Benefits
Survivor’s pension
Ensures income if you lost your spouse, partner or cohabitant with whom you have joint children. You can no longer apply for survivor's pension, but you may be entitled to adjustment allowance.
Contents
You can no longer apply for survivor's pension. The current survivor's pension is being replaced by an adjustment allowance.
You may have been entitled to survivor’s pension if:
- you were married to the deceased at the time of their death and the marriage had lasted at least 5 years
- you were married to the deceased at the time of their death and you have or had joint children
- you were separated at the time of death. If you were separated you will still be considered to be legally married
- you were living with the deceased at the time of their death and you have or had joint children
- you had been living with the deceased for more than 5 years at the time of their death and you had previously been married to each other
- you were divorced from the deceased and have not remarried. As a general rule, you will receive survivor’s pension if your divorced spouse dies within 5 years of the divorce and the marriage had lasted at least 25 years, or at least 15 years if you have children together
- you had previously lived together as cohabiting partners for at least 15 years and have or had joint children, and it has been less than 5 years since you moved apart. The number of years you lived together as cohabiting partners is calculated from the date your joint child was born
As a general rule, the deceased must have been a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme for the last 5 years before their death. In some cases, membership of social security schemes in other EEA countries may be treated as equivalent to membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
A surviving partner has the same rights as a surviving spouse.
In this chapter
Your survivor’s pension will be calculated on the basis of the deceased’s earned pension, with a reduction based on your income. The pension consists of basic pension, supplementary pension and/or any special supplements.
Basic pension
Basic pension is calculated on the basis of the deceased’s period of national insurance cover. In order to receive a full basic pension, the deceased’s period of national insurance cover must be at least 40 years (i.e. their period of residence in Norway).
New cohabiting partner reduces your basic pension
Your basic pension will be reduced if you start living with a new partner. Once you have been living with your partner for at least 12 of the last 18 months, your basic pension will be reduced to 90 per cent. With a period of national insurance cover of 40 years, this corresponds to NOK 111,625.
Remember to notify Nav if you start living with a new partner.
Supplementary pension
Supplementary pension is calculated on the basis of your deceased spouse or cohabitant’s previous earned income and their earned pension.
Your supplementary pension constitutes 55 per cent of the supplementary pension the deceased would have received if they had been entitled to disability pension or old-age pension (at the time of their death).
Special supplement
You can receive a special supplement if your deceased spouse or cohabitant has little or no earned supplementary pension.
Private occupational pension
Many employees are members of an occupational pension scheme through their workplace. Some of these pension schemes provide a pension for survivors, often with slightly different criteria from those that apply to survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
If appropriate, contact the deceased’s last employer, if the deceased was in work when they died.
Pension earnings from abroad
If the deceased has accumulated pension rights in a country with which Norway has a social security agreement, you may also be entitled to a pension from that country.
Your survivor’s pension will be reduced if you have or can be expected to have your own earned income.
If your earned income from work is higher than half the national insurance basic amount (“G”) , which currently corresponds to NOK 62,014, 40 per cent of the excess will be deducted from the benefit. How much you will receive will thus depend on both your income and the deceased’s income.
As a general rule, Nav expects you to maintain your previous income level, and that you earn at least two times the national insurance basic amount (“G”), which currently corresponds to NOK 248,056.
You may be exempt from the requirement regarding earned income if you have not worked for a long period of time before the deceased died and you were 55 years of age or older at the time of their death. In addition, exemption from the requirement may also be granted if you have health problems, if you have the care of a child under the age of 3 years old, if you have the care of a child with special care needs, or other care responsibilities.
If you were living with the deceased at the time of their death, the first year is considered a transitional period, during which you are not required to earn income.
Examples of how survivor’s pension and transitional benefit for survivors are calculated.
Example 1 | |
| Your income | 500 000 |
| Minus ½ G (as per 1 May 2021): | - 53 200 |
= 446 800 | |
From this sum, 40 per cent is deducted: 446 800 x 40 per cent = NOK 178 720. In other words, your survivor’s pension or transitional benefit for survivors will be reduced by NOK 178,800 per year, which corresponds to NOK 14,893 per month. If the deceased had low pension earnings, the calculation might look like this: | |
| The deceased’s pension earnings converted into a monthly pension | 15 500 |
| Deduction due to your monthly income | - 14 893 |
| Monthly survivor’s pension / transitional benefit for survivors | = 607 |
Example 2 | |
| Your income | 350 000 |
| Minus ½ G (as per 1 May 2021) | - 53 200 |
= 296 800 | |
From this sum, 40 per cent is deducted: 296 800 x 40 per cent = NOK 118 720. In other words, your survivor’s pension or transitional benefit for survivors will be reduced by NOK 118,720 per year, which corresponds to NOK 9,893 per month. If the deceased had low pension earnings, the calculation might look like this: | |
| The deceased’s pension earnings converted into a monthly pension | 20 000 |
| Deduction due to your monthly income | - 9 893 |
| Monthly survivor’s pension / transitional benefit for survivors | = 10 107 |
If you already receive a survivor's pension, the general rule is that you will keep it for 3 years.
