Published 07/06/2017 Updated 04/22/2022

Holiday and holiday pay

Holiday and/or holiday pay rights accumulate on some benefits paid by NAV. Find out if this applies to you, and what you must do if you are going on holiday.

Watch the video on holiday pay (vimeo.com) before reading the following

Travelling abroad

If you receive any kind of money from NAV and intend to go abroad, special rules apply . These rules vary, depending on where you are going or staying. See also the Norwegian Holiday Act.

Who is entitled to holiday pay?

employees
conscripts
seamen
fishermen taxed as employees

Who is not entitled to holiday pay?

self-employed persons
freelancers
pensioners
recipients of sickness benefit pursuant to section 8-47, who are temporarily without income-earning work
unemployed persons
fishermen taxed as self-employed

Is holiday pay from NAV liable to tax?

If you are entitled to holiday pay on a benefit you receive from NAV, no tax is deducted from the holiday pay. Note, however, that if you have requested an additional or voluntary tax deduction, this will also be deducted from your holiday pay.

Work assessment allowance (AAP) and holiday

You are not entitled to receive work assessment allowance (AAP) when you are on holiday. You may, however, go on holiday without your payments being suspended, if the activities you have agreed to participate in can proceed as planned. If NAV has no relevant activities to offer you in any given period, you are regarded as available to NAV. This means you do not need to enter a period of absence on your work registration card, and your work assessment allowance will be paid as usual.

If you are on holiday and therefore not available to NAV, you must enter this under question 4 (on holiday or absence) on your work registration card in the following cases:

if you take time off or are absent from scheduled activities you have agreed with NAV. Even if there is a period with no activity in your activity plan, you must be available for other measures, such as a summer job, internship or other type of follow-up.
if you take some time off and do not want to be available to NAV for a period. This also applies if you travel within Norway and/or abroad. This counts as absence and you then no longer qualify for work assessment allowance (AAP).

If you travel abroad without this being statutory holiday (annual leave), special rules on spending time within the EU/EEA area and outside the EU/EEA area apply. Read more about absence due to illness or holiday (AAP).

Please call NAV before you go on holiday if you are at all unsure as to whether you are allowed to go on holiday or not.

If you combine work assessment allowance (AAP) with part-time work, special holiday rules apply. Read more about work assessment allowance (AAP) and holiday absence.

Unemployment benefit, holiday and holiday pay

Parental benefit, holiday and holiday pay

You can go on holiday while you are receiving parental benefit, or you can choose to postpone your parental benefit period.

Holiday pay

Holiday pay from NAV amounts to 10.2 percent of the gross parental benefit for the first 12 or 15 weeks of the total benefit period (12 weeks at 100 percent coverage, and 15 weeks at 80 percent coverage). This means that if only one parent has received parental benefit for the first 12/15 weeks, the other parent will not receive holiday pay.

If only one parent has an employer, holiday pay will be paid to this parent.

If the employer is paying the parental benefit, the employer will also pay the holiday pay.

If the first 12/15 weeks of the parental benefit start in one year and end in the next, you will only receive holiday pay this year for the days for which you received parental benefit in the previous calendar year. Holiday pay for the parental benefit days in the current year will be paid out in connection with the payment of holiday pay the following year.

The period used for payment of holiday pay and which is shown on the notification of payment is 1 to 31 May in the year in which it is paid.

Introductory benefit and holiday

As a participant in the introduction programme, you are entitled to up to 25 business days of holiday each calendar year.

Your municipal authority will decide when you can take your holiday.

Qualification benefit and holiday

As a participant in the qualification programme, you are entitled to up to 25 business days of holiday each calendar year. If you are older than 60 years of age, you are entitled to 5 further business days of holiday per year. You do not accumulate holiday pay under the provisions of the National Insurance Act and Holiday Act. You will, however, be entitled to keep your qualification benefit payments while you are on holiday.

Your municipal authority will decide when you can take your holiday. The decision concerning the timing of your holiday must be made in consultation with you as a participant in a programme and your workplace or scheme administrator.

