Parental leave and benefits in Norway

When you have or adopt a child, Nav pays parental benefit (foreldrepenger) to parents who worked before the birth, or a lump sum (engangsstønad) to those who do not qualify. The Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven) gives the right to time off. The figures apply to children born from 1 July 2024.

Parental benefit (foreldrepenger)

• Who qualifies: you had income from work, or certain Nav benefits, in at least 6 of the last 10 months before your leave starts. Your income must also be at least half the basic amount: NOK 68,275 a year (2026). Student loans and grants from Lånekassen do not count.
• Amount: foreldrepenger replaces your usual income up to NOK 819,294 a year (6 G) from 1 May 2026.
• Length for one child: the parents choose together between 49 weeks at 100% and 61 weeks and 1 day at 80%. The choice made in the mother's application also applies to the other parent and cannot be changed later.
• How the weeks are shared (100%):
  • 3 weeks for the mother before the due date
  • 15 weeks reserved for the mother (mødrekvote)
  • 15 weeks reserved for the father or co-mother (fedrekvote / medmorkvote)
  • 16 weeks of shared period (fellesperiode)
  • At 80% the quotas are 19 weeks each. When the father or co-mother uses the shared period, the mother must meet an activity requirement, such as working, studying full time or taking part full time in the introduction programme for newly arrived immigrants.
• The father or co-mother can take two weeks of their quota at the same time as the mother around the birth.

Lump-sum grant (engangsstønad)

If you do not qualify for foreldrepenger, you can get NOK 92,648 per child (births from 1 January 2023). You must have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme without a break for at least 12 months before the due date or adoption. Apply no later than 6 months after the birth or adoption.

Leave from work (arbeidsmiljøloven)

• A pregnant employee has the right to up to 12 weeks of leave during the pregnancy.
• The mother must take leave for the first 6 weeks after the birth, unless a doctor's note says it is better for her to work.
• The father has the right to 2 weeks of leave around the birth to help the mother. Many employers pay for these two weeks. Nav does not, unless you use your quota.
• Each parent can also take up to 12 months of extra unpaid leave right after the paid period.
• If you are healthy but cannot keep working during pregnancy because the work could put the child at risk, you can get pregnancy benefit (svangerskapspenger).

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Check the 6-out-of-10-months rule early. For the mother, only income up to 3 weeks before the due date counts.
• Foreldrepenger must be used before the child turns 3. Weeks you have not used by then are lost.
• You cannot change between 100% and 80% after you apply.
• If your employer pays the father's two weeks around the birth, use those first and save the Nav quota.

Official guidance: Nav: parental benefit, Nav: lump-sum grant, Nav: pregnancy benefit, Working Environment Act