’ll be entitled to deductions for your actual transportation expenses.

You enter these expenses in the accounts/business information.

You're entitled to a deduction for expenses for premiums paid for the pension insurance managed by the Norwegian Guarantee Fund for Fishermen) or other pension premiums.

Make sure the pension premium is stated in your tax return.

You’re entitled to a deduction for employer association fees and certain professional and industrial organisation fees.

The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association is a professional and industrial organisation with both employees and employers within the fishing industry as members.

The total deduction cannot exceed the maximum amount for a trade union deduction or two thousandths of the total paid salary.

Enter the deduction for employer association fees and professional and industrial organisation fees in the accounts/business information.

 

As the owner of a fishing vessel, you’re entitled to deductions for business expenses, such as expenses related to buying a vessel, fuel, gear, fishermen’s oilskins, survival suits, as well as any employees.

If the purchase price for, for example, machinery and fishing gear exceed the maximum purchase amount and has an expected lifetime of at least three years, you can depreciate them.

If the purchase price is less than the maximum purchase amount or has an expected lifetime of less than three years, you can deduct the full expense directly in the relevant income year.

  • up to and including the income year 2023: NOK 15,000
  • from and including the income year 2024: NOK 30,000

Deductions for acquisitions (In Norwegian)

About deductions, depreciations and value added tax when you buy or sell a fishing vessel and/or a fishing permit (fishing quota).

Buying and selling fishing vessels and fishing quotas

The taxable value of fishing vessels and fishing permits

You must calculate the correct taxable value and enter this in the tax return. See how to do this in the Tax Administration’s yearly valuation rules under section 2-1-4 for valuating vessels, fishing vessels, drilling vessels, etc.

For fishing permits, the taxable value must be the cost price, which is the purchase amount you paid to the seller.

The taxable value of structural quotas that only apply to a limited amount of years (temporary) is not taxable wealth.

Supporting documentation

You do not need to send us any documentation, but you must be able to present supporting documents for any expenses that you claim deductions for if we ask you to.