Skatteetaten Reviews 

The staff there are very rude and seem to have difficulty understanding both English and Norwegian. They often transfer you to the wrong person, and sometimes they even hang up the phone abruptly while you are speaking.

I am trying to move to Norway and wanted information about tax requirements when working remotely as a contractor.

I tried every day for a week to call when I had time during work but wasn't able to get through due to long queues.

When I finally got through, I asked "Kan vi snakke Engelsk", the lady on the phone confirmed that it was okay and so I presented my information and question.

As soon as I was done speaking, there was a moment of silence before they just hung up on me with no attempt to respond to my question.

When I tried calling back, I was in the queue for 40 mins again before I had to stop and get back to work.

Very dissappointing.

I use Skatteetaten in order to be able to send orders (purchased by Norwegian customers from my webshop) to Norway with the sales tax pre-paid by my customers. After every 3 months, I submit the sums of the taxes collected to the Norwegian government through Skateetaten.

In general, it works really well. The website is responsive and fast, and the way they designed the forms is user-friendly and easy to use (at least for the VOEC scheme – as an EU citizen, that's the only aspect relevant for me).

It has however happened once or twice that they collected taxes from my customer at the point of parcel delivery, despite me having already collected those taxes and labeled the correct number on the export form. When I emailed them about it, their response was not very helpful, claiming that this could only have been the result of an incorrect declaration (which I double-checked to have been correct, with the VOEC number in the correct field).

This has not happened again since January 2025, so hopefully it was a one-time only mishap. Apart from that, it's been smooth sailing. Paying NOK with Wise works well (for best conversion rates from EUR).

Tax Refund - Seasonal worker
Hei! This is to confirm regarding my tax refund. I called a few days ago but the person I spoke with said I am not entitled for a tax refund. In this regard, may I know the reason why I am not entitled? I only worked part time and 1 month seasonal work. Thank you

I don't understand at all how anyone can label skatteetaten and Norway as advanced affairs. The dealings with skatteetaten are absolutely appalling and the refund of overpaid taxes is simply thievery on Norway's part. No one in skatteetaten can help with anything and dealing with officials is like dealing with corrupt cops somewhere in South Africa. An appalling experience and Norway one big disappointment. Slow, useless, uneducated, confused officers that take ages to solve anything, if at all. Ubellievable. This is exactly how digitalisation shouldnt work.

As tax administrations go, Norway's seems to be one of the best I've ever encountered. It's relatively simple & easy to get someone on the phone in English (though unfortunately getting a written answer to complicated questions takes 3 months!)

The main thing to understand as a new resident is that your personal and business "accounts" may have very similar titles if you're an enkeltpersonforetak but they're actually separate.

Wish a bit more on the webpage was in English.