Norway vs Sweden.

Two countries' verified rules for an early retiree, side by side. There is no winner here: a lower cost, a wealth tax and an exit tax pull in different directions, and which ones matter is yours to weigh.

What pays for your life?

Compare the same source of money in both countries. Open the detail to see when residence starts and which values apply after a move. It also shows what the other country may tax and how the treaty handles double tax.

Income source	Norway	Sweden
Selling investments	A listed-share or equity-fund gain is effectively taxed at 37.84% after a small shielding deduction. Moving to Norway does not reset what you paid for an ordinary sale. A separate value recorded on arrival matters only if Norway later calculates exit tax.	A listed-share or fund-unit gain carries tax at 30% as capital income. Losses first offset gains, with 70% of a remaining loss normally deductible.
Dividends	Norway taxes a listed-share dividend at 37.84% after the shielding deduction. Tax may also be taken in the company's country. Norway gives credit only up to its own bill, and the treaty sets the rate in the other country.	A listed-share dividend carries tax at 30% as capital income. An investment savings account or insurance wrapper instead uses its annual deemed-return charge.
Crypto	Every private sale, swap or spend is taxed at 22%. Holding the tokens longer does not remove the tax. Staking, mining and airdrops are taxed as income when received, and the tokens also count towards annual wealth tax at full value.	Every private crypto sale, exchange or spend is a taxable disposal at 30%. Only 70% of a remaining loss is deductible.
Pension	A foreign occupational or private pension is added to your pension income. The tax can rise to 44.8%. Norway has no reduced foreign-pension rate, so the treaty decides which country taxes first and how double tax is relieved.	A foreign pension enters ordinary earned income, including municipal tax and the national band. There is no separate foreign-pension rate for new residents.
Own company	A Norwegian company pays 22% before the owner pays 37.84% on a dividend. A foreign company run from Norway can become taxable there too. Norway's NOKUS anti-deferral rule and exit tax can also reach the owner.	Close-company rules tax dividends and gains within an annual allowance at 20%. An excess can enter the progressive employment-income bands.

Full income detail: Norway

The full income picture

These are the usual rules for a resident unless a case says otherwise. A new-resident rule, tax wrapper or treaty may change one case without changing the others.

Securities and funds

37.84% after shielding

A listed-share or equity-fund gain is effectively taxed at 37.84% after a small shielding deduction. Moving to Norway does not reset what you paid for an ordinary sale. A separate value recorded on arrival matters only if Norway later calculates exit tax.

Listed shares 37.84% after shielding: Norway multiplies the gain above unused shielding by 1.72 and applies the 22% general-income rate. The same resident rule applies to Norwegian and foreign shares.
Fund and ETF units 37.84% equity; 22% bond; mixed funds split: An equity fund follows share taxation, a bond or money-market fund follows the 22% capital rate, and a mixed fund divides the two components. Tax follows the fund's composition, not a simple UCITS or listing label.
Holding period and shielding No long-holding exemption: Time held does not remove a share or fund gain. The risk-free shielding deduction can reduce dividends and gains, and unused shielding carries forward.
Losses Deductible at the adjusted share rate: Share losses receive the same 1.72 adjustment as gains, so the effective relief matches the 37.84% share rate. Unused general-income losses can carry forward.
Foreign and US listings 37.84% for equity holdings: Norway applies its share or fund rule to the resident's foreign holding. The source country rarely taxes an ordinary listed-share sale, but the treaty must settle any exception and Norway credits only tax that is actually due.
Accumulating funds No annual income tax on unsold growth; wealth tax still applies: Internal income in an accumulating fund is not taxed each year as income. Distribution or sale triggers the share or bond rule, while annual wealth tax still reaches the holding's 1 January value.

Worth checking

The shielding rate, wealth-tax thresholds and the 1.72 adjustment can move with the budget. Shares and equity funds currently enter wealth tax at 80% of market value.

Dividends

37.84% plus tax taken abroad

Norway taxes a listed-share dividend at 37.84% after the shielding deduction. Tax may also be taken in the company's country. Norway gives credit only up to its own bill, and the treaty sets the rate in the other country.