Care benefit (care leave), holiday and holiday pay

You are not entitled to care leave when you are on statutory holiday (annual leave). You must notify NAV if you take statutory holiday (annual leave) while you are receiving care benefit.

Normally, you have to be in Norway to be eligible for care benefit. Read more about care leave.

Holiday pay

Holiday pay for employees amounts to 10.2 percent of the care benefit and is paid out the year after it was accumulated. This means that holiday pay earned in 2020 will be paid out in 2021. Normally, your holiday pay will be paid by your employer. If your employer pays your care benefit, you will receive holiday pay for all your days of care leave. For employers, this means that they are paid holiday pay for all the days of care leave for which they have been reimbursed by NAV in the previous year.

If NAV has paid care leave to you directly, you will also receive the holiday pay for these days from NAV. Holiday pay from care benefit paid to you directly is calculated on the basis of up to the first 48 days of care leave.

The period used for payment of holiday pay and which is shown on the notification of payment is 1 to 31 May in the year in which it is paid.

Self-employed persons and freelancers are not entitled to holiday pay from care benefit.

Training allowance, holiday and holiday pay

You are not entitled to training allowance on the days you are on statutory holiday (annual leave). Your training allowance payments will be suspended during your holiday period and will resume after the end of your holiday period. Holiday pay is intended to compensate for your loss of income in the period you are on holiday. If you take statutory holiday (annual leave) while you are receiving training allowance, you must notify NAV. You can also call 55 55 33 33.

You do not have to notify NAV if you have agreed with your employer to postpone your holiday in accordance with the provisions of the Holiday Act. If you have questions about the Holiday Act, please contact the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.

Holiday pay:

Holiday pay is only accumulated on the first 12 weeks of the qualifying year. Holiday pay amounts to 10.2 percent of the training allowance that qualifies you for holiday pay.

If you have had both training allowance and attendance allowance in the same calendar year, you can receive holiday pay for maximum 12 weeks in total. This means that you will only receive holiday pay for the first 12 weeks, even if you have received training allowance and attendance allowance for a period that is longer than 12 weeks.

If the benefit period starts in one calendar year and goes over into the next calendar year, you will only receive holiday pay this year for the days you received training allowance in the previous calendar year. Holiday pay for the current calendar year will be paid out in connection with the payment of holiday pay in the following year.

Temporary lay-off and holiday

If you have been laid off from a company that has a joint holiday arrangement, you are not entitled to unemployment benefit during the period your company executes or normally executes this joint holiday, provided you are covered by the company’s joint holiday agreement. The same applies if you take holiday during your period of lay-off as part of an agreement with your employer.

Attendance allowance, holiday and holiday pay

You are not entitled to attendance allowance on the days you are on statutory holiday (annual leave). Your attendance allowance payments will be suspended during your holiday period and will resume after the end of your holiday period. Holiday pay is intended to compensate for your loss of income in the period you are on holiday. If you take statutory holiday (annual leave) while you are receiving attendance allowance, you must notify NAV. You can also contact NAV by calling 55 55 33 33.

Normally, you have to be in Norway to be eligible for attendance allowance. If you travel abroad without this being statutory holiday (annual leave), special rules on spending time within the EU/EEA area and outside the EU/EEA area apply. Read more about receiving attendance allowance while abroad.

Holiday pay:

Holiday pay is only accumulated on the first 12 weeks of the qualifying year. Holiday pay amounts to 10.2 percent of the attendance allowance that qualifies you for holiday pay.

If you have had both attendance allowance and training allowance in the same calendar year, you can receive holiday pay for maximum 12 weeks in total. This means that you will only receive holiday pay for the first 12 weeks, even if you have received attendance allowance and training allowance for a period that is longer than 12 weeks.

If the benefit period starts in one calendar year and goes over into the next calendar year, you will only receive holiday pay this year for the days you received attendance allowance in the previous calendar year.

Holiday pay for the current calendar year will be paid out in connection with the payment of holiday pay in the following year.

The period used for payment of holiday pay and which is shown on the notification of payment is 1 to 31 May in the year in which it is paid.

