In what situation can I claim?

You may be entitled to unemployment benefit if you have become wholly unemployed, or if your working hours have been reduced by at least 50%. If it is your own fault that you are unemployed, there will be a waiting time of at least twelve weeks before any unemployment benefit can be paid.

What conditions do I need to meet?

You must either have had an income from paid work (pay) of at least 1.5 G, i.e. NOK 140,451 at the current Basic Amount, in Norway, during the previous calendar year, or of at least 3 G, i.e. NOK 280,902 at the current Basic Amount, during the previous 3 calendar years.

If you are an EEA citizen and have become unemployed in Norway without having earned this sufficient minimum income, you may still be entitled to unemployment benefit on the basis of work in another EEA country. In this instance you would be required to have worked the equivalent of full time for at least 16 weeks in another EEA country during the previous calendar year, or at least 32 weeks during the last 3 calendar years.

It is a fundamental requirement that you must be a genuine job-seeker, i.e. willing and able to take any work, anywhere in Norway. You must be registered with NAV as a job-seeker and you may be required to document your job-seeking activities. If you refuse to take a suitable job, do not attend the NAV office when you are asked to, or are not actively looking for work, you may lose your entitlement to unemployment benefit for a period.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Unemployment benefit amounts to 62.4% of your previous income. Certain social security benefits that directly replace salary are included in the figure used for this calculation, e.g. sickness benefit, parental benefit and unemployment benefit. The highest figure that can be used is 6 G, i.e. NOK 561,804 at the current Basic Amount, which means that any income that exceeds 6 G will not be included when your unemployment benefit is calculated.

You will be paid 0.24% of the figure, 5 days per week. The table below shows examples of income and the corresponding unemployment benefit.

If you are providing for one or more children under the age of 18, a fixed supplement of NOK 17 per day will be paid.

Unemployment benefit is classed as taxable income.

In order to receive unemployment benefit, you must apply electronically via NAV's website, or via a form which you submit to your local NAV office. Once you have fulfilled the conditions and the unemployment benefit has been granted, there is a waiting period of 3 days before the unemployment benefit will be paid. You must also report to NAV every 14 days, either electronically or using the employment status form; this includes confirming your status as a job-seeker. Unemployment benefit is paid in arrears every 14 days, once your job-seeking activities have been approved. Work, illness or any other reason why you cannot be regarded as a genuine job-seeker will result in a reduction or discontinuation of your unemployment benefit.

If you had an income from work of at least 2 G, i.e. NOK 187,268 at the current Basic Amount, you are entitled to unemployment benefit for up to 104 weeks. If your income was less than 2 G, you are entitled to unemployment benefit for up to 52 weeks.

You are also entitled to receive unemployment benefit from NAV for up to 3 months while you look for work in another EEA country. This applies if you are wholly unemployed and have been receiving unemployment benefit in Norway for at least 4 weeks.

Jargon busters

G: Abbreviation for National Insurance Basic Amount (see Basic Amount below). 1 G = 1 x Basic Amount, 2 G = 2 x Basic Amount, etc.;

Basic Amount: A standard amount that is used to calculate benefits and pensions, and which is set on 1 May each year. As of 1 May 2017, the Basic Amount is NOK 93,634, or about EUR xx.

Know your rights

The links below direct you to websites that describe your legal rights.

Unemployment benefit while unemployed - National Insurance Act (in Norwegian only).
Your rights as a member of the National Insurance Scheme.

Who do you need to contact?

NAV: Via NAV's website https://www.nav.no/en/Home, or at your local NAV office.

Source:
European Commission and national authorities dealing with unemployment insurance.

This page was last updated on February 15, 2020.