You lost your job. What to do first?
Do not start by calling offices or waiting for your employer to "take care of everything".
If you want to apply for dagpenger, that is the Norwegian unemployment benefit, you must perform two separate actions:
1. register with NAV as arbeidssøker, that is a person seeking work,
2. submit an application for dagpenger.
Registration alone as arbeidssøker is not an application for money. That is one of the most common mistakes.
NAV points out that the entitlement to dagpenger can start at the earliest from the day when you both submit the application and register as arbeidssøker.
Before you start: check whether you can even be entitled to dagpenger
The most important basic conditions in 2026 are as follows.
You must basically:
lose at least 50% of your total working time,
completely or partially lose income,
be under 67 years old,
have earned at least 204 824 NOK income in the last 12 months or 409 647 NOK in the last 36 months,
be registered as arbeidssøker,
be genuinely seeking work,
as a rule reside in Norway and meet the conditions of folketrygden.
If you have multiple jobs, NAV looks at the total working time. So it is not enough to lose half the hours in only one of two jobs.
Not sure whether you meet all the requirements? Do not guess. NAV has its own calculator.
Check the NAV dagpenger calculator
STEP 1. Prepare documents
Before you start the application, prepare above all:
employment contract – arbeidskontrakt,
and a document showing, why and when you are losing your job or hours.
If you were dismissed, prepare oppsigelse.
If you yourself gave notice, prepare your notice of resignation and information on why you left.
If you were temporarily laid off, prepare permitteringsvarsel.
If a fixed-term contract simply ended, NAV can read the end date from a properly drafted employment contract.
The contract should show, among other things, the start date of employment, the degree of employment or number of hours, the period of notice and the end date, if it was a fixed-term contract.
Don't have all the documents? Do not wait weeks to submit the application.
NAV allows you to submit the documents you have and send missing ones later. Currently you must essentially complete them within 14 days. Lack of documentation can result in refusal.
STEP 2. Register as arbeidssøker
You now proceed to registration.
Register as arbeidssøker with NAV
For online registration you need electronic identification, e.g. BankID, Buypass or Commfides. If you cannot obtain electronic ID, NAV indicates the possibility of registration at a local NAV office.
After logging in, NAV will ask, among other things, about:
age,
address,
previous job,
education,
any problems that make it difficult to find work.
Answer according to your actual situation.
After registration NAV assesses what kind of help you may need to return to work. Registration gives you the status arbeidssøker, but again: it does not yet mean that you have applied for dagpenger.
STEP 3. Apply for dagpenger immediately
After registration you move on to the second step.
Submit an application for dagpenger
NAV recommends submitting the application about 2 weeks before the last day for which you are still entitled to wages.
According to NAV, filling out the electronic application takes about 20–30 minutes.
The system guides you through questions about:
Your employment,
the reason for losing your job,
working hours,
income,
possible temporary layoff,
other benefits,
dependent children,
and the situation related to work in other countries.
At the end, check everything once more and send the application.
Save the confirmation of submission.
STEP 4. Attach documents
During the application NAV will show exactly what documentation is required in your specific situation.
If you have documents on paper, you can take legible photos and upload them. NAV accepts, among others, PDF, JPG and PNG; currently a single file cannot exceed 10 MB.
Particularly important are documents confirming:
where you worked, how long you worked, when the work ended and why.
If NAV does not receive the necessary documentation, the procedure may be prolonged or end with a refusal.
STEP 5. Do not wait idly for the decision. Send the reporting form
This is the point where you can lose money.
You must send the reporting form every 14 days, even when NAV has not yet processed your application.
See how to send the reporting form for dagpenger
In the reporting form you provide, among other things:
whether you worked,
how many hours you worked,
whether you were absent,
whether you participated in certain activities,
whether you still want to remain registered as arbeidssøker.
Don't delay this.
If the reporting form is not sent correctly and on time, NAV may reduce or stop the payment, and in some cases the case may be closed and you will have to submit the application again.
STEP 6. Search for work genuinely, not just “on paper”
Dagpenger is not a benefit for merely remaining unemployed.
