Deletion of a sole proprietorship
A sole proprietorship must be deleted if the commercial activity ceases. Until you report deletion, the authorities will assume that you have an enterprise to submit reports on, and you must continue to submit statutory forms.
Deleting a sole proprietorship from the Brønnøysund register Centre
You, as the proprietor, can delete your sole proprietorship by submitting a Coordinated register notification through Altinn. The form must be signed after you have completed it. You will receive a separate notification to sign in your inbox in Altinn.
Notify the Tax Administration
Enterprises liable to VAT must calculate, report and pay VAT on the value of remaining goods and assets when deleting the enterprise. The reporting is done through the last VAT return.
The Norwegian Tax Administration - VAT return: View, change and submit
If there are assets or inventory left in the enterprise after operations has ceased, these has to be appraised/valuated and withdrawn from the enterprise for personal use, or sold. In these cases, this must be stated in the business information statement in the appendix to the tax return.
Any revenues during the winding-up year should be reported on the tax return which you submit in the year after the income year.
The Norwegian Tax Administration — Guide on how to close down your enterprise
Liability for obligations
You and your enterprise are a single entity, and any claim against the
sole proprietorship is a claim against you. This also applies after the enterprise has been deleted. A diligent winding-up process is therefore an advantage to yourself and your financial situation.
If there are employees registered in the enterprise at the time of winding-up, you need to ensure that all employment relationships are registered with a termination date. This is done in the a-melding.
Requirements concerning the retention of documentation
You must retain all documentation of revenues and expenses for five years. This also applies after the sole proprietorship has been deleted.
How much does it cost?
It is free to report the deletion of an enterprise.
The Brønnøysund Register Centre – Closing a sole proprietorship
The Brønnøysund Register Centre – Coordinated Register Notification (downloadable variants)