Norwegian listed dividend 37.84% after shielding: Norway taxes the dividend above shielding at the adjusted share-income rate. The domestic company does not apply the non-resident dividend withholding used for shareholders abroad.
Foreign listed dividend 37.84% plus tax taken abroad: Norway taxes the gross dividend under the adjusted share rule. The source country may take tax first. Norway gives credit only up to its own bill. If the other country took more than the treaty allows, you must reclaim the excess there.
EU/EEA company dividend No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this branch yet. Check the exact payer and treaty before relying on an EU/EEA distinction.
Third-country company dividend No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this branch yet. Use the general foreign-dividend rule and check the treaty with the company's country.
Passive or substantial holding Same personal rate: The personal shareholder model applies at every holding size. A larger stake does not replace the 37.84% dividend rate with a personal participation exemption.
Fund or ETF distribution 37.84% equity; 22% bond: Equity-fund distributions use the share rate, bond-fund distributions use 22%, and mixed funds split the payment. Accumulating internal income stays in the separate timing case.
New-resident rule No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Do not assume a new-resident exemption from the absence of a separate line.

Worth checking

The annual shielding rate and the share-income adjustment factor can both change. Recheck them for the year of receipt.

Crypto

22%

Every private sale, swap or spend is taxed at 22%. Holding the tokens longer does not remove the tax. Staking, mining and airdrops are taxed as income when received, and the tokens also count towards annual wealth tax at full value.

Sale to fiat 22%: Selling crypto for money realises a capital gain at 22%. A loss receives relief at the same rate.
Crypto-to-crypto exchange 22%: Swapping one token for another is a taxable disposal. Norway does not provide a like-kind rollover.
Spending crypto 22%: Paying another person with crypto is a realisation at market value. A transfer can contain more than one taxable event.
Holding relief and losses No holding exemption: Time held does not exempt a private crypto gain. Gains are taxable and losses deductible under the 22% capital rule.
Staking and lending 22% on receipt: Rewards are income at their receipt value. Selling the received coins later creates a second disposal calculation for the change after receipt.
Mining, validation and airdrops 22% on receipt: Rewards and airdrops are income at market value when received. Mining conducted as an enterprise follows business rules and can deduct qualifying operating costs.
Private investor or business 22% capital, or business rates: A private holder uses the capital rule. Activity that amounts to an enterprise moves into business income and can reach the higher personal-income and contribution rates.
Wealth and exit tax Full wealth-tax value; outside share exit tax: Crypto enters annual net wealth at full 1 January market value. It is not in the current share and fund exit-tax asset list.
New-resident rule No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. The crypto starting value on arrival remains a separate G2 exclusion.

Worth checking

Reporting is tightening while annual wealth tax continues to apply to the whole holding, not only a realised gain.

Pensions

Income-tax bands; top marginal rate 44.8%

A foreign occupational or private pension is added to your pension income. The tax can rise to 44.8%. Norway has no reduced foreign-pension rate, so the treaty decides which country taxes first and how double tax is relieved.

Norwegian pension Income-tax bands; top marginal rate 44.8%: Pension income combines the general rate, bracket tax and the pension national-insurance rate, with a pension tax deduction at lower incomes. The top effective marginal rate is 44.8%.
Foreign state or social-security pension Pension rates; treaty decides: Norway includes the pension as resident income. The source country may retain a right under the treaty. Norway then either gives credit or leaves the pension out of tax, depending on that treaty. EEA rules separately decide which country receives social-insurance contributions.
Foreign occupational or private pension Income-tax bands; top marginal rate 44.8%: The pension enters ordinary Norwegian pension income. The paying country may take tax only where the treaty allows it. Norway relieves double tax within the treaty limit.
Foreign government or civil-service pension Separate treaty article: Government-service pensions do not belong in the state-pension line. Their own treaty article often keeps taxation in the paying state, with the article's nationality exception capable of changing the result.
Foreign pension lump sum Pension income unless the treaty changes it: Norway generally treats a foreign lump sum as pension income. A treaty can allocate a lump sum differently, so the exact scheme and treaty still need checking.
Special foreign-pension regime No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Do not infer a special regime from the ordinary pension headline.

Worth checking

The reverse case matters too. A Norwegian pension paid after a move abroad is subject to 15% Norwegian withholding before any treaty reduction.

If you own a company

37.84% plus tax taken abroad

A Norwegian company pays 22% before the owner pays 37.84% on a dividend. A foreign company run from Norway can become taxable there too. Norway's NOKUS anti-deferral rule and exit tax can also reach the owner.

