Benefits
Disability benefit
Ensures an income if your earning capacity is reduced due to illness or injury.
There is also information on disability benefit for physicians and dentists or other healthcare professional.
Contents
In this chapter
To be eligible for disability benefit, illness or injury must be the main reason why you have reduced work and earning capacity.
In addition, you must generally meet the following criteria:
- You must be between 18 and 67 years old.
- You must have been a member of the national insurance scheme in the last 5 years before you became ill or injured.
- Your work or earning capacity must be reduced by at least 50 percent.
Your ability to work must also be clarified. This means that you must have completed
- appropriate treatment that can improve your ability to work
- vocational rehabilitation to improve your earning capacity and clarify how much you are able to work
To be granted rights as a young disabled person, the following three conditions apply:
- You were under 26 years old when you became seriously and permanently ill.
- A doctor or specialist has fully documented that the illness led to disability before you were 26 years old.
- You apply for disability benefits before the age of 36, if you have been more than 50 percent active in work after the age of 26.
Some circumstances have lower requirements for how much your work capacity must have been reduced.
If you receive work assessment allowance at the time of your application for disability benefit, it is sufficient that your earning capacity is permanently reduced by at least 40 percent.
If your disability was caused by an approved occupational injury or illness it is sufficient that your earning capacity has been permanently reduced by at least 30 percent.
If you have previously lived or worked in Norway, you are free to apply for disability benefit from Norway, regardless of in which country you are resident. If you are resident in an EEA country, the application shall be sent to the Social Security authorities in the EEA country where you live.
You cannot receive AFP in the private sector at the same time you receive disability benefit from Nav. To be granted disability benefit, you must give up your AFP and the right to AFP permanently.
You cannot once again receive AFP at a later time. This applies regardless of whether you are granted full or graded disability benefit.
Which is most beneficial for me?
You must choose between
- Disability benefit from Nav and if applicable retirement pension if your degree of disability is less than 100 percent, or
- AFP and retirement pension
The two alternatives will lead to different payments per month, because
- retirement pension/AFP and disability benefits are different forms of financial support
- tax on the two alternatives is calculated differently. You can calculate your tax (Skatteetaten).
- you can have the right to disability benefit from occupational pension schemes and private disability insurance if you are granted disability benefit. You should contact your insurance providers to clarify your rights
The choice that you make also determines how much you can earn in addition to the pension:
- If you choose disability benefit, payments will be reduced if you receive income that exceeds the income limit.
- If you choose AFP, you are free to combine retirement pension and AFP with employment income.
Contact Nav for help to assess which alternative is most beneficial to you
You can contact us by telephone +47 55 55 33 344 help to assess which choice is best for you. You can also write to us directly online, choose the subject Pensioner. You will then receive a letter from Nav with more detailed information. You will also receive an overview of what you will receive in pension if you choose the one or other alternative.
How to give up the right to AFP in the private sector
if you have applied for disability benefit from Nav and wish to give up AFP in the private sector, you must inform Nav in good time. You must also notify Nav if you choose to retain AFP. You can write to us directly online, choose the subject Pensioner, or send a letter to us. Remember to state your date of birth/ID no. Send the letter to:
Nav Familie- og pensjonsytelser, PB 6600 Etterstad, 0607 OSLO, Norway.
We use the income you have had over the last few years before you became ill or injured when we calculate your disability benefit:
Disability benefit is 66% of the average of your pensionable income in the best 3 of the last 5 years before you became ill. Income from previous years will be adjusted up to current value.
It is only annual income up to 6 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount (G) that is included when we calculate disability benefit. At present this is NOK 744,168.
Cash benefits for care and foster care allowance (in Norwegian) will be calculated as income.
Other circumstances of significance
The length of time you have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme, unpaid care work or if disability benefit is due to an occupational injury can have an impact when we calculate your disability benefit.
Disability benefit will be adjusted for your length of membership in the National Insurance Scheme. We differentiate between actual and future length of membership.
Actual length of membership is the period from when you became 16 years old until you became disabled. In addition, we calculate future length of membership for the period from when you became disabled up to and including the year you are 66 years old.
Full length of membership is 40 years. If you have lived in Norway all of your life you normally have full length of membership.
If you have had unpaid care work (in Norwegian), for example care for children under the age of six or care for sick, elderly or disabled persons, this may have an impact when we calculate your disability benefit.
Have you received disability benefit due to an approved occupational injury or illness? In such case, disability benefit will be calculated based on separate rules if this is favourable to you.
The right to a minimum payment
If you have low or no income, you have in any case the right to a basic rate of disability benefit, if this gives you a higher payment than what you have accrued.
