NAV and Norway's National Insurance – child benefit, parental benefit, sick pay and pension

In Norway, NAV handles child benefit, parental benefit, sick pay, unemployment benefit and pensions. Membership of the National Insurance Scheme decides what you can claim, and key amounts rose in 2026 – here is who qualifies, what you get and where to start.

NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) calculates sick pay, parental benefit and pensions from grunnbeløpet (the National Insurance basic amount, known as G). On 1 May 2026, G rose to NOK 136,549, up 4.9085 per cent from NOK 130,160. Child benefit rose too, to NOK 2,012 per child per month from 1 February 2026 – its second increase within a year.

Everything starts with folketrygden (the National Insurance Scheme). Membership is not decided by your citizenship, by registration in folkeregisteret (the National Population Register) or by where you pay tax, but by the National Insurance Act and any social security agreement that covers you.

Am I a member of Norway's National Insurance Scheme?

As a rule, you are a member as a resident if your stay lasts, or is intended to last, at least 12 months – from the day you arrive. Anyone who works in Norway is a mandatory member, whatever the length of stay. As a resident member, you can stay abroad for up to 12 consecutive months and keep your membership.

Within the EEA, the EEA Agreement coordinates social security and takes precedence over Norwegian law and other agreements. Norway also has a Nordic Convention on Social Security and bilateral agreements with countries including the US, Canada, Australia, India, the UK, Turkey and Israel. According to NAV, such an agreement may make up for too short a period of residence in Norway.

Your situation	Membership
Moving for at least 12 months	Resident member from your date of entry
Working in Norway, any length of stay	Mandatory member
Under 12 months, not working, strong ties to Norway	You may apply for voluntary membership
Resident member going abroad	Membership kept for up to 12 consecutive months
Covered by the EEA Agreement or a bilateral agreement	The agreement may make up for a short residence period

Source: NAV, read 23 September 2026.

How much is child benefit (barnetrygd) in Norway?

Barnetrygd (child benefit) is NOK 2,012 a month for each child aged 0–18 from 1 February 2026; from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026 it was NOK 1,968. It is paid from the month after the birth, or after the conditions are met, through the month before the child turns 18.

After a move, the whole family must live in Norway, you must be staying more than 12 months, and you must be registered in folkeregisteret with a residence permit or other legal residence. EEA citizens who work in Norway may qualify even for a shorter stay. Apply early: NAV normally pays back only three months before your application date – up to three years in exceptional cases, such as when NAV gave you wrong information.

Kontantstøtte (cash-for-care benefit) is for children aged 13 to 19 months who are not in barnehage (kindergarten) full-time, for up to seven months per child. If the child lives with both parents, both generally need at least five years' membership of the National Insurance Scheme or a similar EEA scheme – check that before you count on it.

Benefit, 2026	Per month	Who
Child benefit	NOK 2,012 per child	Children aged 0–18
Finnmark and Svalbard supplement	NOK 512 per child, on top	Finnmark, Svalbard and seven northern Troms municipalities
Cash-for-care benefit, full rate	NOK 7,500	Children aged 13–19 months not in barnehage full-time
Cash-for-care benefit, part-time barnehage	NOK 1,500–6,000	Depends on the hours granted, not the hours used

Source: NAV, read 23 September 2026.

How does parental benefit (foreldrepenger) work in Norway?

Foreldrepenger (parental benefit) replaces your pay while you are at home with a new child. To qualify, you need pensionable income in at least six of the last ten months and must have earned at least half G – NOK 68,275 a year, according to NAV. The benefit covers income up to six times G, NOK 819,294. Loans and grants from Lånekassen (the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund) do not count; a student without other income can apply for engangsstønad (a one-off grant) instead.

For a child born on or after 1 July 2024, you choose between 49 weeks at 100 per cent of pay and 61 weeks and one day at 80 per cent. At 100 per cent, three weeks before the birth are reserved for the mother. She must take the first six weeks straight after the birth, and they cannot be combined with work or holiday. Every week must be used before the child turns three.

Period	At 100 per cent	At 80 per cent
Mother's quota	15 weeks	19 weeks
Father's or co-mother's quota	15 weeks	19 weeks
Shared period	16 weeks	20 weeks and 1 day
Total for one child	49 weeks	61 weeks and 1 day
Extra for twins	17 weeks	21 weeks and 1 day
Extra for triplets or more	46 weeks	57 weeks and 3 days

Source: NAV, read 23 September 2026.

What do I get from NAV if I am sick or lose my job?

Sykepenger (sickness benefit) replaces 100 per cent of your income up to 6G, NOK 819,294 – the only NAV benefit that does. As an employee you qualify after at least four weeks of work, with an annual income of at least half G. Your employer pays for the first 16 days of sick leave, then NAV takes over.

Under 67, the maximum is 52 weeks, full or partial; after that, other schemes such as work assessment allowance may apply. Between 67 and 70 the limit is 60 days, and only with income above 2G (NOK 273,098); from 70 there is none.

Dagpenger (unemployment benefit) requires that you have lost at least 50 per cent of your working hours and some or all of your income, are under 67, and earned at least NOK 204,824 (1.5G) in the last 12 months or NOK 409,647 (3G) over the last 36. Resign without what NAV considers a reasonable reason, and nothing is paid for the first 18 weeks.

Benefit	Condition	Who pays
Sick pay, first 16 days	At least four weeks of work	Your employer
Sickness benefit	Annual income of at least half G	NAV – full pay up to NOK 819,294, at most 52 weeks under 67
Unemployment benefit	Lost at least half your hours; under 67; NOK 204,824 in 12 months or NOK 409,647 in 36	NAV – 18-week wait if you resign without reasonable reason

Source: NAV, read 23 September 2026.

To register as a jobseeker you must live legally in Norway and log in with an electronic ID such as BankID; without one, go to your local NAV office. You then confirm every 14 days that you want to stay registered.

How does the Norwegian pension system work?

The alderspensjon (retirement pension) from the National Insurance Scheme can be drawn from the month after your 67th birthday, or from 62 if your rights are high enough. If you were born in 1963 or later, 18.1 per cent of your pensionable income up to 7.1G is added to your pension balance each year, and you keep building rights until the end of the year you turn 75. You can draw 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100 per cent and keep working.

Every employer must also provide tjenestepensjon (occupational pension); in a defined-contribution scheme it saves at least 2 per cent of your salary. In parts of the public and private sectors, AFP (contractual pension) offers early retirement from 62.

What to do now

Step	What	When
1	Check your National Insurance membership: resident, working or voluntary	Before you move
2	Get an electronic ID such as BankID (part 4)	In your first weeks
3	Apply for child benefit	Soon after registration – back pay covers three months
4	Choose 100 or 80 per cent parental benefit	Before the birth; use it before the child turns three
5	Call NAV on (+47) 55 55 33 33 – press 9 for English	Weekdays 09:00–15:00
6	Rights in two countries? NAV International, (+47) 21 07 37 00	When an agreement applies to you

Source: NAV, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no
• NAV · nav.no

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.