Company profit 22%: A Norwegian company pays 22% on profit before money reaches the owner. A foreign company can become Norwegian-resident if its main decisions are made in Norway. Its worldwide profit can then enter the same company-tax rate.
Distribution from a Norwegian company 37.84% after shielding: The owner pays the adjusted share-income rate on the dividend above shielding. After 22% company tax, the combined charge on distributed profit is about 51.5%.
Distribution from a foreign company 37.84% plus tax taken abroad: Norway taxes the owner under the share rule. Tax taken abroad can reduce the Norwegian bill only as far as zero. Foreign company tax does not reduce the owner's bill. The treaty sets how much the other country may take and any reclaim.
Foreign entity type Classification can accelerate tax: Norway can treat a foreign vehicle as transparent or apply NOKUS to a low-taxed controlled company. Profit can then be taxed currently rather than waiting for a payment labelled as a dividend abroad.
Ownership threshold Same dividend rate; NOKUS control test separate: Holding size does not change the individual's 37.84% dividend rate. The separate NOKUS test begins when Norwegian owners control at least half of the foreign company.
Sale of your stake 37.84%; exit tax can arise without a sale: An ordinary sale uses original cost and the adjusted share rate. Leaving Norway can tax unsold gains above the NOK 3 million deduction. Payment must be settled within the 12-year regime. The arrival value matters only to that exit calculation.
Salary or director fee Salary up to 47.4% plus employer contribution: Salary combines ordinary tax, bracket tax and employee national insurance, with employer national insurance on top. A foreign director fee follows its own treaty article and can also be taxable in the company's country.
Social and remuneration risk No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Review salary, dividends and personal work together before assuming a contribution result.
Running the company from Norway The company can become taxable in Norway: Making the main company decisions from Norway can make a foreign company Norwegian- resident and bring worldwide profit into the 22% company tax. Activity in Norway can also create a taxable business presence without moving the registered office.
NOKUS Can tax profit before a dividend is paid: When Norwegian owners control at least 50% of a company in a low-tax jurisdiction, Norway can tax their share of profit before distribution. A genuinely established EEA company can qualify for the substance carve-out.
New-resident rule No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Do not assume that moving in switches off the ordinary owner-company rules.

Worth checking

Company residence, NOKUS and exit tax can all apply to the same owner at different times. Treat them as one review, not three isolated rates.

Review the company and your personal position together before the move.

Interest and cash

22%

Bank and bond interest is capital income at 22%, with no shielding deduction or general savings allowance. Foreign interest uses the same Norwegian rate and treaty relief.

Norwegian bank or bond interest 22%: Deposit and bond interest is general capital income at 22%. The share shielding deduction does not apply.
Foreign interest 22% plus any tax taken abroad: Norway taxes the gross interest at 22%. The other country may take tax first. The treaty can reduce that amount, and Norway's credit cannot exceed its own bill.
Allowances and levies No general allowance or social levy: Interest receives no general tax-free allowance and no separate Norwegian social or health charge. The share-savings account does not shelter ordinary interest instruments.
New-resident rule No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Apply the ordinary rule unless a sourced exception is added.

Rent

22% net, or exempt for qualifying own-home letting

Net rent is generally taxed at 22%. Letting a smaller part of the home you live in can be exempt. Foreign rent is normally taxed first where the property sits, then Norway gives the treaty relief.

Property in Norway 22% net, or exempt for qualifying own-home letting: A separate let or a sufficiently large let within your home is taxed on net income at 22%. Letting less than half of the home by rental value can be exempt when you occupy the home yourself.
Property abroad 22% in Norway plus property-country tax: The country where the property sits normally taxes the rent first. Norway then applies its 22% rule. The treaty decides whether Norway adds tax, gives credit or uses the foreign rent only to set the rate on other income.
EU/EEA property branch No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this branch yet. Check the property country and treaty pair.
Rental deductions Running costs deductible; residential building not depreciated: Actual costs of earning the rent can reduce the taxable amount. A residential building is not depreciated under the ordinary individual rule. Commercial property follows a different case.

Property gains

Exempt when ownership and use tests are met

A qualifying main home can be exempt, while an investment-property gain is 22%. Foreign property is normally taxed first where it sits, with treaty relief in Norway. Moving to Norway does not reset the property cost.

