Tax settlement 2026: When will the money come back?

The tax settlement shows whether you get money back on your tax, or whether you owe more. Most people get their answer during the summer of 2026.

What is the tax settlement – and how does it differ from the tax return?

The tax settlement is the answer from the Norwegian Tax Agency (Skatteetaten) showing whether you have paid the correct amount of tax throughout the year. It shows whether you get money back, or whether you owe more. This applies to everyone who has paid tax in Norway, regardless of whether you are new to the country or have lived here for a long time.

The tax settlement is not the same as the tax return (skattemelding). The tax return is the form you fill out and submit yourself, with information about your income, debts and assets. The tax settlement is the answer the Norwegian Tax Agency sends you after reviewing what you have submitted.

Simply put: You submit the tax return. The Norwegian Tax Agency replies with the tax settlement. If you have paid too much tax, the amount you get back is called a refund amount (tilgodebeløp), often referred to as "money back on taxes". If you have paid too little, it is called tax debt (restskatt), and then you must pay the difference yourself.

When does the tax settlement come in 2026?

The tax settlement for the income year 2025 is sent out in several batches throughout 2026, not all at once. Most employees and pensioners receive their settlement in June.

The Norwegian Tax Agency sends settlements as they are completed. Some receive their answer as early as late March, while others must wait until autumn. The table below shows the approximate timing for different groups:

Everyone should have received their tax settlement before 1 December 2026. You will be notified by email or SMS as soon as your own settlement is ready, so you don't need to check every day.

How do you check the status of your tax settlement?

You check your tax settlement on skatteetaten.no or in the Norwegian Tax Agency app. At both places you log in with BankID, BankID on mobile, or MinID, through ID-porten, the shared login solution for public services in Norway.

Here's how you do it:

• Go to "My tax" (Min skatt) on skatteetaten.no, or open the Norwegian Tax Agency app.
• Select "Tax settlement" to see status and result.
• See whether you have a refund or tax debt, and when the money will arrive.

The app can also send you a notification when your settlement is ready. Then you don't have to log in and check manually every week. The message only tells you that the settlement is ready, not the result. You must log in to see whether you get money back or have tax debt.

How to register your account number

The Norwegian Tax Agency needs a Norwegian bank account number to pay out your money. Without a registered account number, payment can be delayed, or you may receive the money as a payment card in the post instead.

You register or change your account number on skatteetaten.no or in the app:

• Log in to "My tax" with BankID or MinID.
• Go to settings for account number or payments.
• Enter your account number and save.

If you have just opened a Norwegian bank account, you should register it as early as possible. This helps you avoid unnecessary delays when your tax settlement is ready. If you haven't had time to open a Norwegian bank account yet, you should do so as quickly as possible after you have received a Norwegian personal number or D-number.

Do you have tax debt? Here are the deadlines

Tax debt (restskatt) means that you have paid too little tax, and must pay the difference yourself. The deadline for payment is normally three weeks after you have received your tax settlement.

If the tax debt is high, the Norwegian Tax Agency can split the amount into two payments with different deadlines, instead of one large sum. You will find the exact deadlines, account number and KID number for payment in your tax settlement and on skatteetaten.no.

If you do not pay by the deadline, interest will accrue on the unpaid amount until the money is received. It therefore pays to pay on time. You can also pay extra advance tax voluntarily before 31 May in the income year to avoid interest charges on the tax debt later.

Why do you get tax debt, and how do you avoid it next year?

Tax debt most often occurs because you have paid too little tax in advance throughout the year. If you have several employers or change jobs frequently, your tax card may be wrong without you noticing it yourself.

Common reasons for tax debt:

• You have had two or more jobs at the same time, without adjusting your tax card.
• You have received income that the Norwegian Tax Agency did not know about in advance, for example from rental or side work.
• Your tax card had too low a withholding percentage for your combined income.

You can order a new tax card at any time during the year, completely free, on skatteetaten.no. It helps you avoid tax debt next year.

What do interest additions and interest refunds mean?

Interest additions (rentetillegg) are interest you must pay on tax debt, while interest refunds (rentegodtgjørelse) are interest you receive on refund amounts. Both are calculated automatically by the Norwegian Tax Agency; you do not need to apply for them.

If you have paid too much tax, you normally receive interest refund on the amount you get back, calculated until your tax settlement is ready. If you have paid too little, interest charges may accrue from the summer of the previous year until the deadline for the first payment.

Interest rates are set by the Norwegian Tax Agency and change annually (check the current rate on skatteetaten.no). If you pay extra advance tax before 31 May in the income year, you usually avoid interest charges on the tax debt. If, for example, you moved to Norway in the middle of the year and got a complicated tax card, a small addition to your advance tax can save you from interest later.

Tax is part of civic knowledge

Understanding how tax works in Norway is useful for everyone who lives and works here. It is also connected to planning your own finances, for example when you need to set aside money for a possible tax debt.

Rules like this are part of the civic knowledge many people encounter in the citizenship test — practise for free on SamfunnPrep. With SamfunnPrep, you can practise real test questions at your own pace, about tax and much else from life in Norway.