US taxes in Norway for Americans abroad

People say Norway is one of the best countries to live in due to its high living standards. Northern lights are not the only thing it’s known for, there is also tasty lutefisk, beautiful fjords, and many more. It is also a very good place for everyone who loves history and learning about a new culture. This is because Norway has a lot to offer. However, Norway is not only a good travel destination. There are many Americans who want to live in Norway and call it home. If you are considering moving to Norway from USA, you need to know that you are still under obligation to pay your US taxes. So what are the US taxes in Norway for Americans abroad?

When moving to Norway, you will have the title of a “tax resident” once you’ve been earning money in the country for three to six months. This means you will be paying your income tax to Norway. However, things are a little different for American citizens. Wherever in the world they live, they have to pay taxes to their home country. In case you have a pretty large income, you will be paying taxes to both Norway and the US. Tip: If you are moving to Norway and are unable to transport it yourself, you can always use international car transportation services.

Do you need to file US expat taxes in Norway?

Before we jump into the talk about filing taxes, you need to determine whether you need to do so first. According to the Internal Revenue Service, if you are a US citizen or a green card holder and if you earn more than $12,550, you will be obligated to file a tax return. That’s not all. If you earn a lot, you will need to pay taxes to both of these countries. 

What are the deadlines for US taxes in Norway for Americans abroad?

Now that you are aware of the fact that you will need to file a tax return from Norway – let’s talk about deadlines. If you want to keep everything in order and pay your taxes on time, you need to learn when are the deadlines for doing taxes. 

• Traditional Tax Filing Deadline( April 15 ) – this is a date that you already know about because it’s a deadline for filing taxes in the US
• Automatically extended deadline( June 15 ) – in case you are unable to file your taxes on time, this is one possible extension of the deadline above. The best part of it is that you don’t need to request this extension. It’s automatic. 
• Additional Extension Deadline( October 15) – unlike the previous one, this is an extension you need to request in case you are unable to file until June 15
• Last Extension Deadline( December 15) – this is the very last extension for filing that you can request from IRS. However, you will have to provide a very good explanation of why they should give you a chance to delay your filing. Remember, this is the last possible extension that you can get, so be careful. 

Tip: Even though these deadlines are on the same date every year, there is an exception. In case April 15 happens to be on a weekend or some holiday, the country will extend the deadline. What’s more, all other deadlines will be extended as well. At the beginning of the year, you can set a reminder for yourself to check this. That way, you can organize better by keeping up with all the deadlines.

US taxes in Norway

Let’s go back to the talk about your income after moving to Norway with international household movers. So, if you earn more than the said $12,550 a year, you have to file something called Form 1040. This is one of the official documents that US taxpayers can use to file their annual income tax returns. 

When you have assets abroad that are worth over $200,000( this doesn’t include your home if you register it under your name), you will be under obligation to also file Form 8938.

Do you have money in some foreign bank accounts? You need to make that clear as well. For this matter, if the money you have in that account surpasses the amount of $10,000 at whatever time during a tax year, filing a Foreign Bank Account Report is waiting for you.

You are paying income tax in Norway? There are many solutions that allow you to pay less income tax on the same income in your home country. Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is something that will allow you to not include about $100,000 of the income you earned abroad at the beginning from US tax. For this, you need to have clear and strong evidence that you are a resident of Norway. The same applies to Foreign Tax Credit. 

What if you have already spent some time in Norway and had no idea you needed to file a US tax return?

Filing taxes from foreign countries is not really something that can be considered as common knowledge. When they move to Norway with international movers USA many people don’t know about this. Even though they have already been living in Norway for a while. That’s completely fine, you don’t have to stress over it wondering how can you solve this problem. IRS Streamlined Procedure is a program that is created to help you catch up on filing your taxes. This way, you won’t be obligated to pay any penalties. What if IRS contacts you before you find out about this and take care of the matter yourself?  Make sure to pay for everything on time according to their instructions.

What about Norwegian taxes?

We talked about US taxes in Norway for Americans abroad. But what about Norwegian taxes? It is a well-known fact that Norwegian taxes are pretty high. While living in Norway, you will have to pay Norwegian income tax. If you don’t follow one of the ways of reducing US taxes on this income that we’ve previously talked about – you will have to pay that as well. As for the deadline, it’s pretty similar to the one for paying US taxes. Instead of April 15, it’s due April 30.