Norwegian main home Exempt when ownership and use tests are met: The gain is exempt if you owned the home for more than 12 months. You must also have lived there for at least 12 of the previous 24 months. A holiday home has a separate five-of-eight-year use test and a longer ownership rule.
Norwegian investment or second property 22%: A property that meets neither the home nor the holiday-home exemption is taxed at 22% on the gain.
Foreign property Norwegian 22% rule; property-country tax first: The country where the property sits normally taxes the gain first. Norway includes the gain unless a home exemption applies. The treaty then tells Norway whether to give credit or leave the gain out. A prepayment abroad may still need to be reclaimed.
Foreign EU/EEA property branch No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this branch yet. Check the property country and treaty pair.
Foreign third-country property branch No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this branch yet. Check the property country and treaty pair.
Main-home conditions 12 months owned and 12 of 24 months occupied: The ordinary home exemption needs both ownership and use. Holiday property instead needs more than five years of ownership and use as a holiday home in five of the previous eight years.
Starting value after a move Original purchase cost: Norway's special arrival value is only for securities, not property. A later property gain still starts from the original purchase cost, while the property's country keeps its own right to tax.
New-resident rule No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Apply the ordinary resident and treaty rules unless a sourced exception is added.

Royalties

22% passive, or business rates if active

A passive royalty can be capital income at 22%, while an active licensing business can reach personal business rates and national insurance. Foreign withholding is relieved only within the treaty limit.

Norwegian royalties 22% passive, or business rates if active: A passive royalty is capital income at 22%. Ongoing creative or licensing activity carried on as a business can instead reach the business-income rates and national insurance.
Foreign royalties Norwegian tax plus tax taken abroad: Norway taxes the receipt under its passive or business category. The source country may withhold. Norway credits it only up to its own tax. Any amount above the treaty cap must be reclaimed from that country.
Which rights qualify No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown yet. Check the right and payment type before applying the royalty category.
Passive or active 22% capital or business income: A passive receipt can remain capital income. Systematic creation and exploitation of rights can become a business and bring the higher personal-income and contribution rates.
Social contributions and VAT Active work can add both: An active creator can owe self-employed national insurance, and licensing turnover can create VAT duties. This is a warning, not a calculation.

If you still work

Up to 47.4% plus employer national insurance

Employment can reach a 47.4% marginal rate before the employer contribution. Self-employment can reach 50.6%. Remote work can also create payroll, business-presence and social-security questions.

Employment in Norway Up to 47.4% plus employer national insurance: Salary combines the 22% rate, bracket tax and 7.6% employee national insurance. The employer contribution can add 14.1%.
Remote work for a foreign employer Norwegian tax; employer risk: Work performed from Norway is within Norwegian employment tax. The foreign employer can create payroll duties or a taxable business presence. The treaty decides which country taxes the workdays. An A1 certificate or another agreement separately decides social security.
Self-employment and consulting Up to 50.6% including national insurance: Self-employment combines the general rate, bracket tax and 11% self-employed national insurance.
Director fees Separate treaty article: The company country can tax a director fee under the treaty's directors article even when the person lives in Norway. Norway then applies the treaty relief.
PAYE for new foreign workers 25% including national insurance: Some new foreign workers below the scheme ceiling can use the 25% PAYE regime in the first year, with national insurance included. The person can opt into ordinary assessment if that is the applicable route.

Three terms that matter in Norway

Shielding deduction

A small annual allowance based on the amount invested. Only the dividend or share gain above it is pushed up to the effective 37.84% rate.

Wealth tax

An annual tax on net assets. It is separate from tax on income or a sale, so an asset can cost tax even when you do not sell it.

NOKUS

Norway's controlled-foreign-company rule. It can tax an owner's share of certain passive, low-taxed foreign-company profits before the company pays a dividend.

Your first tax year and starting values

Two dates matter: when your new country starts taxing you, and which value it uses to work out a later gain. Check both before you move.

When residence starts: Staying more than 183 days in the move year makes the person resident from the first day in Norway. The alternative 270-day test runs across 36 months and starts residence from 1 January of the year in which that threshold is crossed.
The arrival year: The 183-day route produces part-year worldwide taxation from the first day of presence. The 270-day route instead reaches back to the start of its qualifying year.
Dual residence: A treaty tie-breaker settles an overlap with the country left behind. Leaving can take longer than expected after 10 years of residence. Norwegian residence cannot end before the close of the third income year. The required ties must also be cut.
Listed shares and funds: Original purchase cost for an ordinary sale
Norway keeps the price you originally paid for an ordinary sale after arrival. The market value recorded on arrival is relevant only if a later exit-tax calculation needs it.
Crypto: No safe answer yet
No safe answer is shown yet. Confirm the starting value for crypto acquired before Norwegian residence before relying on a later gain calculation.
Owner-company stake: Original purchase cost for an ordinary sale
Shares in your own company keep the price you originally paid for an ordinary sale. A separate arrival value can still enter a future exit-tax computation.
Property: Original purchase cost
Norway's arrival-value rule is limited to shares and securities, so it does not reset real property. The original purchase cost remains relevant, subject to the property's own country and any home exemption.

