Selskapslønns

Selskapslønns refers to a type of remuneration that a company provides to its owners, partners or shareholders. The term is primarily used within Norwegian corporate law and tax regulation. It distinguishes payments made as salary from those paid as dividends or other forms of profit distribution.

The main characteristics of selskapslønns are that it is treated as an expense of the company for tax purposes, reducing the company’s taxable profit. For the recipient, it is treated as personal income subject to payroll taxes, such as the employer portion of social security contributions and the employee’s withholding tax. Because it is a paid salary, it must follow the same accounting rules as any other employee wage, including the need for a written employment contract, attendance records, and proper payroll documentation.

In practice, a sole proprietorship or a limited company (aksjeselskap) may elect to pay a portion of its owners’ remuneration as selskapslønns to alleviate the tax burden on dividends. However, regulatory authorities scrutinise the arrangement to ensure that the salary is justified by actual work performed and is not a means of artificially avoiding dividend taxes.

The concept facilitates flexible remuneration plans in family businesses or small partnerships, enabling owners to receive a regular income and to take advantage of the company's ability to deduct the salary expense. It also aligns with standard practice in other Scandinavian jurisdictions, where owner‑salary arrangements are common for tax optimisation under strict regulatory frameworks.