How to fill out the employment status form - unemployment benefits

On the employment status form you must state your work and activities in the last 14 days and confirm that you will be registered with NAV in the following period. The information is used to calculate your unemployment or employment scheme benefits.

It is important that you fill out the employment status form correctly and in time. If you submit your employment status card too late, a deduction may be made from the calculation for the next employment status form.

See more information about submitting your employment status form online and a paper employment status form by post.

How to fill out the employment status form

Here you will find information about the various questions on the employment status form.

Question 1 - Work

If you have worked in the period for which the employment status form applies, you must state all the hours you have worked each day. This applies to every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday, regardless of the time of day you have worked.

One hour of work must be registered as one hour on the employment status form.

As a general rule, you must always state the number of hours you have actually worked. If you are receiving unemployment benefit, you must state paid and unpaid work. Paid work must be stated for the period the work has been performed, even if your income is not received until later.

If you receive wages for more hours than you have actually worked, you must state all the hours for which you have been paid.

By “work” we mean activities that can generate income or would normally have been paid, such as:

• work in regular employment (as a wage earner)
• work in own enterprise (it does not matter if you have a registered enterprise such as an ENK, ANS, AS, NUF, etc.)
• free work (for others) when this work is usually paid
• hours you have been paid for, even when you are not working all the hours (e.g., piece work)
• commission sales, telemarketing. etc.
• freelance work
• salaried positions
• hobby work, home parties, etc.
• Cash benefits for care (omsorgsstønad)

Under the Act relating to the obligation to pay wages during layoffs, when you are laid off you must not register hours for the employer's period on your work registration cards. See more information about Unemployment benefit if you have been laid off.

Hours as foster parents must also not be entered in the employment status form.

Call NAV on +47 55 55 33 33 about how to register hours on your employment status form if you are working shifts, or if your working hours vary significantly, such as a farmer or taxi driver.

If you are participating in part-time employment schemes or employment schemes with pay, you must contact NAV about how to register the hours on your employment status form. See also below, under question 2.

If you have been granted unemployment benefit while establishing your own business, you must not register on your work registration card the hours you have spent on such work in the period to which the decision applies. Before and after the period for which you have been granted unemployment benefit while establishing your own business, you must register all the hours you have worked - both with and without pay. It is not until you have been granted unemployment benefit while establishing your own business that you must no longer register the hours you have spent on such work.

You must not enter income from assets on your employment status form and the same applies to certain tax exempt income. Examples are

• Letting out real property outside the business
• Interest, share dividend and other return on money and securities outside the business
• Tax exempt refurbishment of own house/holiday home

You must not enter certain types of unpaid work on your employment status form. Examples are

• Unpaid work, social and visiting services for disabled and elderly
• Work for humanitarian organisations, religious organisations, sports clubs and the like, for work that is usually performed by members and volunteers without remuneration

Call NAV on +47 55 55 33 33 if you are in doubt about the number of hours you must enter on your employment status form.

Question 2 - Activities / courses / education

If you have agreed with NAV to participate in an employment scheme, course, education or other activity, you must answer “yes” and cross off the days you have carried out the agreed activities.

If you are attending a course or taking an education that has not been agreed, you must answer “yes” and cross off the days you participated. This also applies if you are “studying” a subject on your own.

You must only notify about employment schemes, courses or education on your employment status form. You must not enter other activities you have agreed with NAV, such as information meetings organised by NAV and time spent on keeping a activity plan.

If you have not carried out an agreed activity, you answer “no”. If you have not agreed an activity with NAV and have also not taken a course / education, you answer “no”.

Question 3 - Sickness absence

If due to your own illness you are unable to work or participate in an employment scheme, course, education or job interview, you must answer “yes”. You must then cross off for the days you have not worked or carried out the agreed activities.

If you have not been absent due to illness, you must answer “no”.

You must also notify the person who is responsible for the employment scheme.

If you are receiving unemployment benefit and have been on sick leave, you may receive sickness benefit. You must submit a medical certificate to NAV from the first day you are off sick.

Question 4 - Holidays, etc.

You must register the days you cannot work or participate in an employment scheme due to vacation or other absence. This does not apply when the absence is due to illness, you should respond to this in question 3.

You must also notify the person who is responsible for the employment scheme.

If you been absent this will usually result in a deduction from your benefit.

If you are going away for some time, you must contact NAV. NAV will then assess whether you are still entitled to unemployment benefit during your period of absence.

Question 5 - Still registered with NAV

If you still want a job or help from NAV to find employment, you must answer “yes”. This applies regardless of whether you are receiving money from NAV or not.

If you answer “no”, you are no longer registered as a job seeker with NAV. You will lose your right to unemployment benefits. You will not be sent any more employment status forms. You will also not be offered jobs, the chance to participate in employment schemes or other help from NAV to find work.

If you would like to register as a job seeker again, you must register once more on nav.no (text in Norwegian) or contact NAV.

You must also contact NAV if you want to continue receiving unemployment benefits.

Contact NAV

If you have questions regarding the employment status form, please call +47 55 55 33 33.

You may request a written reply to your questions, so that there is no doubt later about the answers you have received from NAV.

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.