Agricultural account
The agricultural account helps you reduce fluctuations in your income and expenses so you’ll get more consistent taxation if you run agricultural or horticultural activities.
Does this apply to me?
The agricultural account is relevant if you have income from a sole proprietorship that carries out agricultural or horticultural activities.
You can only use the agricultural account if you’re a self‑employed person. Check whether you’re self-employed.
Income and expenses to include on the agricultural account
You must include the operating revenue and operating expenses that are directly linked to running your agricultural or horticultural activities.
This may include income or operating expenses related to:
- growing plants, vegetables, and fruit
- livestock farming, including breeding and rearing with the purpose of producing and selling your own products
- recognising income and expenses from the gain and loss account, and negative balances that form part of the agricultural or horticultural activities
Income from biomass and firewood production
If you also run forestry activities, you can increase the basis for the agricultural account by transferring a standard‑calculated income from biomass and firewood production to your agricultural activities. The amount can be a maximum of 55 percent of the gross income from the biomass and firewood production. The amount you transfer must be included on the agricultural account.
What not to include on the agricultural account
Operating revenue and expenses that are not linked to food or feed production should not normally be included in the agricultural account. This may include:
- breeding, rearing, and boarding of horses
- using hunting and fishing rights
- extracting soil, sand, and stone
- renting out buildings and fixed assets
Revenue from other business activities must also not be included, even if the revenue is under NOK 30,000.
What you need to do
It’s optional to transfer a surplus to the agricultural account.
If your agricultural or horticultural activities show a surplus, you can choose whether to recognise the surplus directly as income in the income year, or transfer it to the agricultural account. You can also choose to transfer only part of the surplus.
If you transfer the surplus to the agricultural account and the account has a positive balance, you must recognise at least 85 percent of the balance as income. From and including the income year 2026, you must recognise at least 80 percent. You can choose to recognise more. The income will automatically be registered as business income from agriculture in your tax return.
If your agricultural or horticultural activities show a deficit, you must transfer the entire deficit to the agricultural account.
If the agricultural account has a negative balance after the result for the year has been added, you can deduct a maximum of 85 percent of the balance. From the 2026 income year, the maximum is 80 percent. The deduction will automatically be registered as a deficit from agriculture in your tax return.
It’s possible to have an agricultural account even if there has not been any activity during the income year.
If you have a positive balance on the agricultural account, you must recognise at least 85 percent of the balance as income. From the 2026 income year, you must recognise at least 80 percent. If the positive balance is under NOK 30,000 at the start of the year, you must recognise the entire balance as income.
If you have a negative balance on the agricultural account, you can deduct a maximum of 85 percent. From the 2026 income year, the maximum is 80 percent. If the negative balance is under NOK 30,000, you can deduct the entire balance.
You have a surplus from agricultural and horticultural activities and want to transfer the entire amount to the agricultural account. You must recognise at least 85 percent of the amount as income in your tax return. From the 2026 income year, the minimum is 80 percent.
2025 (the agricultural account has not been used previously)
Annual surplus NOK 300,000
85 percent recognised as income this year - NOK 255,000
Remaining balance as at 31 December 2025 NOK 45,000
Taxable income from the agricultural account NOK 255,000
The remaining balance as at 31 December 2025 carries over to the next income year. In the next income year, you’ll enter this amount as the balance on 1 January 2026 on the agricultural account. This year, you have a deficit in your agricultural and horticultural activities.
2026
Balance carried forward from 2025 NOK 45,000
Annual deficit. - NOK 5,000
Basis for calculation NOK 40,000
80 percent recognised as income this year NOK 32,000
Remaining balance as at 31 December 2026 NOK 8,000
Taxable income from the agricultural account is NOK 32,000
Specific information if you
If the agricultural account has a positive balance at the end of 2025, you can close it from the 2026 income year by recognising the entire remaining balance as income. If the positive balance is NOK 30,000 or less, you must recognise the entire amount.
If the agricultural account has a negative balance on 1 January 2026, you cannot close it. If the negative balance is NOK 30,000 or more, you must continue deducting a maximum of 85 percent (80 percent in 2026). If the negative balance is under NOK 30,000, you can deduct the full amount.
If you sell the agricultural property or convert it from business property to capital property, for example because you’ve stopped operating and are no longer a self employed person, what you can do depends on the balance of the agricultural account.
If you have a positive balance, you can either:
- close the account by recognising the full balance as income
or
- continue recognising a minimum of 85 percent (80 percent from and including the 2026 income year).
The income from the agricultural account remains business income until the account is settled.
If you have a negative balance, you must:
- continue recognising a maximum of 85 percent (80 percent from and including the 2026 income year) every year.
Positive or negative balance under NOK 30,000
If the positive balance on the agricultural account is under NOK 30,000 at the start of the year, you must recognise the entire amount as income. If the negative balance is under NOK 30,000, you can deduct the full amount.
If you inherit or are given an agricultural business, you’ll also take over the agricultural account. This is called tax continuity. If the agricultural business is wound up, any income or deduction from the agricultural account will be included in the estate.
In the case of a public probate administration, the agricultural account must be settled before the estate is finalised, unless it’s transferred to the heirs.
Supporting documents
You do not need to send us any supporting documents, but you must be able to present them if we ask.