Children’s pension
BENEFITS
|Updated 13. November 2023
Children’s pension in brief
Copy linkLink successfully copiedChildren who lose one or both of their parents can get financial support. Children’s pension ensures children have enough income to live.
Children’s pension is for people who have lost a close family member (in Norwegian)
What is your situation?
Tell us a little about your situation so we can show you only information that is relevant to your case.
Contents
Children’s pension in brief
Copy linkLink successfully copiedChildren who lose one or both of their parents can get financial support. Children’s pension ensures children have enough income to live.
Children’s pension is for people who have lost a close family member (in Norwegian)
What is your situation?
Tell us a little about your situation so we can show you only information that is relevant to your case.
Who is entitled to this pension?
Copy linkLink successfully copiedYou can receive children’s pension if you are
- under the age of 18 and have lost one or both of your parents
- under the age of 20, have no parents, and are in education or doing an apprenticeship or internship
- under the age of 21, have lost one or both of your parents, are in education or doing an apprenticeship or internship, and the death of one of your parents was due to an occupational injury or occupational illness
The deceased parent must have been a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme for the last 5 years before their death. In addition, you must be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
You can receive children’s pension regardless of whether your parents were married, divorced or living together as cohabiting partners.
If your mother has died and your paternity has not been established, you will be treated in the same way as people who have lost both parents.
How much are you entitled to?
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The size of your children’s pension will depend on how many siblings you have. If you have no parents, the deceased’s earned pension will also determine how much you receive.
If you have lost one of your parents
If you do not have any siblings, you will receive 40 per cent of the national insurance basic amount (“G”), which currently amounts to NOK 47,448 a year or 3,954 a month.
If you have siblings, the total amount of children’s pension you are each entitled to will be combined and then divided equally among you. You will receive a monthly payment.
This is how the total amount is calculated, which is then divided equally among the siblings:
- For the eldest child, NAV calculates 40 per cent of the national insurance basic amount (“G”), which currently corresponds to NOK 47,448 a year.
- For the remaining siblings, NAV calculates 25 per cent of the national insurance basic amount (“G”) for each child, i.e. NOK 29,655 a year.
If you have lost both your parents or have no parents
If you do not have any siblings, you will receive a pension corresponding to the survivor’s pension you are entitled to after the parent who had the highest earned pension.
If you have siblings, the total amount of pension you are each entitled to will be combined and then divided equally among you. NAV calculates the total amount as follows:
- For the eldest child, NAV calculates an amount corresponding to the survivor’s pension you are entitled to after the parent who had the highest earned pension.
- For the second eldest child, NAV calculates 40 per cent of the national insurance basic amount (“G”), which currently corresponds to NOK 47,448 a year.
- For the remaining siblings, NAV calculates 25 per cent of the national insurance basic amount (“G”) for each child, i.e. NOK 29,655 a year.
These amounts are added together and then divided equally among the siblings. You will receive a monthly payment.
If your deceased parent’s period of national insurance cover (i.e. their period of residence in Norway) was shorter than 40 years, you will receive a smaller children’s pension.
If your deceased parent has accumulated pension rights in a country with which Norway has a social security agreement, you may be entitled to a pension from that country.
If your parent died as a result of an approved occupational injury or occupational illness, your children’s pension will be calculated according to special rules.
How long can you receive this pension for?
Copy linkLink successfully copiedYou can receive children’s pension up to and including the month you turn 18 years of age.
You can be paid children’s pension up to and including the month you turn 20 if you have no parents and are in education or doing an apprenticeship or internship.
You can be paid children’s pension up to and including the month you turn 21 if you are in education or doing an apprenticeship or internship and the death of one of your parents was due to an occupational injury or occupational illness.
When is the money paid out?
Copy linkLink successfully copiedIf you are under the age of 18, your children’s pension will be paid to your surviving parent. If you have lost both of your parents, the money will be paid to your legal guardian.
When you turn 18, the children’s pension can be paid to your (the child’s) bank account, if NAV has received notification of payment to a new bank account number, which you (the child) have signed after you turned 18. Payment to your bank account can then take place from the month in which you turn 18.
Children’s pension is paid out once a month.
Please be aware that these dates are when NAV guarantees you will have the money in your account.
| Payment dates in 2023 |
|---|
| 20. January |
| 20. February |
| 20. March |
| 20. April |
| 16. May |
| 20. June |
| 20. July |
| 18. August |
| 20. September |
| 20. October |
| 20. November |
| 12. December |
In your payment overview, you can see upcoming payments several days before the actual payment date.
