Salary, tax and banking

If you use a non-Norwegian bank account, it may take a few additional days before the payment is available in your account. Any fees charged by your bank for receiving payments in a foreign currency are your responsibility.

If you need to update your bank account details, please contact our Service Centre for Salary, Travel and Absence. 

The salary slip is digital and can be accessed in the Self-Service Portal (dfo.no) under "Payments".

Once your employment ends, you will lose access to your payslips, so be sure to download and save any copies you may need.

Learn about How to read your payslip (DFØ.no).

A tax deduction card (tax card) is an electronic document that tells your employer how much tax to deduct from your salary before it is paid to you.

Obtaining your tax card is part of your registration process. How you apply depends on your citizenship. Please go to our main page and see the relevant guide for Non-EU/EEA citizens, EU/EEA citizens, or Nordic citizens in our "Moving to Norway" step.

You can change your tax card at any point during the year if your situation changes. This is done by logging in at the Norwegian Tax Administration using your electronic ID (MinID or BankID).

If you do not have a tax card registered by the time you receive your first salary payment, Norwegian law requires UiB to deduct 50% tax from that payment as a default rate. Salaries are paid on the 12th of each month, for that same month.

This is not a penalty, but a placeholder rate that applies until your actual tax card is in place. It is a common situation among new international employees, so please do not be alarmed if it applies to you.

Once your tax card has been updated, the correct tax deduction rate will be applied to future payments. If you paid too much tax during the months when you were taxed at 50%, this will be refunded or adjusted in accordance with the tax scheme you are on. As the process differs depending on the scheme, we recommend visiting the Norwegian Tax Administration's website for further details.

Once you provided UiB with your Norwegian national identity number, UiB's only role is to retrieve your tax card electronically and deduct the amount it states.

Everything else related to your taxes is your own responsibility. This includes checking that your tax card is correct, updating it if your situation changes, and following up with the Tax Administration directly if anything looks wrong.

You can read and learn more about taxes in the following webpages:

• PAYE scheme and general tax rules. Norway has two tax schemes for foreign workers, and which one you choose will affect how much tax you pay.

• The 1-2-3 of tax in Norway. Brief introduction to the tax system.

We are unable to provide individual tax advice, as Norwegian tax rules depend on your personal circumstances. If you have questions about your tax situation, please contact the Norwegian tax administration (Skatteetaten), which offers support by phone, chat, and email.

To open a Norwegian bank account, you need a Norwegian identity number, either a temporary D number or a national identity number.

There are many banks in Norway where you can open an account, and most of the larger banks offer services in English. Some of the largest banks are DNB, Nordea, Handelsbanken, SpareBank 1, and Sparebanken Norge.

Most payments in Norway are made by card or mobile payment apps. Cash is rarely needed, and cards are accepted in nearly all shops, restaurants, and public transport services.

Online banking is the easiest way to transfer money and pay bills and is therefore recommended. For services within Norway no fees are charged. It can also be used to transfer money to a foreign bank account. However, you may also use money transfer companies or banks.

Housing loans require some form of security, for instance income or a surety. Contact your bank to find out how much you can loan and what interest rate the bank offers. Most mortgages have a variable interest rate that varies according to the market rate. The website finansportalen.no (mainly in Norwegian) offers a useful overview of current mortgage rates.

Please note that all members and pensioners belonging to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) can apply for a housing loan with advantageous rates under the housing loan agreement. You may also be granted a loan to refinance a housing loan. Read more about SPK's housing loan.