Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations supports the complete Norwegian VAT reporting process, including generating the VAT return, validating it against the Norwegian Tax Administration’s business rules, submitting it electronically to Altinn, and downloading the final receipt.

In my previous article, Configure Direct VAT Return Submission to Altinn in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations: ID-porten and Samarbeidsportalen, I explained the technical and administrative activities required to establish the integration.

This article focuses on the next step in the journey: creating, validating, and submitting a Norwegian VAT return to Altinn using Electronic Messages (EM) in D365FO.

According to Microsoft, the VAT return submission process in D365FO is built on the Electronic Messaging framework and follows a structured workflow that includes:

1. Create a message
2. Collect sales tax payments
3. Mark the message as ready
4. Preview the VAT return
5. Generate the VAT return
6. Validate the VAT return
7. Submit the VAT return
8. Download attachments and confirmations

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that:

• Direct submission to Altinn has been configured.
• ID-Porten authentication is working correctly.
• Samarbeidsportalen integration has been created and activated.
• Electronic Messaging configuration for Norwegian VAT returns has been imported.
• VAT reporting configuration is configured and tested.

If you have not completed these steps, refer to my previous article:

Configure Direct VAT Return Submission to Altinn in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations: ID-Porten and Samarbeidsportalen.

Step 1: Create a New VAT Return Message

Navigate to: Tax > Inquiries and Reports > Electronic Messages > Electronic Messages

Click on “New” and Select the NO VAT Create message on Action field from.

Step 2: Specify Message VAT Reporting Period

On the Messages FastTab, enter the reporting period in the From date and To date fields and optionally, enter an internal description for the message.

The description is intended for internal identification and is not included in the VAT return sent to the Norwegian Tax Administration.

• Description: Enter a clear description for the Norwegian VAT return
  
  Best practice: Use a consistent description containing the reporting period and legal entity. This makes it easier to locate previous submissions and supporting attachments. For example: VAT 01.09.2026 – 31.10.2026.

• From date: Enter the first date of the VAT reporting period.
• To date: Enter the last date of the VAT reporting period.

Step 3: Collect Sales Tax Payments

After creating the message, the relevant sales tax payment transactions must be connected to it.

Select the newly created message and then:

1. Select Collect data on the Messages FastTab.
2. Confirm that NO VAT Collect sales tax payments is selected.
3. Select OK.

D365FO collects the posted sales tax payment lines that fall within the period defined on the Electronic Message. The collected records are displayed on the Message items FastTab.

Review the collected records and confirm that:

• The expected VAT settlement transactions are included.
• The reporting period is correct.
• The amounts correspond with the general ledger and VAT reconciliation.
• The message was created in the correct legal entity.

Important: Complete the VAT reconciliation before generating the final XML file. Correcting transactions after submission can require an amended VAT return.

*Optional* Add a Note to the VAT Return

The Norwegian VAT return XML structure supports predefined notes and a free-text note.

To add a predefined note:

1. Select the Electronic Message.
2. Open the Message additional fields FastTab.
3. Locate NO VAT Note for VAT return.
4. Select the appropriate value in the Field value column.

To add a free-text note:

1. Select fritekstnotat in the NO VAT Note for VAT return field.
2. Select Attachments.
3. Select New > Note.
4. Enter the required explanation.

The free text note can contain a maximum of 4,000 characters and is included in the generated VAT return XML file. A note may be useful when the submitted values require additional clarification for the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Step 4: Mark the Message as Ready

After collecting and reviewing the sales tax payment transactions, update the message status to indicate that it is ready for report generation.

Select the Electronic Message and then:

1. Select Update status.
2. Confirm that the following action is selected: NO VAT Ready to generate VAT return
3. Select OK.

The Generate report button is now available.

If additional transactions must be collected, use Update status to return the message to: NO VAT New message created

You can then collect the data again before continuing.

Step 5: Preview the VAT Return in Excel

Before creating the official XML file, preview the VAT return in Microsoft Excel.

This is an important control step because it allows the finance team to review the VAT declaration in a readable format before validation and submission.