The last payment of your survivor's pension will be in December 2026.
If you are undertaking an education or require help to find a job, you can apply to have your pension extended by up to two years.
Nav offers various services and support schemes for those who need help finding a job (information in Norwegian):
Søker jobb
Your rights
If you are undertaking an education that Nav means is necessary for you to get a job and support yourself, you may get additional benefits. The same applies if you are registered as a jobseeker with Nav (information in Norwegian):
Supplemental benefit for surviving spouse
Benefits
Stønad til skolepenger for gjenlevende ektefelle
Benefits
Special rules if you are born in 1970 or earlier
If you have had little or no employment income, you may be entitled to payment until you are 67 years old. It is your income in 2019-2023 that determines whether you are entitled to the payments.
Your employment income must have been below 3 times the average national inurance basic amount (G) in 2022 and 2023:
| Average basic amount (G) x 3: | |
| 2022 | 329 352 kroner |
| 2023 | 348 717 kroner |
In addition, your employment income in 2019-2023 must have been below 2 times the basic amount (G) on average:
| Average basic amount (G) x 2: | |
| 2019 | 197 732 kroner |
| 2020 | 201 706 kroner |
| 2021 | 209 432 kroner |
| 2022 | 219 568 kroner |
| 2023 | 232 478 kroner |
Nav needs to know your income for 2023 in order to assess whether you can keep financial support until you turn 67. The earliest we can see if you are entitled to financial support is in the autumn of 2024 when the figures from the Tax Agency are ready.
If you keep the financial support until you turn 67, your pension will be recalculated from 1 January 2029. This may mean that you will receive lower payments from 2029.
Other options
More information in Norwegian for you who
In this chapter
It is still possible to forward documentation if you have already applied for a survivor's pension.
You will receive a written decision once your application has been processed. Normal processing time is maximum one month; you will be notified if it is going to take longer to process your application.
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 | 4 weeks |
International application - living in Norway | 2 months |
International application - living abroad | 8 months |
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.
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 | 12 weeks |
Complaint to the Nav Appeals Management Unit | 12 weeks |
Appeals to the Nav Appeals Management Unit | 12 weeks |
In this chapter
Survivor’s pension will stop if you
- remarry
- have a child with a cohabiting partner
- start living with someone you have previously been married to
- start living with someone you have or have had children with
If there are any changes in your income, family situation and/or work situation, or if you are planning to spend some time abroad, this may have an impact on the financial support you receive from Nav. You must therefore notify Nav immediately in the event of these kinds of changes.
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.
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 |
Holiday pay
There is no holiday pay on this benefit.
Tax deductions
Tax is deducted from the money.
Tax is deducted at the ordinary rate in June. No tax will be deducted in December, except for withholding tax or Svalbard tax.
If you are working, have children, are a genuine job seeker, are going to school or are studying, you may also be entitled to more support from Nav.
If you have children, you may be entitled to extended child benefit.
Utvidet barnetrygd
Benefits
If you work and have children, you may be entitled to child care benefit for survivors.
Stønad til barnetilsyn for gjenlevende ektefelle
Benefits
You can get benefits to cover supervision of children and other expenses when you are studying or looking for a job.
Supplemental benefit for surviving spouse
Benefits
You may also be entitled to an allowance to cover tuition fees.
Stønad til skolepenger for gjenlevende ektefelle
Benefits
You may also be entitled to support for childcare and other expenses you have in connection with education or job search.
Supplemental benefit
Benefits
First, you need to find out whether you will retain your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme while you are abroad.
Contact Nav to check whether you can keep your financial support during your temporary stay or permanent move abroad.
You may be entitled to pension payments abroad pursuant to the EEA agreement.
Will you keep your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you move to another country, you do not retain your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, but you may be entitled to health services in your new country of residence. For more information about this, contact the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (HELFO).
Can you take your survivor’s pension with you?
