Does Norway have an inheritance tax in 2026?

No. Norway abolished its inheritance and gift tax (arveavgift) with effect from 1 January 2014. Any inheritance or gift received from that date is free of inheritance/gift tax regardless of the amount or your relationship to the deceased.

Are there any thresholds or exemptions I need to worry about?

Not for inheritance tax, because the tax no longer exists. Before 2014 there were tax-free thresholds and lower rates for close family, but those bands are now historical. There is no minimum or maximum amount that triggers Norwegian inheritance tax today.

So is inherited wealth completely tax-free in Norway?

The transfer itself is free of inheritance tax, but it is not always tax-free forever. Under the continuity principle (kontinuitetsprinsippet) you generally inherit the deceased's original purchase price as your cost basis, so capital-gains tax may apply later when you sell inherited shares or property.

What about the deceased person's wealth tax?

Norway still levies an annual net wealth tax (formuesskatt) on individuals above a threshold. That is a tax on the holder's ongoing net worth, not on the act of inheriting, so it affects you only if your own total wealth after inheriting crosses the wealth-tax threshold.

Does this apply to non-residents inheriting from a Norwegian estate?

The absence of an inheritance tax applies to the Norwegian side. Your own country of residence may tax the inheritance under its rules, so a UK, US or other resident should check local inheritance or estate tax law even though Norway charges nothing.

Norway Inheritance Tax Calculator

A Norway inheritance tax calculator that gives the short, accurate answer most people are looking for: Norway has no inheritance tax. The inheritance and gift tax known as arveavgift was abolished with effect from 1 January 2014. Whether you inherit a small cash gift or a multi-million-kroner estate, and whether you are a spouse, child or a complete stranger to the deceased, no Norwegian inheritance tax is due on the transfer.

How it works

Before 2014 Norway taxed inheritances on a sliding scale with a tax-free threshold and lower rates for close family. That entire regime was repealed. There is now no threshold, no rate table and no relationship-based exemption to apply — the tax rate is simply 0% on the value transferred.

What replaced it is the continuity principle (kontinuitetsprinsippet). Instead of taxing the transfer, Norway lets you step into the deceased’s tax position: you generally inherit their original cost basis for assets such as shares and property. This matters later — when you eventually sell an inherited asset, your capital gain is measured from the deceased’s purchase price, not from the value at death, so capital-gains tax (currently around 22% on ordinary gain, with adjustments for share income) can apply at that point.

Inheritance tax due in Norway = value × 0% = 0. The cost basis carries over, so plan for capital-gains tax only when you sell.

Notes and worked example

Suppose you inherit a holiday cabin worth 3,000,000 NOK that your parent bought for 900,000 NOK. On receiving it you pay no inheritance tax. However, your cost basis for future capital-gains purposes is the inherited 900,000 NOK, not the current 3,000,000 NOK — so if you later sell for 3,200,000 NOK you may face capital-gains tax on roughly 2,300,000 NOK of gain (subject to primary-residence and use exemptions).

Two things still to keep in mind: Norway’s annual net wealth tax may apply to your own worldwide net worth after you inherit, and your country of residence may tax the inheritance even though Norway does not. This tool covers only the Norwegian inheritance-tax position and runs entirely in your browser.

Norway Inheritance Tax Calculator

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How it works

Notes and worked example