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Who can receive advance support payment?

Children under the age of 18 who do not live with both parents are usually entitled to advance support payment. The person responsible for the actual care of the child can apply for and receive payment of the advance. Advance support payment is not given for children living in a foster home or child care institution, or whose full maintenance is paid by the public sector in some other manner.

As a rule the child must be resident and live in Norway. A child is regarded as resident in Norway if he or she has lived or is going to live in Norway for more than 12 months. In certain circumstances, a child may retain the advance during stays abroad of up to six months. The EEA regulations entail that children resident in an EEA member state other than Norway may be entitled to advance support payment, for example, if one of their parents works in Norway. Read more about advance support payment during stays in or relocation to an EEA country under the heading International in the menu to the right.

One of the conditions for receiving advance support payment is that payment of child support by the parent who does not live with his or her child has been agreed or ordered. This parent must pay support to NAV Recovery of Maintenance Payment.

How much will you receive?

Advance support payment is means tested and paid out as higher rate advance, ordinary rate advance or reduced rate advance. The rates are adjusted on 1 July each year.

The following factors determine whether you will receive advance payment at a higher rate, the standard rate or a lower rate: your income, the number of children you have, the number of own children in your household, and whether you are married, a registered partner, cohabitant or sole carer (single parent).

In this context, income means your personal income (gross income) and any positive investment income in excess of NOK 10,000 per year. If you are receiving cash-for-care benefit for the child in question, then this shall also be included as income. Any child supplement that you receive as a supplement to another public benefit must also be included, but only for the child that the supplement is for. Extended child benefit (utvidet barnetrygd) and infant supplement (småbarnstillegg) shall also be included, regardless of which of your children it is for.

From 1 July 2011, the upper income limit for entitlement to higher rate advance payment is NOK 232,000.

The rates are adjusted on 1 July each year. 

Entitlement to the advance ceases if your income exceeds 320 times the higher rate advance support payment.

If the child lives alone or with someone other than one of his / her parents, there is no means testing.

If the child has a dual domicile, he / she may be entitled to advance support payment from both parents. It is a condition that the other parent can be ordered to pay support, or that neither parent has the financial capacity to pay support.

If the conditions above are met, the child can receive advance support payment up until the month in which he / she turns 18.

How do you apply?

You apply for advance support payment by completing the application form under the heading Forms and attachment in the right menu (it is the same form as is used when applying for maintenance support - NAV 54-00.05).

When you select a form, you are automatically taken to a guide to completing the form. Here you must indicate which enclosures and what sort of documentation you must submit with your application. A cover page will also be generated. (this guide is only in Norwegian) To help NAV process your application quickly and efficiently, please submit the information given on this cover page. Please enclose the cover page at the front of your letter.

You can be paid advance support payment in arrears for up to three months before the month you submitted your application if the conditions were met. Therefore you ought to apply within three months of the conditions for this advance payment being met.

Decision

First, NAV will send you a letter informing you about expected processing time. When your claim has been processed, you will receive written notification of the decision.

Most of the main information about your entitlements and duties is available here in English. There are also links to other more detailed information; however, some of this information is only available in Norwegian.

Report changes

Changes in your income, family situation and/or work situation may affect the payment you receive from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. Stays abroad may also affect your payment.  You must therefore immediately report any such changes to your local NAV office.