The minimum payment you can receive depends on whether you are single, or live with a spouse, partner or co-habitee. Minimum payment will be reduced if you have reduced National Insurance Scheme membership in Norway.
If you live with a spouse, partner or co-habitee, you are guaranteed an annual disability benefit of 2.329 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 288,861.
If you live with a spouse, partner or co-habitee, and receive disability benefit which is a converted disability pension, you are guaranteed an annual disability benefit of 2.379 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 295,063.
If you are single, the annual disability is 2.529 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 313,667.
Rights as a young disabled person
If you are receiving disability benefit with rights as a «young disabled person», the disability benefit will be calculated according to separate rules, if this gives you a higher disability benefit amount. Young disabled persons are guaranteed a higher minimum rate than others.
Your civil status determines how much you can receive as a minimum rate as a young disabled person:
If you live with a spouse, partner or co-habitee, the minimum annual payment is 2.709 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 335,992.
If you are a young single person, the minimum annual disability benefit is 2.959 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 366,999.
Payments in connection with rights as a young disabled person apply from the age of 20.
Minimum rates disability benefit
See overview of rates for minimum annual payments for disability benefit.
Rates for minimum annual disability benefit. Rates in effect from 1 July 2024.
Type of rate | Amount per year |
---|---|
Ordinary rate (living with spouse, registered or cohabitant partner) – 2.329 G | NOK 288,861 |
Ordinary rate for young disabled person (living with spouse, registered or cohabitant partner) – 2.709 G | NOK 335,992 |
High rate (single disabled person) – 2.529 G | NOK 313,667 |
High rate for young disabled person (single disabled person) – 2.959 G | NOK 366,999 |
Stay in an institution
If you are admitted to an institution for a period this can have an impact on your disability benefit.
If you are admitted to a state institution with free board and lodging, you will be paid full disability benefit for the month you are admitted and for the 3 following months. If your stay is longer than this, the amount of disability benefit will be reduced. In the month you are discharged you will again receive full payment of disability benefit.
Payment of disability benefit will not be reduced during your stay if you
- provide for a spouse and/or children under the age of 18
- have regular and necessary expenses for housing. You can apply to Nav to retain a part of the disability benefit to cover your housing expenses during your stay
- have leave or remedial training, so that you stay half the time or more outside the institution. Then you can apply to Nav to get keep the full disability benefit.
If you are admitted to a somatic hospital for treatment of physical illness, disability payments will not be reduced.
If you are serving a period of imprisonment in a jail or other institution, you will receive disability benefit in the month you begin serving your sentence and for the following month. Thereafter, payment of disability benefit will cease. Payment will begin again in the month you are released.
If you are providing for children you will however receive 50% of disability benefit.
If you are not serving a sentence in jail, but can remain at home whilst serving the sentence, disability benefit will not be reduced. This applies for example in a case of community service, suspended sentence or parole.
If you have previously been a member of a public service pension scheme, you can also have the right to disability pension if you are granted disability benefit.
In such case you will receive two separate payments, one from Nav and one from the pension scheme you have via your employer, for example Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) or Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (KLP).
In this chapter
Before you apply, you must have clarified with Nav that you cannot be employed. At the Nav office, you can get the guidance you need to apply.
If you are partially employed, you must attach the income form to your application.
Income information if you are partially employed
If you are partially employed as an employee, self-employed worker or farmer, Nav must have income information.
Employee
You must contact your employer, who must fill in an income form, print it and send you along with a copy of the last pay slip.
Self-employed workers an employees of own limited company
As the applicant, print the form out and send it to your auditor, etc. for signing. The auditor must return the form to you, so that you can include it with your application.
Farmer
You as the applicant must fill out the form, print it and send it to the auditor or similar for signature. The auditor must return the form to you so that you can attach it to your application.
Application for child supplement to the disability benefits
You can apply for the child supplement to your disability benefit if you provide for children under the age of 18.
If you are partially employed, you must attach the income form to your application.
Application for survivor supplement
If your cohabitant or spouse dies, you may be entitled to a survivor supplement.
Processing time for applications
The processing time is the time from when we receive your application until we have made a decision. Remember that we need all the necessary documentation to process your application.
Case concerns | Expected case processing time |
---|---|
Application for disability benefits | 5 months |
Application for child allowance | 4 months |
International application - living abroad | 20 months |
Have you received a decision from us that you think is wrong? You can complain to the Nav Unit that issued the decision. They will reassess your case. If they do not agree with your complaint, they will forward it to the Nav Appeals Management Unit.
Complain about a decision
The decision will have information about how to proceed if you want to complain, where to send your complaint and the term of complaint. If you have questions about the decision, you can contact us.
