Dagpenger in Norway – who is eligible, how much you will receive and how to apply?
Have you lost your job or has your employer sharply reduced your working hours? You may be entitled to dagpenger from NAV. Check the current income thresholds, the benefit amount and the most important steps so you don't lose money due to formalities.
In brief
loss of at least 50% of total working hours, minimum 204 824 NOK in the last 12 months or 409 647 NOK in the last 36 months, benefit of up to about 62.4% of previous income, maximum base: 6 G = 819 294 NOK, 2 G = 273 098 NOK essentially determines the maximum duration of 52 or 104 weeks, meldekort every 14 days, you can work part-time and receive reduced dagpenger, the first payment is reduced by an egenandel corresponding to 3 days of benefit, voluntary resignation from work without a justified reason can mean 18 weeks without payment.
Dagpenger in Norway are not intended only for people who have completely lost their jobs. You can also apply for the benefit if you are still working but your total working hours have been reduced by at least half.
The most important thing is to register with NAV and submit the application in good time.
Who can receive dagpenger?
According to the current NAV rules you must above all:
lose at least 50 percent of your total working hours,
lose income entirely or partially,
be under 67 years of age,
meet the requirement regarding previous income,
register as a job seeker,
submit meldekort,
be an actual job seeker.
You can find the current conditions directly on the NAV page about dagpenger.
If you have several jobs, NAV looks at your total working hours, not only at a single employment.
How much do you need to have earned?
From 1 May 2026 you must have at least:
204 824 NOK – 1.5 G during the last 12 months
or
409 647 NOK – 3 G in total during the last 36 months.
NAV checks which period is more favourable for you.
This is a big change compared to the old version of this article, so the previous amounts should no longer be used.
How much are dagpenger?
NAV can pay about 62.4 percent of previous income.
However, income is considered for the calculation up to a maximum of 6 G, which currently is:
819 294 NOK per year.
Income above this amount does not increase the basis for dagpenger.
If you support a child under 18 years old, you can also receive an allowance of 38 NOK per day for each child, for 5 days a week.
NAV has its own calculator where you can roughly check eligibility for the benefit:
How to submit an application?
Do not wait until you stop receiving your salary.
NAV recommends submitting the application about 2 weeks before the last day for which you are entitled to pay.
The two most important actions are:
register as a job seeker,
apply for dagpenger.
Dagpenger can be granted no earlier than the day on which you have both submitted the application and registered as a job seeker.
The registration can be found here:
Register as a job seeker with NAV
The application and current information:
NAV will indicate which documents need to be attached when submitting the application. This depends, among other things, on the manner of termination of employment and your professional situation.
You must submit reporting cards even while waiting
This is one of the most common mistakes.
After registering, do not wait idly for NAV's decision.
You must submit a reporting card every 14 days even when the application for unemployment benefits has not yet been processed.
NAV uses the information from the reporting cards to calculate payments. If you stop sending them or send them too late, the benefit may be reduced or stopped.
We leave detailed instructions for filling out the reporting cards to a separate guide.
You can work and still receive unemployment benefits
Yes.
If you work up to 50 percent of your normal working hours, NAV may pay correspondingly reduced unemployment benefits.
Every hour worked must be reported on the reporting card.
If in a given period you work more than 50 percent of your normal working hours, you will not receive unemployment benefits for that period.
If you exceed this limit for three consecutive reporting-card periods, NAV may close the case and you will have to submit a new application.
How long can you receive unemployment benefits?
It depends on previous income.
If you have earned at least:
273 098 NOK, that is 2 G
in the last 12 months or on average over the last 36 months, you can receive unemployment benefits for up to 104 weeks.
If the income was less than 2 G, the period is a maximum of 52 weeks.
Did you quit your job? Be careful
Simply meeting the income thresholds does not always mean immediate payment.
If, without justified reason:
you resign from your job yourself,
you refuse suitable work,
you refuse to participate in an activity proposed by NAV,
you lose your job for reasons for which you are responsible,
NAV may suspend the payment of unemployment benefits for 18 weeks.
For repeated such situations within 12 months the period may increase to 26 weeks.
This topic deserves a separate guide, because there are situations in which leaving a job may have a justified reason.
The first payment will not be full
NAV currently deducts a personal contribution corresponding to three days of unemployment benefits.
The deduction is usually made from the first payment. Afterwards the benefit is paid every 14 days based on the reporting cards sent.
Most important: do not wait to register
If you know you are losing your job or your number of hours will be significantly reduced, do not postpone the matter until the first month without money.
The order is simple:
registration as a jobseeker → application for unemployment benefits → documents → reporting cards every 14 days.
It is the formalities, rather than the fact of losing your job itself, that most often cause later payment problems.
Next guide
The simple instruction “send reporting cards every 14 days” is of little help if you do not know how to record work, sickness, vacation or single hours.
Therefore the next article will be devoted exclusively to this:
Meldekort in NAV – how to fill it out so as not to lose dagpenger?
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Editorial comment Your Norway
Losing your job is stressful enough on its own. It's not worth adding problems caused by late registration or an unsubmitted reporting form. If you know your employment is ending, start the process with NAV earlier instead of waiting for the first month without pay.
Official sources
NAV – Dagpenger
Current conditions, rates, duration of receiving the benefit and how to apply.
NAV – Register as a job seeker
NAV – Reporting form
NAV – Dagpenger calculator
Information verified: 15 September 2026.
Where to get it done
Sources
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