Tax returns and tax assessments for petroleum companies

Petroleum companies have a different deadline for the submission for the tax return than other companies. There are additional specific forms that must be submitted as attachments to the tax return. In addition, the petroleum companies must each year reply to a number of standard letters. 

The tax return 

The tax return must be submitted online. The deadline for the submission is 30 April, see section 8-2-3 subsection 1, letter b, of the Tax Administration Regulation. In the case of a submission after the deadline, a daily enforcement fine can be imposed, see section 14-1 of the Tax Administration Act.

If the company wishes to apply for an extension, they must send a justified application by post or by email to the Oil Taxation Office before the submission deadline, see the Regulation to section 8-2-5 of the Tax Administration Act.

From and including the 2023 income year, the former RF forms are discontinued. The RF forms, including the specific forms for petroleum companies (RF-1323, RF-1118, RF-1120 and RF-1346) are being replaced by topics in the tax return and business information respectively. The former RF-1323 form has now been included in the tax return that is submitted by all businesses and self-employed persons. The structure is new, and there are some new items, but most of it will be recognisable from previous years. The tax return for the 2023 income year must be submitted via an accounting or annual accounts system.  

More information about the new tax return:

Please note that the following forms must still be submitted as attachments to the tax return: 

Standard letters 

See this year’s standard letters below. For the 2023 income year, all companies must reply to the first four standard letters below, whereas the other standard letters should only be answered if relevant: 

To be answered by all companies: 

To be answered if relevant: 

The tax assessment 

For the 2023 income year, the tax assessment notice for companies liable to special tax will be sent out in November 2024. The tax assessment with the settlement is sent online via Altinn. The annual press release with the tax list of companies liable to special tax is published no later than 2 December 2024 at skatteetaten.no, see section 9-7, of the Tax Administration Act. 

The due date for the payment/refund of the difference between paid instalment tax and assessed tax is three weeks after the tax assessment notice has been sent out, see section 10-22, subsection 2, of the Tax Payment Act. Interest on the difference between paid instalment tax and assessed tax will be calculated starting on 1 January 2024 up until the due date. 

Interest on the payment of the tax value of deficits in the taxation basis for the special tax (see section 5, subsection 6, of the Petroleum Taxation Act) is calculated in the same way as on tax refunds. Payment is made within three weeks of the tax assessment notice being sent out. 

Instalment tax

The offshore companies’ ongoing payments (advance tax) are called instalment tax. The assessment of the instalment tax is based on the information provided by each company regarding the expected income for the year in question. The instalment tax is paid in six instalments - respectively 1 August, 1 October, and 1 December in the income year, and 1 February, 1 April, and 1 June in the following year.

There is an option to make larger payments than the assessed amounts with the second and fifth instalments. After the ordinary tax assessment, the paid instalment tax is offset against the assessed tax. Underpaid tax must be paid (and overpaid tax refunded) within three weeks after conclusion of the tax assessment . Rules for calculating interest have been determined to prevent companies from profiting from an assessment of the instalment tax that is either too low or too high.