Appeal a decision
If you disagree with the decision of your complaint from the the Nav Appeals Management Unit, you can, with some exceptions, appeal the decision. The deadline for appealing is stated in the decision.
You can also use a lawyer or give a power of attorney to a person who complains on your behalf.
Processing time for complaints and appeals
Have you received a decision from us that you think is wrong? You can complain to the Nav Unit that issued the decision. They will reassess your case. If they do not agree with your complaint, they will forward it to the Nav Appeals Management Unit.
Case concerns | Expected case processing time |
---|---|
Complaint to the Nav unit | 4 months |
Complaint to the Nav Appeals Management Unit | 4 months |
Appeals to the Nav Appeals Management Unit | 4 months |
In this chapter
Please be aware that these dates are when Nav guarantees you will have the money in your account.
Payment dates in 2025 |
---|
17. January |
20. February |
20. March |
16. April |
16. May |
20. June |
18. July |
20. August |
19. September |
20. October |
20. November |
12. December |
In your payment overview, you can see upcoming payments several days before the actual payment date.
The time of day when the payment will be credited to your account will vary, as it is your bank that transfers the payment into your account. Payments can therefore arrive in your account in the afternoon or evening.
Disability benefit is paid as normal when you live overseas.
Tax
You have to pay tax on this benefit.
No tax is deducted in June. In December tax is deducted at half your normal rate.
If you pay Svalbard tax or withholding tax, there is an ordinary tax deduction in June and December.
More about tax deductions on payments from Nav (in Norwegian).
You must notify Nav if
- you have Norwegian or foreign income in addition to disability benefit
- you expect to have an annual income that is higher than your income limit
- your civil status changes
- your spouse or co-habitee has changes in their income
- you are admitted to a state institution with free board and lodging
- you are serving a sentence in jail or another institution
If you have received too much because you have not notified us, normally you must repay the money. You are responsible for maintaining an overview of money that is paid into your account and you must report any errors to us.
If you already receive disability benefit, you can log in and use the income planner to notify us of changes in your income.
If you are not able to log in, you can call us at 55 55 33 33.
You must notify Nav if
- you move abroad
- you intend to stay in another country for more than 12 months
- you intend to stay in another country for more than 6 months in a calendar year in 2 or more following years
- you begin to work abroad or on board a foreign registered ship
- the child/spouse you provide for intends to move to another country or stay in another country for more than 90 days in a 12-month period
- you move back to Norway
You can notify us of any changes. You can also contact us by telephone.
Even if you receive disability benefit, you can work according to your ability.
There is a limit on how much you can earn before your disability benefit is reduced. However, it will be beneficial to work, because disability benefit and income will be higher than disability benefit alone. Payment of disability benefit will be adjusted upwards again if your income falls below the income limit.
If you earn more than 80 percent of the income level you had before you became ill/disabled, disability benefit will not be paid in that year. However, if you are not paid disability benefits due to high income, you can still retain your right to disability benefits for up to five years, with the possibility of extension for a further five years. This is called dormant right. Disability benefit will be adjusted upwards if your income falls again.
Further information about earning combined with disability benefit
- You can earn up to 0.4 G (the National Insurance Scheme basic amount) per year, without consequences for your disability benefit. At present this is NOK 49,611.
- If you are receiving graded (partial) disability benefit, there is an individually determined income limit you must be aware of.
- If you are in permanently adapted work (in Norwegian), the income limit is equal to the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 124,028.
- If you are receiving cash benefits for care or foster care allowance, this is regarded as income. The same applies to other financial support or other work that is pensionable income.
- You can read more about what kind of income can affect the payment of disability benefit, child supplement and survivor supplement in the chapter Final annual settlement.
If you earn more than the income limit, you will retain the income, however payment of disability benefit will be reduced to a degree. In total you will be left with more, because only part of the income above the income limit leads to reduced payment of disability benefit.
If you have graded disability benefit and have received a salary increase as an employee, you can change your income limit. This means that you can earn more before your disability benefit is reduced. You can only change your income limit if:
- The increase in income is not due to an increased FTE percentage or overtime work
- The increase in income is higher than the regulation of the basic amount of the National Insurance Scheme
You must request that your income limit be changed, and you must document the increase in income. The documentation must include a confirmation from the employer that the increase in salary is not due to an increased FTE percentage or increased work effort in connection with, for example, extra shifts or overtime work.
To ensure that you receive the correct payment of disability benefit, you must notify Nav when
- you expect to have an annual income that exceeds your income limit
- your annual income changes from what you have previously reported
If you have received too little or too much disability benefit, Nav will make a final annual settlement. This is done every autumn when your tax assessment is ready.
Income can affect supplements to disability benefit:
- If you earn more than your income limit your survivor supplement is reduced.