Select the Electronic Message and then:

1. Select Generate report.
2. Select NO VAT Preview VAT return in Excel.
3. For reporting periods with a high volume of tax transactions, enable Batch processing under Run in the background.
4. Select OK.
5. Open Attachments.
6. Select VAT return preview.xls.
7. Select Open.

Generating the Excel preview does not change the message status. Therefore, the preview can be generated multiple times when required.

During the review, compare the VAT return with:

• The sales tax payment report
• General ledger balances
• VAT reconciliation documentation
• Previous VAT periods, where relevant
• Any manual adjustments or correction transactions

Best Practice: Before generating and submitting the VAT return, run the Report sales tax for settlement period report and verify that all VAT amounts, taxable bases, and reporting boxes are correct. The report should be thoroughly reviewed and reconciled against the General Ledger and supporting VAT documentation.

It is highly recommended not to execute the “Settle and post sales tax” process until the report has been validated and all discrepancies have been resolved. Once the sales tax settlement is posted, correcting errors may require additional adjustment transactions and potentially corrective VAT reporting.

As an additional control, many organizations require a second finance user to review and approve the Report sales tax for settlement period output before the VAT settlement and subsequent Altinn submission process are performed.

⚠️ Important

The Report sales tax for settlement period report should be considered the primary validation checkpoint in the VAT reporting process. If the report does not show the expected values, do not proceed with Settle and post sales tax. Investigate and resolve any VAT posting, setup, or reconciliation issues before continuing with the VAT return generation and Altinn submission.

Step 6: Generate the VAT Return XML File

After reviewing and approving the Excel preview, generate the official VAT return XML file.

Select the Electronic Message and then:

1. Select Generate report.
2. Select NO VAT Generate VAT return.
3. Enable Batch processing when the reporting period contains a large number of tax transactions.
4. Select OK.

After successful generation:

• The message status changes to NO VAT Return XML generated.
• The file mvamelding.xml is attached to the Electronic Message.

Open Attachments to review or download the generated XML file.

The mvamelding.xml file contains the structured VAT return that will first be sent to the Norwegian Tax Administration’s validation service and, after successful validation, submitted to Altinn.

Important: Do not manually modify the generated XML file. Any changes made directly to the XML file will not be reflected in the underlying VAT data and may lead to inconsistencies. All corrections should be made in D365FO, followed by regeneration of the VAT return before validation and submission to Altinn.

Step 7: Validate the VAT Return

Before the VAT return can be submitted to Altinn, it must pass the business validation performed by the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Select the message with the status NO VAT Return XML generated and then:

1. Select Send report.
2. Confirm that NO VAT Send validation request is selected.
3. Select OK.

D365FO automatically runs a sequence of actions that:

• Sends mvamelding.xml to the Tax Administration validation API.
• Receives the validation response in valideringsresultat.xml.
• Imports and interprets the response.
• Updates the Electronic Message status.
• Prepares the request required for the Altinn submission stage.

If validation is successful, the status changes to: NO VAT Return validated and ready to upload

If errors are detected, the status changes to: NO VAT Error VAT return validation

Step 8: Submit the VAT Return to Altinn

After the VAT return passes validation, it can be submitted to Altinn.

Select the Electronic Message and then:

1. Select Send report.
2. Confirm that NO VAT Send request to create instance is selected.
3. Select OK.

D365FO runs the predefined submission sequence automatically. Behind the scenes, the system:

• Creates an Altinn submission instance.
• Imports the instance information.
• Generates the technical konvolutt.xml file.
• Uploads konvolutt.xml.
• Uploads mvamelding.xml.
• Completes the transfer and submission.
• Requests the processing status.
• Imports the feedback response.
• Downloads the final validation result.
• Updates the Electronic Message status.

Microsoft uses the Altinn3-App API for the instance creation and submission activities.

When Feedback Is Not Immediately Available

The Norwegian Tax Administration might require additional time to process the submitted VAT return and make the final feedback available to D365FO.  In this situation, the Electronic Message receives the following status: NO VAT Feedback not provided status

This is not necessarily an error. It indicates that the mvamelding.xml file has been transferred and the VAT return submission has been completed through Altinn, but D365FO has not yet received the final processing and validation feedback from the Norwegian Tax Administration.

