The Government has made several changes to the regulations for reporting and taxation of benefits in kind. Overall, the changes are intended to simplify how the employer should practice the regulations. The changes came into force on 1st January 2021.
Previously, gifts from the employer were only tax-free when they were part of the company’s general scheme, but after the change, the requirement has been repealed. This means that gifts from the employer can be given tax-free on any occasion.
The tax-free amount for a gift, when the gift consists of something other than a sum of money, has been increased from NOK 2,000 to NOK 5,000. It is also possible to combine the gift limit with the tax exemption for staff discounts of NOK 8,000. This means that the employee can receive tax-free staff discounts for up to NOK 13,000 every calendar year.
It has also been decided that the influenza vaccine and any pandemic vaccines covered by the employer will be tax-free from 2021.
