On, Monday, December 15th, the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) released the tax cards for the 2026 income year.
Whilst everyone is advised to check their details to avoid an unexpected tax bill later, young adults have an extra reason to do so, as they could be in for a pleasant surprise.
Under Norway's tax lottery, first announced back in May, around 100,000 tax payers, aged between 20 and 35 (born between 1991 and 2006) have been randomly selected to receive a "work deduction" (arbeidsfradrag) on their income over a period of 5 years.
If you have been chosen, the benefit is immediate. Your employer will automatically withhold less tax month by month during 2026. This means you will see the extra money directly in your pay check.
The scheme, described as a "tax lottery," is a government trial designed to examine how a work deduction affects employment participation. "It will provide new knowledge on how we can get more people into work," said Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
The Tax Administration says the selection process is over. It was fully random, and if you were not picked now, you cannot be selected later.
The deduction applies only to income from work, not to social security benefits.
How much can you save?
To find out if you are one of the 100,000 chosen, log in to the Tax Administration's website and check your tax card.
If you are selected, the deduction applies to work income between 210,000 kroner and 657,500 kroner.
The work allowance lets you deduct up to 125,000 kroner from your taxable income. You do not pay tax on that part of your salary. In practice, you could save up to 27,500 kroner per year. You get the full amount if your yearly income is 345,000 kroner.
If your income is higher than NOK 345,000, the deduction gradually decreases until it may hit zero at 657,500 kroner.
Tax Director Nina Schanke Funnemark warns that being chosen does not always mean you will pay less tax. "Even if you are selected, it is not certain that you will receive a lower tax," she explained. It depends on your specific financial situation, such as other deductions you may have or whether you are on a special tax scheme (like kildeskatt).
Check your card regardless
Even if you are not one of the lucky ones, it is still important to check your tax card. It uses estimates of your income, debt, and wealth, so if these are wrong, you might pay too little tax and get a tax rebate (restskatt) next year.
"My advice is that you should have a conscious relationship with your tax card. It has a major impact on your finances, but it is not updated automatically," said Schanke Funnemark.
You can check and update your tax card at skatteetaten.no. When you make changes, a new tax card is created automatically for your employer or NAV to use.
READ MORE: The key things you need to know Norway's tax deduction cards
New look
For the first time, the 2026 tax card has a new design. It now looks like the tax return (skattemeldingen) to make it easier to understand.
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