We consider the Schrödinger equation for the harmonic oscillator$i$$∂$_{$t$}$u$=$Hu$, where$H$=−Δ+|$x$|^{2}, with initial data in the Hermite–Sobolev space$H$^{−$s$/2}$L$^{2}(ℝ^{$n$}). We obtain smoothing and maximal estimates and apply these to perturbations of the equation and almost everywhere convergence problems.