Sick pay in Norway: the employer period and NAV sickness benefit
By Kalkulatorbanken · Last updated
Figures and rules are for 2026 and checked against the sources at the bottom of the page. Norwegian version of this guide.
If you fall ill, your employer pays sick pay for the first 16 calendar days (the employer period, arbeidsgiverperioden). From day 17 NAV, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, takes over and pays 100% of your pay up to 6G, which is NOK 819,294 a year in 2026. To qualify as an employee you must have worked at least 4 weeks before the sick leave and earn at least half of the basic amount.
Prefer to run your own numbers? Open the Norway Sick Pay Calculator 2026.
In short
- The employer pays for the first 16 calendar days. NAV pays from day 17, normally for up to 52 weeks in total.
- NAV replaces income up to NOK 819,294 (6G). Overtime is not included in the basis.
- NAV states that you need national insurance coverage, or be an EU/EEA citizen working in Norway.
- Sickness benefit gives holiday pay for the first 48 days a year, and NAV withholds tax on it.
From the first sick day until NAV takes over
You are eligible for sickness benefit from the day your employer received notice that you are sick, so tell your employer as soon as possible. You can use self-certification (egenmelding) or provide a sick leave certificate. A certificate can come from a physician, dentist, chiropractor or manual therapist, and if the illness lasts beyond the self-certification period you must contact a doctor.
- Days 1 to 16: your employer pays sick pay. That is 12 working days if the leave starts on a Monday.
- From day 17: NAV pays sickness benefit. Your employer reports your income and you apply.
- Partial leave: you can be on sick leave for part of your hours, but the leave must equal at least 20% of your regular hours.
What this means if you are new to Norway
NAV's general conditions are that you have national insurance coverage, or are an EU/EEA citizen and work in Norway, that you are under 70, and that your work gives pensionable income, meaning pay on which you pay tax. As an employee you must have worked at least 4 weeks before your sick leave and have a yearly income of at least NOK 68,275(half of the basic amount, G). If you have jobs in several countries, NAV decides whether Norwegian law applies, based on where you live and where you work, and it may contact the authorities in other countries. Only one country's rules apply at the time you fall ill.
Use the sick pay calculator for your own figures.
The employer period and repeated illness
The Act says the employer pays sick pay for up to 16 calendar days. If less than 16 calendar days have passed since your previous sick leave, a new absence counts in the same employer period. When the employer has paid a full period, no new period starts if you fall ill within 16 days of returning to work.
If you have a long-term or chronic condition, or pregnancy-related illness, you or your employer can apply for NAV to cover the sick pay in the employer period.
How much you get, and the 6G ceiling
Sickness benefit is meant to replace the income you normally have, up to NOK 819,294 a year, which is six times the basic amount (6G) in 2026. For employees NAV calculates the basis from your average income in the three months before you became ill, and overtime pay is not part of it. NAV spreads the yearly basis over 260 working days a year, so the daily rate is the basis divided by 260.
| Yearly pay | Basis (max 6G) | Per working day | Per month, average |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOK 450,000 | NOK 450,000 | NOK 1,731 | NOK 37,505 |
| NOK 700,000 | NOK 700,000 | NOK 2,692 | NOK 58,327 |
| NOK 900,000 | NOK 819,294 | NOK 3,151 | NOK 68,272 |
Below the ceiling you receive your full pay. Above it, the part of your salary over NOK 819,294 is not covered by NAV.
Worked example
Sam earns NOK 900,000 a year, above 6G, and is on sick leave for 6 weeks starting on a Monday. The employer pays the first 16 calendar days (12 working days). NAV pays the remaining 18 working days at NOK 3,151 a day, based on NOK 819,294. Sam's pay per working day is NOK 3,462, so each NAV day is NOK 311 lower than full pay.
How long it lasts
For people under 67, the maximum sickness benefit period is 52 weeks, whether the leave is full or partial. Sick leaves over the last three years are added together if there are fewer than 26 weeks between them. After the 52 weeks, another 26 weeks must pass without sickness benefit or work assessment allowance before the right can be reassessed. If you are still unable to work you may be entitled to work assessment allowance or disability benefit: see the work assessment allowance calculator.
A temporary job gives you sickness benefit during the employment period. If the sick leave extends past the end date, your benefit may be reassessed.
Holiday pay, tax and time abroad
NAV sets aside holiday pay on the first 48 days of sickness benefit in a calendar year. It is 10.2% of the benefit, or 12.5% if you turn 59 or older in the earning year, and is paid in May the following year. NAV withholds tax from sickness benefit. The holiday pay guide and the holiday pay calculator show how holiday pay works, and the income tax calculator shows the tax.
Travelling while on sick leave
NAV asks whether you have been abroad during your sick leave. If you want to keep your sickness benefit while staying outside the EU/EEA you must apply before you travel, and you are only entitled to it for 4 weeks in a twelve-month period.
Calculate with your own numbers
Norway Sick Pay Calculator 2026 uses the 2026 rates and shows the working step by step. It takes under a minute. You do not need to log in or have BankID, and what you type stays in your browser.
Calculate your sick pay →