Single parent’s benefit and holiday

If you are a single parent, you are entitled to go on a temporary stay abroad of up to 6 weeks (42 days) during the course of a 12-month period. The attachment to your decision letter specifies when you have to notify NAV about temporary stays abroad.

You must notify NAV if you are stopping an agreed activity, for example, training or looking for work, in order to go abroad. In this kind of case, your single parent’s benefit will normally be stopped.

Pregnancy benefit and holiday

Holiday pay from NAV amounts to 10.2 percent of your gross pregnancy benefit for the first 64 days of the benefit period – also in cases where the benefit period starts in one year and ends in the next.

If the holiday pay accumulation period straddles the turn of the year, you will be paid the holiday pay earned in each of the two years in May of the year following each accumulation period.

The period used for payment of holiday pay and which is shown on the notification of payment is 1 to 31 May in the year in which it is paid.

Sickness benefit, holiday and holiday pay

If you take statutory holiday (annual leave) while you are on sick leave, you must check the box for this on your sickness benefit claim form and enter when your holiday begins and ends.

You do not need to notify NAV if you have agreed with your employer to postpone your holiday in accordance with the provisions of the Holiday Act. If you have questions about the Holiday Act, please contact the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.

You are not entitled to sickness benefit on the days you are taking statutory holiday (annual leave). Sickness benefit payments will be suspended during your holiday period and will resume after the end of your holiday period, provided that you are still on sick leave when you return. Holiday pay is intended to compensate for your loss of income during this period.

Holiday pay:

Holiday pay for employees who are receiving sickness benefit from NAV is given for the first 48 days of sickness benefit in the qualifying year. If your employer has paid the sickness benefit in advance, NAV will transfer the holiday pay to your employer.

Holiday pay amounts to 10.2 percent of the sickness benefit that qualifies you for holiday pay. For employees who turn 59 years old in the qualifying year, this percentage has been increased to 12.5 percent.

If the benefit period starts in one year and ends in the next, you will only receive holiday pay for the days you received sickness benefit in the previous calendar year. You can receive holiday pay for a maximum of 48 days of sickness benefit per qualifying year.

Holiday pay for the sickness benefit days in the current year will be paid out in connection with the payment of holiday pay in the following year.

The period used for payment of holiday pay and which is shown on the notification of payment is 1 to 31 May in the year in which it is paid.

Supplemental benefit and holiday

If you stop participating in a scheme or programme in order to go on holiday, your supplemental benefit payments will normally be stopped.

Employment scheme benefit and holiday

If you are a participant in a training scheme, you will not normally be able to receive your employment scheme benefit while you are on holiday. This also applies if you are a genuine job seeker and you are forced to take holiday at a time you did not choose, e.g. because your place of training or school is closed for the summer.

If you are unable to accept work for health reasons, or you are not entitled to holiday pay, you can receive your employment scheme benefit during the summer holiday, provided your training scheme last longer than one academic year.

If you are a job seeker and are entitled to unemployment benefit, you may keep your unemployment benefit during your training centre’s holiday, provided you are a genuine job seeker.

If you are participating in a scheme in a workplace (i.e. not a course or school) you may continue to receive your employment scheme benefit if the scheme is temporarily suspended because the company is closed for a joint holiday. The joint holiday arrangement must be documented by the company and must include all of the company’s employees.

Disability benefit and holiday pay

There is no holiday pay on disability benefit.

Severance pay and holiday

You may take up to three weeks of holiday per calendar year while you are receiving severance pay. During this period, you are exempt from the obligation to be a job seeker and you are allowed to spend time abroad.

You may choose to extend your holiday, but then deductions will be made from your severance pay.

In order to keep receiving severance pay during your holiday, you must contact NAV before you go on holiday.

Holiday pay does not accumulate on severance pay.

Financial social assistance and holiday

The Social Services Act applies to everyone who is in Norway. If you are receiving financial social assistance, however, the condition of residency in Norway does not preclude that you can go abroad for a short stay, for example on holiday, when this is considered beneficial for your or your family’s needs. You must get advance approval for your stay abroad from NAV. We therefore urge you to contact us on 55 55 33 33 as early as possible.