Norway SAF-T: Everything You Need to Know

Designed to reduce the compliance burden and administrative costs associated with audits—while providing tax authorities with greater visibility into a company’s tax and financial data—SAF-T has continued to gain popularity across a growing number of European countries.

SAF-T may seem complicated in this country, but it doesn’t have to be. Read on for your ideal overview of this tax rule.

Table of contents

1. The legal framework of SAF-T in Norway

2. When to submit a SAF-T declaration in Norway

3. Norway’s SAF-T timeline

4. Implementing SAF-T as a business

5. FAQ

6. How Sovos can help

7. Additional resources

The legal framework

Norway’s SAF-T requirements apply to businesses with bookkeeping obligations who use electronic accounting systems, including registered foreign bodies. Submission is on request and doesn’t currently have periodic submission requests. SAF-T files must by ideally submitted via the Altinn internet portal.

Businesses with a turnover of less than NOK 5 million who aren’t subjected to mandatory bookkeeping are exempt unless they have electronic bookkeeping information available. Enterprises with less than 600 vouchers annually that hold accounts in spreadsheets or a text editor program are exempt.

When to submit a SAF-T declaration in Norway

In Norway, although SAF-T (Regnskap) reporting is mandatory, submission is on an on-demand basis following a request in connection with an audit.

Please note, however, that Norway’s VAT return, which is also a SAF-T and must be submitted every two months, should not be confused with the financial SAF-T Regnskap.

Timeline

  • 1 October 2016 – The Norwegian tax authority publishes the first version of the SAF-T financial
  • 1 January 2017 – Voluntary adoption of SAF-T begins
  • 1 January 2020 – Norway introduces mandatory SAF-T reporting on demand
  • 1 January 2022 – Updates to Norway’s VAT return require users to map transactions to the existing tax codes utilised in the SAF-T mandate, with users able to submit returns from ERP systems
  • 1 January 2025 – New SAF-T Financial format (version 1.30) becomes mandatory

Other requirements for VAT compliance in Norway

On 1 January 2022, the tax authority introduced digital submission of its VAT return, which was also enhanced to capture other data that’s already required whenever a SAF-T submission is needed. However, as SAF-T doesn’t yet need to be submitted regularly in Norway, the completion of these new summary boxes creates a challenge for companies who are unfamiliar with SAF-T.

In addition to its requirements, taxpayers should be aware of Norway’s e-invoicing requirements for B2G transactions. 

With the EU’s ViDA initiative now approved, Norwegian businesses will need to send invoices electronically for cross-border B2B transactions from 1 July 2030. 

Implementing SAF-T as a business

Complying with your tax obligations is vital. SAF-T is one of the VAT requirements for Norwegian businesses, adding to compliance workloads.

How Sovos can Help

Sovos SAF-T solutions can help your organisation to spend less time on compliance and more on growing your business. Automate your preparation process to drive efficiency and ensure accuracy, providing peace of mind that you will avoid potential fines and penalties.

Get in touch with us

FAQ

SAF-T reporting in Norway is mandatory as of 1 January 2020 but submission is on an on-demand basis.

SAF-T stands for Standard Audit File Tax and is a format used internationally for the electronic exchange of accounting data. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) defines the standard for SAF-T.

Additional resources

Norway e-invoicing

An overview of e-invoicing requirements in Norway.
Learn more

Introduction to SAF-T

An eBook explaining the SAF-T international standards.
Read now