- Your income may affect the size of your child supplement, depending on the family’s total income.
If you already receive disability benefit, you can log in and use the income planner to notify us of changes in your income, and to find out how income will affect your disability payments (in Norwegian):
Income planner
Log in
You can also watch a video on how to use the income planner (in Norwegian):
If you care for children under 18 years of age, you can have the right to child supplement.
Residency requirements
To have the right to child supplement
- you must either live in Norway, within the EEA area or in another country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
- the child you provide for must have residency (and physically reside) in Norway, within the EEA area or another country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
If your child stays outside Norway/EEA or another country with which Norway has a social security agreement for more than 90 days in a twelve-month period, you are no longer entitled to child supplement.
How much can you receive?
You can at the earliest receive child supplement from the month the child is born. Child supplement ends from and including the month after the child turns 18.
For each child you can receive 0.4 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount in child supplement per year. At present this is NOK 49,611.2.
In the period 1 January 2016 until 30 June 2022, disability benefit and child supplement combined could not be higher than 95% of the income you had before you became disabled. This regulation was withdrawn from and including 1 July 2022.
Your length of membership in the National Insurance Scheme is relevant to child supplement. If you do not have full length of membership, the child supplement will be reduced based on the actual length of membership.
The family’s total income affects child supplement
Child supplement is means-tested. If the child lives with both parents, both of their incomes are included in calculations. If the total income of the parents exceeds a certain amount, the amount of child supplement will be reduced or cease. In general this will be wages, income from a business, income from abroad, pensions from others than the National Insurance Scheme and foreign pensions.
The limit for what you can earn before child supplement is reduced is called the free allowance. Child supplement will be reduced by 50% of the income exceeding the free allowance. If example your income is NOK 30 000 more than the free allowance, the child supplement will be reduced by NOK 15 000 per year. If the disability benefit is reduced because you do not have full National Insurance Scheme membership, the free allowance will be reduced proportionally.
When the child lives together with both parents
Child supplement is reduced when the total income of both parents is higher than the free allowance of 4.6 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 570,528.8.
The free allowance increases by 0.4 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount for each additional child. At present this is NOK 49,611.
If you have not accrued full National Insurance Scheme membership, the free allowances will be lower.
When the child lives together with one parent
Child supplement is reduced when your income is higher than the free allowance of 3.1 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. At present this is NOK 384,487.
The free allowance increases by 0.4 times the National Insurance Scheme basic amount for each additional child. At present this is NOK 49,611. It is only your income that affects the child supplement.
If you have not accrued full National Insurance Scheme membership, the free allowances will be lower.
How to apply
When you have been granted disability benefit you can apply electronically for child supplement to disability benefit.
Apply for child supplement to disability benefit
Child supplement will be paid at the same time as disability benefit, see chapter When will the money be paid.
Final annual settlement
When your tax settlement is ready, Nav will carry out a post-settlement. If you have received less child supplement than you are entitled to, Nav will reimburse this amount. If you have received more than you were entitled to, you must repay this to Nav. See further information on final annual settlement.
If your co-habitee or spouse dies before 1 December 2023, you can have the right to survivor supplement.
New rules for survivor supplement from 1 January 2024
If you have a decision granting you survivor supplement before 1 January 2024, it will no longer be time limited. This means that you will keep the supplement for as long as you receive disability benefit.
You will still lose the survivors supplement if you remarry or have children with a co-habitee.
From 2024, the survivors supplement will not be regulated annually when the national insurance basic amount changes. The disability benefit will continue to be regulated annually.
The survivor supplement is being phased out
There are new rules for survivor supplement from 2024. If you are granted disability benefit after 1 January 2024, you will not receive survivor supplement. The same applies if your spouse or co-habitee dies after 1 December 2023.
Who can receive survivor supplement?
You can have the right to survivor supplement if one of the criteria below is met:
- The marriage must have lasted for a minimum of 5 years.
- You and the deceased had joint children.
- You had the daily care for the deceased’s children when his/her death occurred and the daily care has been for a minimum of 5 years.
A partner or co-habitee with whom you have joint children is equated to a spouse.
You can have the right to survivor supplement even if you were divorced from the deceased, if you have not remarried and your former spouse dies within 5 years of your divorce. The marriage must have lasted for a minimum of 25 years, or a minimum of 15 years if you had joint children.
Please note that many employers have schemes in which you can have rights after the deceased.
If you already receive a survivor benefit when you receive disability benefit from Nav, you must choose one of the benefits. You can receive information about this before disability benefit is granted.
How much can you receive in survivor supplement?