If you move to an EEA country, you will usually continue to receive your survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
However, there are restrictions on the right to receive survivor’s pension abroad for certain groups of people. This applies to the special entitlements in the calculation of pensions for
- persons who are the survivors of young disabled people
Survivor’s pension granted under the exemption rules regarding the length of the deceased’s membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme prior to their death will not be paid if the survivor moves away from Norway.
Which countries are EEA countries?
See an overview of the EEA (European Economic Area) countries.
Switzerland and the Faroe Islands are not EEA countries, but the EEA rules on pensions also apply in these countries.
Your obligations if you move
If you move abroad, you must:
- notify Nav
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
Please note that if you move abroad, you must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration regarding your duty to pay tax to Norway.
A social security agreement between Norway and the country you are moving to may provide you with extended entitlement to pension payments.
Will you keep your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you move to another country, you do not retain your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, but you can apply for voluntary membership. You will get this if you have lived in Norway for at least 30 years after the age of 16 and at least 10 of the years were immediately before you moved abroad.
Can you take your survivor’s pension with you?
According to the rules in the Norwegian National Insurance Act, you can take survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme with you when you move abroad if you or the deceased lived in Norway for at least 20 years between the ages of 16 and 67 years. This applies regardless of which country you are moving to.
If your period of residence in Norway is shorter than 20 years, but you have a supplementary pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, you will receive this and basic pension on the basis of the same number of years as your supplementary pension is based on, regardless of which country you move to.
Social security agreements that Norway has with other countries may provide extended entitlement to continue receiving your survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after you have moved to the country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
However, there are restrictions on the right to receive survivor’s pension abroad for certain groups of people. This applies to the special entitlements in the calculation of pensions for
- persons who are the survivors of young disabled people
Survivor’s pension granted under the exemption rules regarding the length of the deceased’s membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme prior to their death will not be paid if the survivor moves away from Norway.
Countries outside the EEA that Norway has a social security agreement with
If you move to one of these countries, you may have extended entitlement to pension payments:
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Quebec, Chile, Turkey, Australia, Israel, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.
Your obligations if you move
If you move abroad, you must:
- notify Nav
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
Please note that if you move abroad, you must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration regarding your duty to pay tax to Norway.
You may be entitled to pension payments abroad pursuant to the National Insurance Act.
Will you keep your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you move to another country, you do not retain your membership in the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, but you can apply for voluntary membership. You will get this if you have lived in Norway for at least 30 years after the age of 16 and at least 10 of the years were immediately before you moved abroad.
Can you take your survivor’s pension with you?
According to the rules in the Norwegian National Insurance Act, you can take survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme with you when you move abroad if you or the deceased lived in Norway for at least 20 years between the ages of 16 and 67 years. This applies regardless of which country you are moving to.
If your period of residence in Norway is shorter than 20 years, but you have a supplementary pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, you will receive this and basic pension on the basis of the same number of years as your supplementary pension is based on, regardless of which country you move to.
Social security agreements that Norway has with other countries may provide extended entitlement to continue receiving your survivor’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after you have moved to the country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
Your obligations if you move
If you move abroad, you must:
- notify Nav
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
Please note that if you move abroad, you must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration regarding your duty to pay tax to Norway.
You cannot combine survivor’s pension with a public-sector contractual early retirement pension (AFP). In some cases, survivor’s pension may be combined with a private-sector contractual early retirement pension (AFP) that you started drawing after 2011.
Survivor’s pension stops when you turn 67 years at the latest, or if you start drawing your retirement pension before the age of 67.
To get a pension after turning 67, you need to apply for retirement pension (in Norwegian).
Survivor’s supplement to your retirement pension
As an retirement pensioner, you may be entitled to a survivor’s supplement to your retirement pension (in Norwegian).
Survivor’s pension stops if you are entitled to and are granted 100 percent disability benefit. If you are granted disability benefit after 1 January 2024, you will not receive a survivor's supplement to your disability benefit.
If you receive graded disability benefit, you can keep the survivor's pension. The survivor's pension will be reduced in relation to the sum of your income and your disability benefit.
However, you can choose whether you want to receive survivor’s pension or disability benefit. You have to make this decision before you are granted disability benefit. If you wish to continue receiving survivor’s pension, you will have to withdraw your application for disability benefit before it is granted. Write to us if you want to withdraw your application for disability benefit.
Once Nav has granted disability benefit, this decision is binding, and you can no longer choose to retain your survivor’s pension.
Updated 04/29/2024
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