Plain-language key

Withholding tax: Tax taken before the money reaches you, usually in the country where the payment comes from.
Tax credit: Tax already paid abroad can reduce the bill where you live. The reduction is usually capped at the local tax on that same income.
Original purchase cost: What you paid for the asset. A market-value reset replaces that figure with the asset's value when you move.
Income-tax bands: The income is added to your other taxable income. Higher total income can push part of it into a higher band.
Permanent establishment: A taxable business presence. Running a foreign company from your new home can create one even if the company remains registered abroad.

This gives you the starting rule, not your final bill. The country paying the money, your treaty, account, holding period, residence dates and activity can change the result.

Full income detail: Sweden

The full income picture

These are the usual rules for a resident unless a case says otherwise. A new-resident rule, tax wrapper or treaty may change one case without changing the others.

Securities and funds

30% flat

A listed-share or fund-unit gain carries tax at 30% as capital income. Losses first offset gains, with 70% of a remaining loss normally deductible.

Listed shares 30% flat: A resident's gain on listed shares is capital income taxed at a flat 30%, computed by the average-cost method (genomsnittsmetoden). Sale price less the average acquisition cost of all shares of the same kind. An unlisted share outside the close-company rules is instead five-sixths taxable, an effective rate of about 25%.
Fund and ETF units 30% flat: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.
Losses 70% deductible: Losses on listed shares fully offset gains on listed shares/funds. Any residual capital loss is deductible at 70% against other capital income.
Foreign and US listings 30% flat: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Accumulating funds and annual tax 30% tax on the deemed annual inclusion: Two deemed-return mechanisms apply regardless of whether a fund distributes. A Swedish-registered fund outside a wrapper includes 0.4% of its opening value as income, producing about 0.12% tax.

Worth checking

The investment-account effective rate moves with the state loan rate. Its tax-free amount rose to SEK 300,000 for 2026 and can change through annual policy.

Dividends

30% flat, treaty credit

A listed-share dividend carries tax at 30% as capital income. An investment savings account or insurance wrapper instead uses its annual deemed-return charge.

Swedish company dividend 30% flat: A Swedish listed-company dividend carries 30% tax when received outside a wrapper. An investment account or qualifying close-company holding follows a separate rule.
Foreign listed-share dividend 30% flat, treaty credit: A resident includes the gross foreign dividend in capital income at 30% and claims a credit (avraekning) for the tax taken abroad actually suffered. For this case, excess withholding above the treaty rate is not credited and must be reclaimed from the source country.
Passive or substantial holding 30% or 20% (3:12): The size of a passive stake does not change the 30% rate. A substantial holding instead brings the Swedish close-company test into view.
Fund or ETF distribution 30% flat: A fund distribution outside a wrapper carries 30% tax plus the fund's annual deemed-income inclusion. Inside an investment account or insurance wrapper, the account's deemed return replaces both.
New-resident treatment No separate rule: Sweden has no separate non-domicile or remittance-basis regime. A new resident is taxed on worldwide dividends at 30% from the start of unlimited liability.

There is no separate rule here. Use the general foreign-income case, then check what the treaty says about the country paying the money.

Crypto

30% flat

Every private crypto sale, exchange or spend is a taxable disposal at 30%. Only 70% of a remaining loss is deductible.

Sale for money 30% flat: For this case, selling crypto for kronor or other fiat is a capital disposal under 'Andra tillgangar' taxed at 30% on the gain.
Crypto-to-crypto exchange 30% flat: Exchanging one crypto for another is both a sale (of the first) and a purchase (of the second). The sale is a taxable disposal at 30%.
Spending crypto 30% flat: For this case, paying for goods or services with crypto is a disposal of the crypto at its market value, taxed at 30% on any gain since acquisition.
Holding relief and losses Loss 70% deductible: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.
Staking and lending 30% capital income: Staking rewards are treated as return on your own holding (avkastning) and taxed as capital income at 30% at the value when received. That value becomes the acquisition cost for a later disposal.
Mining, validation and airdrops Income (business or service): Depending on scale and profit motive, the activity is hobby income or business income with social charges, not flat capital income.
Private investor or business 30% capital vs business: A private holder uses the 30% capital regime. Frequent systematic trading, mining or staking run as an enterprise can instead become progressive business income with social contributions.
Wealth tax and departure tax No separate rule: Sweden has had no net wealth tax since 2007, so crypto holdings are not subject to one. The 10-year rule targets 'delaegarraetter' (shares and similar securities).
New-resident treatment No separate rule: A new resident is taxed on worldwide crypto disposals at 30% from the start.

