Norway Notice Period Calculator (Oppsigelsestid)

Your notice period in Norway (oppsigelsestid) is set by section 15-3 of the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven), unless your employment contract or a collective agreement (tariffavtale) gives a longer one. This calculator finds the statutory minimum from who gives notice, how long you have been employed and your age, then shows the date the notice period starts and the last day of employment. A shorter period of 14 days applies in an agreed trial period (prøvetid). If your contract sets a longer period, enter it and the longer one applies.

The notice period starts at the turn of the month

Notice periods of one month or more run from and including the first day of the month after the notice was received. In practice, this is the rule that surprises most newcomers. If notice reaches you on 15 March 2026 and the period is 2 months, it runs from 1 April 2026 to and including 31 May 2026. If you resign on 31 May 2026, a period of 1 month runs from 1 June 2026 to 30 June 2026. For a 61-year-old who has worked 15 years and receives notice from the employer on 20 October 2026, the 6-month period runs until 30 April 2027.

Notice counts from the day it is received, which is not necessarily the date on the letter. An employer's notice must be in writing and handed to you in person or sent by registered post, and it counts as given when it reaches you. It must also tell you about your right to demand negotiations and to take the case to court, and about the deadlines. If that information is missing, the notice can be declared invalid. You can find a fuller checklist of what the notice must contain on the Labour Inspection Authority's pages, listed under sources.

Worked example: five situations

Because of the turn-of-the-month rule, the day within the month matters little for periods of a month or more. Two employees with three years of service who receive notice on 1 April 2026 and 30 April 2026 both work until 31 May 2026, because the period starts on 1 May 2026 for both. In a trial period it is the other way round: the day of receipt decides. In the fifth example the contract says 3 months, which is longer than the statutory 1 month, so the contract applies.

Statutory notice when the employer gives notice

When you resign yourself, the statutory period is 1 month, 2 months or 3 months depending on length of employment, whatever your age. Age counts only when the employer gives notice after 10 years or more. Trial period: 14 days.

Agreements, collective agreements and shorter periods

The law sets minimums. A longer period can be agreed in writing, and many employment contracts do so. A period shorter than one month can be agreed only in a collective agreement, or, in a trial period, in a written agreement. For employees with five or more years of service, the statutory minimums cannot be agreed away before the notice is given, and an employee's period can never be longer than the employer's. Employees in workplaces with a collective agreement should also check the agreement itself.

What counts as continuous employment

Length of employment is counted when the notice is given. The years must be continuous in the same business, but time with another company in the same group counts, as does time with a previous owner if the business (or part of it) was transferred. A lawful strike does not break continuity, but the time on strike is not counted.

If you have just moved to Norway

Do not assume the notice rules of your home country apply. There is no "employment at will" in Norway: an employer needs objective grounds, such as necessary downsizing or a serious breach of the contract, to dismiss someone. The notice period runs in calendar days, including weekends and public holidays, and it usually ends on the last day of a month, so the last day of employment is often not the last day you actually work. Ask your employer whether you are expected to keep working or to be released from duties. Holiday can be affected too, and your holiday pay is paid out when you leave. See the Norway holiday pay calculator for how much that is, and the unemployment benefit calculator if you are thinking about what comes next. If your tax situation changes when you leave, use the Norway income tax calculator.

What this calculator does not cover

It finds the notice period in the ordinary case and the start and end dates. It does not judge whether a dismissal is justified, and it does not cover fixed-term contracts that simply run out, summary dismissal (dismissal without notice), the right to remain in your post during negotiations or a court case, redundancy rules, severance pay, or notice periods in collective agreements that differ from the law. Collective agreements and special legislation can set different rules for some groups. If your notice period matters for a legal decision, confirm it with your trade union, the Labour Inspection Authority, or a lawyer.