NAV requires that you be a reell arbeidssøker, that is, a genuinely job-seeking person.
This means, among other things, that you should:
look for job listings,
send applications,
attend job interviews,
update your CV,
participate in agreed NAV activities,
be ready to start work at short notice.
Basically you must also be prepared to consider different kinds of work and workplaces in Norway. NAV does, however, foresee exceptions, including in certain health, family and caregiving situations.
It's worth entering your actions into activity_plan to keep track of submitted applications and contacts with NAV.
STEP 7. You wait for a decision, but you still submit reporting forms
At the time this guide was checked, NAV gives an approximate processing time for a standard dagpenger application of about 7 weeks. This is a variable value, so it should be checked again before publishing the next update.
During this time:
you do not stop looking for work,
you do not stop responding to NAV,
you do not stop submitting reporting forms.
After the case is processed you will receive a message, and you will find the decision after logging in at nav.no.
STEP 8. First payment
If NAV grants you dagpenger, the first payment is made after the decision is issued.
The money is then adjusted from the day on which you actually had the right to the benefit.
However, NAV deducts a deduction currently corresponding to three days of dagpenger.
Later, the benefit is paid every 14 days. After correctly sending the reporting form the money usually appears after 1–3 business days.
How much can you get?
NAV can pay about 62.4% of your previous income, with income above 6 G, currently 819 294 NOK, not being included in the calculation base.
If you support a child under 18, you may also be eligible for child_supplement. In 2026 it amounts to 38 NOK per child per day for 5 days a week, i.e. 190 NOK per week per child. Additional rules regarding the child's place of residence apply.
We explain the benefit amount in detail in our guide:
Internal link: "dagpenger in Norway – who is entitled, how much you'll get and how to apply?"
We do not enter the address manually. We link via content_item_id.
Did you previously work in Poland? Don't skip this
This is especially important for Poles.
If in recent years you also worked in Poland or another EEA country, those periods may be significant when assessing the right to dagpenger.
NAV may need the document PD U1, which confirms periods of work and insurance in the other country.
If you do not yet have PD U1, NAV may request it from the relevant authority. In such a case you must be prepared to document, among other things:
the start and end dates of employment,
the reason for termination of employment,
income from the last 36 months,
working time during that period.
However, this does not mean that everyone who once worked in Poland will automatically receive Norwegian dagpenger. EEA rules also depend on the place of residence, the last employment and whether you regularly commuted between countries.
Warning if you plan to quit voluntarily
If you are still working and are considering resigning on your own, do not assume that NAV will automatically start paying you dagpenger.
If you resign from your job without a justified reason, NAV may suspend the payment of dagpenger for 18 weeks.
NAV may consider justified reasons, for example certain health problems, bullying or harassment at work, but the situation must be documented.
Therefore, if you have the opportunity, check your situation before submitting your resignation, not only after it.
STEP 9. After receiving dagpenger check skattekort
Dagpenger is taxable.
If, after losing your job, your annual income drops significantly, check skattekort. NAV also recommends updating it so that the amount of tax withheld corresponds to your new situation.
Most common mistakes
The most costly mistakes are usually simple:
I register as arbeidssøker but do not submit an application for dagpenger.
I wait for the decision and do not submit reporting forms.
I do not send the contract or the notice of termination.
I resign from my job voluntarily and only then check the consequences.
I do not respond to messages from NAV.
I travel abroad and assume I do not have to report anything.
You can avoid these mistakes if you follow the entire process in the correct order.
Your sequence in one sentence
You lost your job → prepare documents → register as arbeidssøker → submit an application for dagpenger → attach documents → submit reporting forms every 14 days → actively look for work → respond to NAV → wait for the decision.
If you complete these steps, NAV will have the basic information needed to process the case.
Information status checked: 25 September 2026.
NAV – registration as arbeidssøker.
NAV – current rules for dagpenger.
NAV – documentation for the application and processing time.
NAV – reporting forms for people receiving dagpenger.
NAV – rules for the EEA and PD U1.