Pensions

Ordinary income, treaty-dependent

A foreign pension enters ordinary earned income, including municipal tax and the national band. There is no separate foreign-pension rate for new residents.

Sweden pension Municipal about 32% plus national 20% over 643,000: A Swedish pension received by a resident is ordinary earned income: about 32% municipal on all of it plus 20% national tax on the part above SEK 643,000 (2026). The special elevated basic allowance applies from the year you turn 66.
Foreign state or social-security pension Ordinary income, treaty-dependent: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Foreign occupational or private pension Ordinary income, treaty-dependent: A foreign occupational or private pension/annuity received by a Swedish resident is taxed as ordinary income. Most treaties give the residence state (Sweden) the taxing right over private or occupational pensions. Check the treaty for source tax and Sweden's relief.
Foreign government or civil-service pension Treaty government-service article: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Foreign pension lump sum Ordinary income (treaty carve possible): A pension lump sum received by a resident is generally ordinary income in the year received. Some treaties treat a foreign lump sum differently from periodic pension payments (for example reserving source-state rights), so the treaty needs checking.
Special foreign-pension rule No separate rule: Sweden has no special low-rate regime for inbound foreign pensioners. For this case, new residents' foreign pensions are taxed as ordinary income.

Worth checking

Swedish non-resident tax on pensions falls from 22.5% in 2026 to 20% in 2027. The pensioner allowance and national-tax threshold reset annually.

If you own a company

30% (or 3:12 if qualified)

Close-company rules tax dividends and gains within an annual allowance at 20%. An excess can enter the progressive employment-income bands.

Company profit 20.6% corporate: The Swedish company pays corporate income tax at 20.6% on profit before any distribution.
Distribution from a Swedish company 20% band or then service income or 30%: For qualifying close-company shares, the distribution is capital income at 20% within the annual allowance. An excess can enter the employment-income bands.
Distribution from a foreign company 30% (or 3:12 if qualified): The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Foreign entity type No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Ownership threshold Close-company or qualified test: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the relevant tax event occurs.
Sale of your company stake 20% band or 30% or service income: A qualifying close-company share gain uses 20% within the annual allowance, employment-type income above it and 30% above the service cap. Non-qualifying holdings use the ordinary rates.
Salary or director fee Ordinary income plus employer contributions: Salary is ordinary employment income and the company pays about 31.42% employer social contributions. Sufficient salary can also increase the annual allowance for the 20% close-company band.
Social contributions and remuneration risk Employer social contributions about 31.42%: The close-company rules prevent active owners from converting labour income into lower-taxed dividends. The employment-income band is the main guardrail.
Running the company from Sweden Worldwide corporate tax if resident: For this case, running a foreign company day-to-day from Sweden risks making the company Swedish tax-resident (management-and-control) or creating a Swedish permanent establishment. The central owner-manager move is the classic trigger.
Controlled foreign company rules Controlled foreign companies inclusion: Sweden has controlled foreign companies rules (based on the EU anti-avoidance) that can tax a Swedish owner currently on the low-taxed passive profits of a controlled foreign company. This applies where the foreign tax is below about 55% of the Swedish level.
New-resident treatment No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

Worth checking

The close-company rules changed from 1 January 2026. Company residence and controlled-foreign-company exposure still need review when a foreign company is managed from Sweden.

Review the company and your personal position together before the move.

Interest and cash

30% flat

Bank and bond interest carries 30% capital-income tax. Inside an investment account or insurance wrapper, the annual deemed-return charge replaces it.

Sweden bank or bond interest 30% flat: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.
Foreign bank or bond interest 30% flat, treaty credit: A resident includes foreign interest in capital income at 30% and credits any tax taken abroad (usually 0% under modern treaties for interest) up to the Swedish tax on it. Check the treaty for source tax and Sweden's relief.
Allowances and extra charges 30% or the wrapper's deemed-return charge: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested each year.
New-resident treatment No separate rule: Worldwide interest taxed at 30% from the start of residence.