The time of day when the payment will be credited to your account will vary, as it is your bank that transfers the payment into your account. Payments can therefore arrive in your account in the afternoon or evening.
Holiday pay
There is no holiday pay on this benefit.
Tax deductions
Children’s pension is taxable. Children’s pension for children 16 or younger is considered investment income, and the tax payable on this income is included in the parents’ tax assessment.
From the year the child turns 17, the child is treated as an independent taxpayer, and it is the child who must pay tax on the children’s pension.
No advance tax will be deducted unless you, as a parent, request that tax be withheld from the children’s pension.
There are different ways to request for tax to be withheld. You can either
- tick in the application form that you want a tax deduction on the child pension
- ask the Norwegian Tax Administration for a new tax card with a higher deduction rate, or
- ask NAV to include a voluntary deduction for tax from the children’s pension
You must check whether the voluntary tax deduction has been transferred at the end of the year. If it has not been transferred, you will need to re-enter it.
To and from abroad
Copy linkLink successfully copiedFor people who are going abroad
First, you need to find out whether you will retain your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme while you are abroad.
Contact NAV to check whether you can keep your financial support during your temporary stay or permanent move abroad.
You may be entitled to pension payments abroad pursuant to the National Insurance Act.
Are you going to retain your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you (the child) move to another country, you will cease to be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
Can you take your children’s pension with you when you move?
According to the rules in the Norwegian National Insurance Act, you can take pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme with you when you move abroad if one of your parents had lived in Norway for at least 20 years between the ages of 16 and 67 years. This applies regardless of which country you are moving to.
If both your parents are deceased, you can take supplementary pension and basic pension for as many years as was used as the basis for calculation of supplementary pension, even if your parents lived in Norway for less than 20 years.
Social security agreements that Norway has with other countries may provide you with extended entitlement to continue receiving your children’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after you have moved to the country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
However, there are restrictions on the right to receive children’s pension abroad for certain groups of people. This applies to the special entitlements in the calculation of pensions for
- orphaned children of a young disabled person
If you are receiving children’s pension pursuant to the exemption rules regarding the length of the deceased’s membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme prior to their death, you will lose your entitlement to payment if you move away from Norway.
Your obligations if you move
If you (the child) move abroad, your legal guardian must
- notify NAV in writing. The legal guardian notifies NAV on the form for submission of additional documentation in connection with children’s pensions. Enter the personal identification number of the person you are the legal guardian of.
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
The legal guardian must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration to find out about the rules regarding duty to pay tax to Norway.
A social security agreement between Norway and the country you are moving to may provide you with extended entitlement to pension payments.
Can you take your children’s pension with you when you move?
According to the rules in the Norwegian National Insurance Act, you can take pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme with you when you move abroad if one of your parents had lived in Norway for at least 20 years between the ages of 16 and 67 years. This applies regardless of which country you are moving to.
If both your parents are deceased, you can take supplementary pension and basic pension for as many years as was used as the basis for calculation of supplementary pension, even if your parents lived in Norway for less than 20 years.
Social security agreements that Norway has with other countries may provide you with extended entitlement to continue receiving your children’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after you have moved to the country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
However, there are restrictions on the right to receive children’s pension abroad for certain groups of people. This applies to the special entitlements in the calculation of pensions for
- refugees
- orphaned children of a young disabled person
If you are receiving children’s pension pursuant to the exemption rules regarding the length of the deceased’s membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme prior to their death, you will lose your entitlement to payment if you move away from Norway.
Are you going to retain your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you (the child) move to another country, you will cease to be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
Countries outside the EEA that Norway has a social security agreement with
If you move to one of these countries, you may have extended entitlement to pension payments:
United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Quebec, Chile, Turkey, Australia, Israel, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.
Your obligations if you move
If you (the child) move abroad, your legal guardian must
- notify NAV in writing. The legal guardian notifies NAV on the form for submission of additional documentation in connection with children’s pensions. Enter the personal identification number of the person you are the legal guardian of.
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
The legal guardian must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration to find out about the rules regarding duty to pay tax to Norway.
You may be entitled to pension payments abroad pursuant to the National Insurance Act.
Are you going to retain your membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme?
If you (the child) move to another country, you will cease to be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
Can you take your children’s pension with you when you move?