From an operational perspective, this status may be considered the last step in Dynamics 365 Finance, provided that an authorized user independently verifies the submission in Skatteetaten:

If the VAT return is visible as successfully submitted in Skatteetaten, the user can classify the process as completed, even though the final feedback has not yet been imported into the Electronic Message.

However, for a complete status and audit trail in Dynamics 365 Finance, it is recommended to wait approximately five to ten minutes and then:

1. Wait approximately five to ten minutes.
2. Select Send report again.
3. Confirm that NO VAT Send feedback status request is selected.
4. Select OK.

When the submission has been completed successfully, the message status changes to: NO VAT SUCCESSFUL VAT return submission to the Tax Administr

Important: NO VAT Feedback not provided status confirms that final feedback was not available when D365FO requested it. It should not, by itself, be interpreted as confirmation that the Norwegian Tax Administration has finally accepted the VAT return. The submission should either be verified directly in Skatteetaten or followed up by requesting the final feedback again in D365FO.

Step 9: Download the Receipt and Payment Information

After a successful submission, Dynamics 365 Finance can retrieve two important documents:

Document	File	Purpose
Submission receipt	kvittering.pdf	Evidence that the VAT return was received and processed
Payment information	betalingsinformasjon.xml	Payment-related information returned for the submitted VAT return

To download these attachments:

1. Select the successfully submitted Electronic Message.
2. Select Send report.
3. Select either:
   • NO VAT Download receipt, or
   • NO VAT Download payment information
4. Select OK.
5. Open Attachments.
6. Select kvittering.pdf or betalingsinformasjon.xml.
7. Select Open.

The selected file is attached directly to the Electronic Message, creating a complete audit trail together with the generated VAT return, validation results, submission responses, and final receipt.

Best practice: Retain the PDF receipt together with the VAT reconciliation and approval documentation for the reporting period.

Important Electronic Message Statuses

The following table summarizes the main statuses that users will encounter during the process.

Status	Meaning	Recommended action
NO VAT New message created	The Electronic Message has been created	Enter the period and collect data
NO VAT Ready to generate VAT return	Data collection and review are complete	Preview or generate the report
NO VAT Return XML generated	mvamelding.xml has been created	Send the validation request
NO VAT Return validation passed successfully	The Tax Administration validation was successful	Submit the VAT return
NO VAT Error VAT return validation	The generated VAT return failed validation	Review the HTML error attachment, correct the data, and regenerate
NO VAT Feedback not provided status	Final feedback is not yet available	Wait five to ten minutes and send the feedback request again
NO VAT SUCCESSFUL VAT return submission to the Tax Administr	The VAT return was successfully submitted	Download the receipt and payment information
NO VAT Error validation of uploaded VAT return	An error was identified after upload	Review the final validation response and action log

Conclusion

Submitting a Norwegian VAT return directly from Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations provides a controlled and traceable process from VAT settlement through final Altinn receipt.

The Electronic Messages framework connects the functional VAT reporting process with the technical services provided by the Norwegian Tax Administration and Altinn. It manages the generated files, validation responses, submission statuses, payment information, and receipt within one process.

The complete solution can therefore be viewed as two connected stages:

1. Configuration and integration: Establish ID-porten authentication, Samarbeidsportalen integration, Electronic Reporting configurations, Electronic Messages, and access tokens.
2. Periodic VAT submission: Create the message, collect transactions, review the return, generate the XML file, validate it, submit it to Altinn, and download the final receipt.

By completing the configuration described in the previous article and following the operational steps in this guide, Norwegian organizations can manage VAT reporting directly from Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations with a clear audit trail and reduced manual handling.

If you have questions regarding this setup, feel free to comment. This guide is intended to support both the Dynamics 365 community and Norwegian customers in achieving a compliant VAT submission process.

References

• DynFOTech: Configure Direct VAT Return Submission to Altinn in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations: ID-porten and Samarbeidsportalen
• Microsoft Learn: Submit a VAT return to the Altinn web service