Rent

30% after the standard deduction

Rental income carries 30% capital-income tax. A private home receives a standard SEK 40,000 deduction plus 20% of rent. Other lets receive the SEK 40,000 deduction.

Property in Sweden 30% after the standard deduction: Rent from a private home (villa, bostadsraett, room) is capital income at 30% after a standard deduction of SEK 40,000 per property plus. A further 20% of the rent (for a bostadsraett/tenancy, actual fee costs instead).
Property abroad 30% with credit: A resident includes foreign rent in capital income at 30% under the same standard-deduction principle. The property country normally taxes first, with treaty credit in Sweden.
EU or EEA property branch No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Rental deductions SEK 40,000 standard deduction plus 20% for a private home: The key deduction is the standard SEK 40,000 per-property allowance plus 20% of the rent (own home). This rule materially wipes out tax on modest private lets.

Property gains

22% (22 or 30 taxable at 30%)

A private-residence gain carries 22% tax. Deferral is available when at least SEK 50,000 is reinvested in a qualifying replacement home in Sweden or the EEA.

Sweden main home 22% (22 or 30 taxable at 30%): The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of.
Sweden investment or second property 27% (commercial or let) approx: The privately held second/holiday residence is still a 'private residence' at 22%. A property held as an investment asset (naeringsfastighet, for example a let commercial or apartment building) is taxed on 90% of the gain at 30% = 27% effective.
Foreign property 22% (private) with credit: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the asset is sold or otherwise disposed of. The treaty can change source-country tax and relief.
Foreign EU or EEA property branch 22% plus EEA deferral: The replacement-home deferral is the material EU/EEA distinction. It applies only when the replacement home is in Sweden or another EEA country.
Foreign third-country property branch 22% (no EEA deferral): A property gain outside the EEA carries 22% tax with foreign-tax credit, but the replacement-home deferral is unavailable.
Starting value after a move Historic cost: A property owned before moving to Sweden keeps its original acquisition cost. The whole gain since original purchase (including pre-move appreciation) is within the Swedish 22% when sold as a resident, with a credit for source tax.
New-resident treatment No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

Royalties

Business or employment income

Royalties from a person's own activity are normally business or employment income with social charges. Passive or inherited royalties can instead be capital income.

Sweden royalties Business or employment income: Royalties from a person's own creative or inventive activity normally use business-income rates plus self-employed social charges. Purely passive inherited royalties can use the capital regime.
Foreign royalties Ordinary income, treaty credit: A resident includes foreign royalties in the appropriate category (usually business/employment) and credits tax taken abroad. Most modern treaties reduce royalty withholding toward 0%, and the EU Interest & Royalties directive removes intra-EU withholding tax in company cases.
Which rights qualify No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.
Passive or active Capital vs business: Active creation or exploitation is progressive business income with social charges. A genuinely passive, one-off or inherited royalty can sit in capital income at 30%.
Social contributions and value-added tax No safe answer yet: No safe answer is shown for this exact case yet. Check the facts and treaty before relying on a result.

If you still work

About 32% municipal plus 20% national over 643,000

Employment income taxed progressively (municipal about 32% plus national 20% over SEK 643,000, 2026). Non-resident/short-term work under non-resident employment tax at 22.5% (2026, 20% from 2027).

Employment in Sweden About 32% municipal plus 20% national over 643,000: A resident employee pays about 32% municipal tax on all employment income plus 20% national tax on the part above SEK 643,000 (2026). Employer social contributions (about 31.42%) are on top, paid by the employer.
Remote work for a foreign employer Income-tax bands: A Swedish resident working remotely for a foreign employer is taxed on that employment income in Sweden. The arrangement can create a Swedish permanent establishment or employer registration obligations for the foreign employer. Check the treaty for source tax and Sweden's relief.
Self-employment and consulting Ordinary income plus about 28.97% self-employed contributions: Sole-trader profit uses municipal and national income-tax rates plus about 28.97% self-employed social contributions. A business tax certificate is needed to invoice without payer withholding.
Director fees Income-tax bands: The rate line above gives the resident result. The rule is tested when the income is received.
New-resident worker rule 25% of salary exempt: Sweden's inbound-expert regime exempts 25% of qualifying salary for key personnel or workers above the salary threshold, for up to seven years.