Survivor supplement is calculated based upon an assumption that the deceased also received disability benefit. If the deceased did not receive disability benefit, Nav will calculate a hypothetical disability benefit. If this disability benefit is higher than yours, your survivor supplement will be half of the difference between the two disability benefits.
This means that if your disability benefit is NOK 20 000 per month, and the deceased’s disability benefit is calculated at NOK 25 000, the difference is NOK 5 000. Your survivor supplement will thereby be NOK 2 500 per month.
If your disability benefit is the same as or higher than the deceased’s disability benefit you do not have the right to survivor supplement.
Survivor supplement will be reduced if you have income exceeding the income limit in your disability benefit.
When will survivor supplement be paid?
Survivor supplement is paid at the same time as disability benefit, see chapter When will the money be paid.
How long can you receive survivor supplement?
You keep the survivor supplement as long as you receive disability benefit. You will no longer be paid the supplement if you remarry or have children with a new co-habitee.
How to apply
You must apply in writing for survivor supplement to disability benefit.
If you are both disabled and have refugee status according to Section 28 of the Immigration Act, you can apply for supplementary benefit for disabled refugees. You are then guaranteed a total income that corresponds to the minimum payment for disability benefit.
Supplementary benefit is relevant if
- you have had an application for disability benefit rejected due to the requirement for prior membership in the National Insurance Scheme, or
- you receive limited disability benefit due to short length of membership of the National Insurance Scheme in Norway.
The benefit is means-tested and all income and assets from Norway and in foreign countries will be included in calculations. Income and assets of a spouse, partner or co-habitee will also be included in calculations. You can read more about supplementary benefit for disabled refugees.
If your degree of disability is 50 percent or more, you have the right to a concession card. You do not lose the right to the concession card if you have income in addition to disability benefit. You can read more about concessionary card (in Norwegian).
If you are granted disability benefit, the entire or part of your student loan can be waived. Further information is available at lanekassen.no.
If you have low income and high housing expenses, you may have the right to receive housing allowance. Further information is available at husbanken.no.
You accumulate the right to a retirement pension when you are disabled. You shall be guaranteed a good retirement pension. The pension shall be in reasonable proportion to that received by persons who are not disabled.
If you work in addition to receiving disability pension, you can receive a higher retirement pension.
The rules that apply to you will depend on which year you were born.
Your pension accumulation increases up to and including the calendar year you are 61 years old. If you work in addition to receiving disability benefit after you are 62 years old, your pension accumulation will continue to increase based on your employment income.
We calculate your retirement pension partially based on your pension accumulation and partially based on pension points you accumulate for each year until you are 66 years old.
We calculate your retirement pension based on accumulated pension points, which you receive each year until you are 66 years old.
You will receive retirement pension from and including the age of 67
If you receive 100 percent disability benefit, you will automatically receive a retirement pension when you reach the age of 67. You will receive a decision letter that your disability benefit has ceased and that you will receive retirement pension from the same date. You do not need to apply for a retirement pension.
If you have graded (partial) disability benefit when you reach the age of 67, you will automatically receive a retirement pension with the closest possible extent of drawdown. The possible extent of drawdown for retirement pension is 20, 40, 50, 60, 80 and 100%. If you wish to have 100 percent retirement pension, you must submit an application to Nav.
In Din pensjon (in Norwegian) you can calculate what your National Insurance retirement pension will be from the age of 67.
You can receive disability benefit and retirement pension at the same time
If you are over 62 years of age and have the right to take out your retirement pension, you can combine retirement pension with disability benefit. If you do this the total extent of disability benefit and retirement pension cannot be more than 100 percent.
Important - if you have the right to a contractual pension (AFP )
If you have the right to a contractual pension (AFP) in the private sector (in Norwegian), you can lose this right if you received disability benefit after you reach the age of 62.
To have the right to contractual pension (AFP) in the private sector, you must not have received disability benefit from the National Insurance after the age of 62. Read more about contractual pensions (AFP) and disability benefit (in Norwegian).
For those born in 1963 or later and working in the public sector, new rules for contractual pensions (AFP) will apply from 1 January 2025. See what applies when you receive disability benefits and wish to apply for a lifelong contractual pension (AFP) in public sector (In Norwegian).
If you move to a foreign country, this can impact how much you receive from Nav. If you move to another EEA country, or a country with whom Norway has a social security agreement, in general you will be able to take your disability benefit with you.
If you have rights as a young disabled person, your disability benefit can be reduced if you move to a foreign country. This also applies if you move to an EEA country.
Before you move abroad you can ask Nav to evaluate whether you can take your disability benefit with you or whether it will be reduced.
Contact Nav before you move abroad
Before you move, Nav can evaluate whether you have the right to take with you the entire or part of your disability benefit abroad. Write to us and ask for information in good time before you move.
