Accounting and bookkeeping in Norway

A Norwegian company keeps books through the year and closes them with annual accounts, whoever owns it. For a founder abroad the practical questions are who records invoices and bank movements each month, who prepares the year-end accounts, and who signs and files them. The Brønnøysund Register Centre sets 31 July as the filing date for a company with a calendar year, says it cannot extend the deadline, and holds the board responsible even when an accountant files on the company’s behalf.

When you compare profiles, check which bookkeeping system the firm works in and whether you get access to it. Look at the languages offered for monthly reports and calls, and at the entity types handled, since an AS and the Norwegian branch of a foreign company (NUF) are kept differently. Ask whether the year-end accounts are in the monthly fee and who answers the registry if it queries them.

Accountanty lists 34 firms in Norway that offer accounting: 31 accounting firms, two law firms and one corporate service provider. The mix runs from 14 small practices to 15 medium-sized firms and five large networks. Norwegian is offered by 31 and English by 28, Polish by five, and 29 have a foreign-client focus. Construction, real estate, start-ups and e-commerce are the sectors named most. Most sit in Oslo. Annual accounts feed the return, so see tax compliance in Norway and the Norway guide.