One term that matters in Sweden

ISK

Sweden's investment savings account. It uses an annual deemed return instead of taxing each dividend and disposal inside the account.

Your first tax year and starting values

Two dates matter: when your new country starts taxing you, and which value it uses to work out a later gain. Check both before you move.

When residence starts: Residence can begin through a permanent Swedish home, a continuous stay exceeding six months, or an essential connection after earlier residence. Immigration permission is separate.
The arrival year: Sweden taxes on a part-year basis for the year of arrival/departure. You are unlimited-liable only from the day residence begins (or until it ends).
Dual residence: Continuing ties can create dual residence on arrival or departure. The treaty tie-breaker then looks at the permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode and nationality.
Shares, funds, crypto, an owner-company stake and property: Original purchase cost
The original purchase cost continues after the move. A later taxable gain can therefore include growth from before residence began.

Plain-language key

Withholding tax: Tax taken before the money reaches you, usually in the country where the payment comes from.
Tax credit: Tax already paid abroad can reduce the bill where you live. The reduction is usually capped at the local tax on that same income.
Original purchase cost: What you paid for the asset. A market-value reset replaces that figure with the asset's value when you move.
Income-tax bands: The income is added to your other taxable income. Higher total income can push part of it into a higher band.
Permanent establishment: A taxable business presence. Running a foreign company from your new home can create one even if the company remains registered abroad.

This gives you the starting rule, not your final bill. The country paying the money, your treaty, account, holding period, residence dates and activity can change the result.

At a glance.

Price it in your money

Tell me where you live now and what you spend a month, and every cost here becomes your number: the same life, priced country by country, in your own currency.

Where you live now

You spend, per month

Shown in

A guide, not a quote. I move your monthly spend by each country’s official price level (Eurostat and the World Bank, whole-economy, EU-27 = 100). No exchange rates, so it stays in your own currency. But averages hide rent and the city you pick, and changing country is rarely a straight swap. Read these as the right ballpark, then price the real thing.

Measure	Norway	Sweden
Cost of living	129	121
A €2,500-a-month life	€3,220/mo	€3,030/mo
The ×30 number it implies	€1,159,000	€1,091,000
Housing to buy	—	—
Housing to rent	€27.3/m² · Oslo	—
Housing vs the EU	0%	+12%
Entry rules
The route in	No passive-income route	No passive-income route
Golden visa	Never had one	Never had one
Years to a passport	8 yrs	8 yrs
The patterns each carries
Lower tax if you hold	no	no
Yearly tax on holdings	yes	yes
Taxes unsold gains	no	no
Exit tax	yes	no
Deals for new residents	no	no
No wealth tax	no	yes
Private crypto gains can be exempt	no	no
Resident dividend tax at 10% or less	no	no
Foreign pension rule or regime	no	no

A “yes” is not a point scored: “no wealth tax” and “exit tax on leaving” pull opposite ways. Read the column against your own plan, not as a score.

Price the same life in each: Norway · Sweden

The tax rules, in full.

Norway

The wealth tax starts early, and follows you out.

Wealth tax

An annual wealth tax of about 1.0–1.1% above roughly NOK 1.9 million, with listed equities counted at 80% of value. That threshold arrives long before a FIRE-sized portfolio does. And an annual wealth tax is, in effect, a permanent extra withdrawal your plan has to fund.

Exit tax

Norway enacted its own exit regime: unrealised gains above a deduction of roughly NOK 3 million are taxed when you move away, settled within twelve years.

Worth watching

Thresholds and valuation discounts move with budgets and coalitions.

The full Norway page

Sweden

One small flat tax on the pot, and gains stop mattering.

Wealth tax

None. Abolished in 2007.

Worth watching

The tax-free floor doubled in 2026 and can move again with budgets.

The full Sweden page

Other comparisons

Denmark vs Sweden

None of this is tax or investment advice: it's education, kept deliberately at the level that survives fact-checking. Rules shift with every budget round; the specifics of your situation belong with a licensed adviser in your country. I'm happily not one.

Norway verified 8 July 2026 · Sweden verified 8 July 2026. What's changed on the map

Bring me a challenge.

The Exit Audit, then ninety minutes: a straight verdict, real alternatives with their pros and cons, and your first move. If you want someone to nod along, I’m the wrong person to pay.

See how it works →

Ninety minutes, online, €600. The Exit Audit included.