You can also call us on +47 21 07 37 00 if you have any questions about the right to take disability benefit with you abroad, or if you have questions concerning membership in the National Insurance Scheme and Social security agreements.
You must also notify Nav of any changes when you move abroad. See further information under the chapter You must notify us of any changes.
In general, you have the right to retain disability benefit from Norway if you move to another EU/EEA country or another country with whom Norway has a social security agreement.
For some, however, moving abroad from Norway can lead to a reduction or cessation of payments of disability benefit.
Are you a young disabled person?
If you received disability benefit with rights as a young disabled person, your disability pension can be reduced if you move abroad.
Are you a refugee?
For refugees, the right to retain disability benefit abroad is restricted.
If you received disability benefit according to the special rules for refugees, you can retain the disability benefit if you move to an EU/EEA country. The special rules apply only to refugees who applied for disability benefit before 01.01.2021. If you move to another country with whom Norway has a social security agreement, the disability benefit can be reduced, or stopped.
If you received disability benefit according to an exemption on length of membership before the time of disability, there are separate rules if you move out of Norway. If you move to another EU/EEA country, you have the right to retain disability benefit. If you move to another country with whom Norway has a social security agreement, the relevant agreement determines what will apply to you.
With which countries does Norway have a social security agreement?
In addition to the EU/EEA countries, Norway has social security agreements with several countries that can grant the right to retain disability benefit. Switzerland and the Faroe Islands are not EEA countries; however, EEA regulations pertaining to pensions and disability benefits also apply here. Greenland is considered a part of the Nordic countries, and disability benefit can also be paid there.
Norway has social security agreements with these countries:
USA, Canada (Québec), United Kingdom, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Israel, Chile, India and Australia.
The criteria in the social security agreement with the individual countries determine whether it is possible to take disability benefit with you and the amount of disability benefit.
You can take disability benefit with you from Norway if you have at least 20 years of residency in Norway between the ages of 16 and 67. This applies to all countries, including countries with whom Norway does not have an agreement.
If you have less than 20 years of residency, only years with pensionable income above the National Insurance Scheme basic amount will be included in calculations of disability benefit. The National Insurance Scheme basic amount is NOK 124,028.
Disability benefit according to exemption rules
You cannot retain disability benefit that has been granted according to exemption rules if you move from Norway to a country without a Social Security agreement.
Examples are exemptions for refugees, young disabled persons or exemptions from requirements concerning membership in the National Insurance Scheme.
Regarding staying abroad and membership in the National Insurance Scheme
Membership in the National Insurance Scheme is the key to rights from Nav. It is the regulations in the National Insurance Act (in Norwegian), or social security agreements Norway has with other countries that determine whether you are a member or not.
If you leave Norway with plans to stay abroad for less than 12 months, you will retain membership in the National Insurance Scheme.
If you alternate between staying in Norway and abroad, you will lose membership if you remain abroad for more than 6 months in two or more calendar years consecutively. It is the actual time you stay abroad, regardless of where you are registered in the Central Population Register, that is applied as a basis when we evaluate whether you are still a member of the National Insurance Scheme.
If, during a period of temporary absence from Norway you begin to work abroad or on board a foreign registered ship, membership in the national insurance scheme will cease immediately. You can read further information about membership and exemptions within the National Insurance Act (in Norwegian).
If you receive child supplement there are separate rules for how long you can retain the supplement when you move abroad. You can read further information about child supplement and residency requirements.
When you intend to remain abroad for more than 12 months, you are considered according to the principal rule in the national insurance system as resident abroad and no longer a member of the National Insurance Scheme. The same applies if, in 2 or more calendar years consecutively remain abroad for more than 6 months of the year.
If you wish to retain membership in the National Insurance Scheme outside of the EEA area, you can apply for voluntary membership in the Scheme. Read more about voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme (in Norwegian).
If you intend to reside within the EEA area or Switzerland, you have rights in your country of residence and are not a member of the national insurance scheme. In certain circumstances, you can be granted voluntary membership in the national insurance scheme. Read more about stay in another EU/EEA country (in Norwegian).
There are differing rules within and outside the EEA area. Read about health services when living abroad
Life certificate
In common with most other countries, Nav uses life certificates when we review whether persons who receive pensions and disability benefits are resident abroad. The reviews reduce the risk of incorrect payments in the event of death.
Those who need to send a life certificate to Nav will receive a life certificate form and information letter by post.
Other payments from Nav and stays abroad
If you intend to stay abroad and receive other financial support from Nav, you must investigate whether you can take the financial support with you.
Each autumn, Nav checks income information in your tax settlement, to see whether you have received the correct amount in disability benefit in the previous year.