According to the rules in the Norwegian National Insurance Act, you can take pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme with you when you move abroad if one of your parents had lived in Norway for at least 20 years between the ages of 16 and 67 years. This applies regardless of which country you are moving to.
If both your parents are deceased, you can take supplementary pension and basic pension for as many years as was used as the basis for calculation of supplementary pension, even if your parents lived in Norway for less than 20 years.
Social security agreements that Norway has with other countries may provide you with extended entitlement to continue receiving your children’s pension from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after you have moved to the country with which Norway has a social security agreement.
However, there are restrictions on the right to receive children’s pension abroad for certain groups of people. This applies to the special entitlements in the calculation of pensions for
- refugees
- orphaned children of a young disabled person
If you are receiving children’s pension pursuant to the exemption rules regarding the length of the deceased’s membership of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme prior to their death, you will lose your entitlement to payment if you move away from Norway.
Your obligations if you move
If you (the child) move abroad, your legal guardian must
- notify NAV in writing. The legal guardian notifies NAV on the form for submission of additional documentation in connection with children’s pensions. Enter the personal identification number of the person you are the legal guardian of.
- register the move in the Norwegian National Registry
The legal guardian must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration to find out about the rules regarding duty to pay tax to Norway.
Moving to Norway
You can only receive children’s pension if your deceased parent had been a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme for the last 5 years before their death. There are also a number of requirements that you yourself must meet in order to receive the benefit.
Duty to report changes
Copy linkLink successfully copiedIf you are between the ages of 18 and 21 years and are receiving children’s pension because you are in education or doing an apprenticeship or internship, you must notify NAV if you have income from work.
Other benefits for survivors
Copy linkLink successfully copiedIf the deceased had an occupational pension plan, you may be eligible for payments from some of these schemes. If your parent was in work until their death, you should contact their employer for more information.
Other public schemes that may be relevant:
If you are in education, you may be entitled to grants and loans from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (“Lånekassen”).
Application and documentation
Copy linkLink successfully copiedApplication for Children's pension
Children under the age of 20 who have lost one or both of their parents can receive children's pension.
You can contact NAV for more information and guidance, and/or help filling out the application form.
After you have applied
You will receive a written decision once your application has been processed. Normal processing time is maximum one month; you will be notified if it is going to take longer to process your application.
Processing time for applications
The processing time is the time from when we receive your application until we have made a decision. Remember that we need all the necessary documentation to process your application.
| Case concerns | Expected case processing time |
|---|---|
| Application | 4 weeks |
| International application - living in Norway | 2 months |
| International application - living abroad | 6 months |
Rule changes
Copy linkLink successfully copiedChildren’s pensions are being strengthened. These changes will take effect from 1 January 2024.
For those receiving children’s pension before 1 January 2024
Your children’s pension will be recalculated in accordance with the new rules if that is to your benefit. If the old rules are more beneficial for you, you will keep your children’s pension as it is.
New rules for children’s pension from 2024
- Children’s pension is paid until you turn 20 years old.
- If you have lost one of your parents, you will receive an amount equivalent to the National insurance basic amount (G) every year. This amount is currently NOK 118,620.
- If you have lost both of your parents, you will receive 2.25 times G (currently NOK 266,895).
- If you have siblings, they will receive the same amount. The children’s pension will not be shared between you.
For those between the ages of 18 and 20 on 1 January 2024
You may be entitled to children’s pension under the new rules. We will contact you in late 2023 to give you more information about your rights.
Right to complain
Copy linkLink successfully copiedHave you received a decision from us that you think is wrong? You can complain to the NAV Unit that issued the decision. They will reassess your case. If they do not agree with your complaint, they will forward it to the NAV Appeals Management Unit.
Complain about a decision
The decision will have information about how to proceed if you want to complain, where to send your complaint and the term of complaint. If you have questions about the decision, you can contact us.
Appeal a decision
If you disagree with the decision of your complaint from the the NAV Appeals Management Unit, you can, with some exceptions, appeal the decision. The deadline for appealing is stated in the decision.
More about
Processing time for complaints and appeals
Have you received a decision from us that you think is wrong? You can complain to the NAV Unit that issued the decision. They will reassess your case. If they do not agree with your complaint, they will forward it to the NAV Appeals Management Unit.
Case concerns | Expected case processing time |
|---|---|
Complaint to the NAV unit | 12 weeks |
Complaint to the NAV Appeals Management Unit | 20 weeks |
Appeals to the NAV Appeals Management Unit | 20 weeks |
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