💰 Paying Yourself from a Norwegian Company: Salary or Dividends?

If you own a Norwegian AS (limited company) – especially if you’re the sole shareholder – you have flexibility in how you pay yourself. But you also have responsibility to do it right.

👉 Should you take a salary, dividends, or both?

Let’s break it down:

✅ Salary

• Gives you pension rights and sick leave benefits
• Counts as a cost for the company
• Must include employer tax (~14.1%)
• Taxed as personal income (marginal rate can be high)

✅ Dividends

• Taken from the company’s net profit after tax
• No employer tax or pension base
• Taxed as shareholder income: currently 37.84% (2025)
• Must be formally decided in a general meeting and registered in Altinn
• Requires approved annual accounts and sufficient retained earnings

📌 What most people do:
Pay a modest salary to secure basic benefits – and take the rest as dividends if profits allow. This gives a balanced tax outcome.

⚠️ But beware:

• Dividends can’t be taken if the company is in financial trouble
• If you mix private and company money, you risk tax penalties
• Everything must be properly documented

🟢 I can guide you through the process – from planning the right payout strategy, to reporting everything correctly to Norwegian authorities.