If the tax settlement shows that you have had a different income from the income we used when we calculated your disability benefit, Nav will carry out a new calculation. This is known as post-settlement.
If you have been paid too little, you will receive a supplementary payment. If you have been paid too much, you must repay the excess amount.
Post-settlement applies to disability benefit, survivor supplement and child supplement.
When will you be notified?
Not everyone receives post-settlement at the same time. Nav carries out post-settlement over a longer period, from October.
If you have not been paid the correct disability benefit in the previous year, you will be notified by text message and e-mail, that you should log in to nav.no to check if you have received a letter from Nav. Here you will find information concerning your post-settlement.
You will not be notified by Nav if your income information from the previous calculation is unchanged and you were paid the correct disability benefit in the previous year.
If you have been paid too little, you will receive a decision to make supplementary payment. We pay the entire sum as a one-off payment within 7 business days from the date of the decision. The supplementary payment does not accrue interest.
Information on tax deductions and supplementary payments is available from Inland Revenue.
If you have an outstanding debt with Nav Collections Agency, The Norwegian Tax Administration can require that they receive the funds from the supplementary payment to cover the debt.
if you have been paid too much, Nav will send you a notification and a decision letter.
You will receive a new letter from Nav Collections Agency after 4 weeks containing a bank giro and information about how you can repay the amount:
- As the letter is sent as a bank giro, many choose to have this sent directly to their online bank. In such case you must open the bank giro in your online bank to read information about the payment.
- If you have not agreed to receive eFaktura in your online bank you will receive a letter containing payment information in Altinn.
- If you have opted out of digital post, or have not registered that you wish to receive digital post, you will receive a letter by regular post.
You cannot repay any outstanding amounts before you have received the letter from Nav Collections Agency. Please note that Nav Collections Agency cannot respond to enquiries regarding your case if you call before you have received a letter from the Agency.
Tax will be deducted from the gross amount you have been informed about. The letter from Nav Collections Agency states how much you will actually have to repay.
Deadlines for responses and appeals
You have a deadline of 3 weeks to submit a response or to provide new information. If we do not receive documentation from you, the decision will be automatically implemented after 4 weeks.
The deadline for submitting an appeal is 10 weeks from the date of the decision. You must begin to make repayments even if you have submitted an appeal against a repayment decision.
How to repay
You can pay the entire sum at once or you can request to pay in instalments.
1. Repay the entire sum at once
Nav Collections Agency will send you an invoice so that you can repay the entire sum at once.
2. Repay in instalments
You can agree to repay the sum in instalments. Contact The Norwegian Tax Administration (in Norwegian) if you wish to repay in instalments or if you wish to increase or reduce the deduction percentage. Remember that you cannot repay before you have received a letter from Nav Collections Agency.
If you do not make repayments voluntarily, Nav Collections Agency can make deductions from wages according to the Recovery of Maintenance Act.
3. Deductions and support from Nav
If you do not repay the entire sum and you continue to receive disability benefit or other financial support from Nav, Nav Collections Agency can automatically make deductions from this support. Normally we deduct 10% until the entire sum is repaid. If you wish to repay more quickly, you can ask us to deduct more than 10%.
The deduction will be made after tax has been deducted, but before any other deductions.
If you already have deductions made from previous post-settlements, you can now have two deductions of 10%.
You will normally receive information in the decision you have received about which income Nav uses in the post-settlement. You will find the decision in the document overview when you log in to Nav.no.
If you have an income that exceeds your income limit, disability benefit will be reduced.
Work attempt
If you combine work and your disability benefit, and your wages surpass 80 per cent of your pre-disability income, you lose the right to the disability benefit in whole for that year. This means you’ll have to repay Nav the disability benefit you have received for that year.
There is an exception to this: If you’ve started work or have gotten an income raise the year you surpassed 80 per cent of your pre-disability income, this might be regarded as work attempt. This means that you won’t have to repay Nav the disability benefit received before the work attempt started. This excemption does not apply to seasonal work.
In the final annual settlement, which Nav perfoms every fall to see if you have received the correct amount of disability benefit the previous year, we will always consider if the work attempt excemption applies if you surpass 80 per cent of pre-disability income. There is therefore no need to contact us in this regard. You will be informed of this in a separate letter in connection with the final annual settlement.
Pensionable income
Pensionable income is, among other things
- gross wage income from Norway including holiday pay
- wage income from a foreign country
- income from self-employment
- income as a foster parent
- care benefit
Financial support from Nav that replaces work income, for example sick pay, work assessment allowance and parental allowance, is also pensionable income.
Contact Inland Revenue if you have any questions about what is considered pensionable income.
Survivor supplement
Disability benefit and any survivor supplement will be adjusted based on your pensionable income.
Child supplement
Child supplement to disability benefit will be adjusted based on pensionable income and personal income.
Personal income includes pensionable income, disability benefit and retirement pension from the National Insurance Scheme and other pensions and payments, also from foreign countries.
If you receive child supplement and both parents live together with the child, the personal income for both parents is applied as a basis.
Check whether you have income that can be kept separate from the post-settlement:
Lagging income
Some pensionable incomes shall not lead to a reduction in disability benefit and they shall also be kept separate from the post-settlement. This applies to income from work or payment from a business that was fully concluded before you were granted disability benefit and that was paid the following year.
Examples of this type of lagging income are
- holiday pay
- bonus from profits in a business
- income from the sale of capital goods on closure of a business
- production supplements and other payments to farmers
- supplementary payments from Nav for periods before you received disability benefit
Send documentation of lagging income to Nav digitally or by regular post. This can be wage slips, documentation from an accountant or similar.
When we have received your documentation we will assess whether the income shall be kept separate. You will receive a new decision when we have carried out a new post-settlement.
Compensation settlements
Compensation for loss of income according to these laws shall also be kept separate from the post-settlement:
- Act relating to Compensation Section 3-1, also Compensation for Victims of Violent Crime Act
- Act relating to Industrial Injury Insurance Section 13
- Patient Injuries Act Section 4 par. 1
Corresponding income for a spouse or cohabitant who receives disability benefits or an retirement pension, will be kept out of the calculation of the child supplement in the final annual settlement if you have child supplement for joint children.
You must document that the compensation you have received has been paid according to the above Acts. Send a copy of the decision to grant compensation digitally or by regular post to Nav.
When we have received your documentation we will assess whether the income shall be kept separate. You will receive a new decision when we have carried out a new post-settlement.
If you believe that the income information in the tax settlement is incorrect, it is Inland Revenue that will evaluate whether the income can be amended.
If Inland Revenue amends your income, it will notify Nav. When Nav receives the notice of Amendment from Inland Revenue, we will carry out a new post-settlement. You will be notified if the amendment affects your post-settlement.
Changes in pension payments
If your income from pension payments outside of Nav changes, you must notify us when the change has been made. We will then calculate a new post-settlement. You can notify by writing or by calling us.
Child supplement and errors in the other parent’s income information
If you believe that the income information for the other parent is incorrect, the other parent must contact Inland Revenue.
We do not automatically update your post-settlement when we receive a correction from Inland Revenue that applies to the other parent. Therefore you must notify Nav. We will then carry out a manual post-settlement. You do not need to send in documentation.
New final annual settlement for the same year
If Nav has already carried out a final annual settlement, and we carry out a new final annual settlement for the same year, we will compare the post-settlements and determine a new result. However, both decisions remain in force - the new decision regarding final annual settlement does not replace the previous decision.
If the first decision determined that you owed Nav money and the new decision shows that you should be repaid money, in many cases you will not receive any payment. The reason for this is that the supplementary payment will go to cover all or some of your debt from the previous final annual settlement.
You have received a decision concerning final annual settlement. You must repay
NOK 5 000 to Nav. The decision comes into force after 4 weeks.
You contact Nav after 5 weeks and submit documentation of income that shall be kept separate from the post-settlement. Therefore we carry out a new post-settlement for the same year, and both decisions apply.
The new post-settlement shows that you should receive a supplement of NOK 2 000. The new post-settlement presumes that you have already repaid NOK 5 000.
If you have not repaid NOK 5 000, the NOK 2 000 goes to cover part of your debt from the first final annual settlement.
You have received a decision concerning final annual settlement. You will receive a supplement of NOK 3 000. Nav subsequently receives new information from Inland Revenue and thus your determined income is higher. Therefore we carry out a new final annual settlement, and you must now repay NOK 5 000.
Both decisions concerning final annual settlement apply. This means that when we calculate a new final annual settlement for the same year we presume that you have already received a supplement of NOK 3 000. You will receive a separate letter about repayment of the sum of NOK 5 000.
You have received a decision concerning final annual settlement. You are to repay NOK 10 000 to Nav and the decision comes into force after 4 weeks. You contact Nav after 6 weeks and submit documentation of income that shall be kept separate in the final annual settlement.
Therefore we carry out a new final annual settlement for the same year and both decisions apply. The new final annual settlement shows that you will receive a supplement of NOK 10 000.
The new final annual settlement presumes you have already repaid NOK 10 000 to Nav. If you have not repaid the NOK 10 000 from the first final annual settlement, the supplement in the second decision covers your entire debt from the first decision.
Updated 11/27/2024
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