Assistance allowance

You or your child may qualify for assistance allowance

• if your or your child needs care and supervision for medical reasons. You or your child must need assistance with personal needs other people do not need assistance with.
• if the need for assistance lasts 2–3 years or more and is caused by your/your child’s medical condition.
• if the care or supervision is provided by private individuals, such as a spouse, child, parent, foster parent, relative, neighbour or others.
• if you/your child is a member of Norwegian National Insurance

The child may qualify for assistance allowance even if the child is admitted to hospital.

In order to qualify for assistance allowance, care and supervision expenses must, at minimum, be equivalent to rate 1, which is NOK 1,263  per month. The amount is intended to cover 2–2.5 hours of private assistance per week.

Assistance allowance rate 1 is the highest amount paid to persons over 18 years old.

When a family member needs care and/or supervision, other family members are expected to provide some unpaid assistance. NAV takes this into consideration when we consider the right to assistance allowance.

Care benefit

If a child is receiving an assistance allowance, and the person providing care and supervision is receiving a care benefit, the municipality may reduce the care allowance. The care benefit may be reduced by an amount equivalent to the assistance allowance.

The municipality may require that you apply for assistance allowance before they will consider granting a care benefit. You may, however, still apply for a care benefit at the same time as applying for an assistance allowance.

You or your child may be granted an assistance allowance to cover expenses/acquire private assistance for personal needs.

Examples include care and supervision needs when you or your child

• needs care and supervision
• needs assistance with personal grooming and hygiene
• needs assistance with eating

Care needs may also include stimulation, training and physical activity.

If your child’s needs for care and supervision significantly exceeds those covered by the standard assistance allowance, your child may be eligible for a higher rate assistance allowance.

What will the assistance allowance not cover?

You or your child will not be granted an assistance allowance to cover

• practical assistance, such as cooking, cleaning or shopping
• assistance when other public service provide the assistance, such as home care services. This applies even if you have to pay a fee to the municipality for the service.
• treatment from professional providers of personal services, such as therapists, etc.

There is no limit to how long you can receive an assistance allowance, but your care and supervision needs may change.

Your need for the allowance may change, which means that you may receive notice from NAV that we are reviewing the allowance.

Assistance allowances are paid monthly.

Allowances paid to a child will be paid to the bank account specified by the child’s parents or guardian. The account may be in the name of one of the parents, the guardian or the child.

To register an account for a child, you need to fill out the form “Melding om nytt bankkontonummer” and mail this to NAV.

If you are over 18 years old, you can change your bank account number on Ditt NAV.

In the overview of payment, you can see the next payment several days before the payment date.

Your bank is handling the transfer, so the time of day when the funds will be available in your account will vary. It should be available in the evening of the day the transfer was made.

Payments for children

You can call NAV and receive information about payments about your child.

If you are over 18 you can see payments in your overview of payments.

If you haven’t registered an account number on Ditt NAV, then you can receive a payment card in the mail a few days after the regular payment date.

If you don’t want to go to the bank with a payment card then you must register an account number on Ditt NAV, or send a message about your account number by mail.

Holiday pay

There is no holiday pay on this benefit. 

Tax

No tax is deducted from the money.

An annual statement

An annual statement will be sent to the child.

If your need for an assistance allowance changes, you must notify NAV immediately.

You must also notify NAV of any changes in your or your child’s health condition, if your expenses changes, or if you are planning to move or stay abroad. These circumstances may affect the amount paid by NAV.

If the child is admitted to hospital, the child will keep the assistance allowance.

Normally, the care arrangement must be in place before you apply. If your financial situation is strained, NAV may accept that the care arrangement starts at the same time as the first assistance allowance payment.

In your application, you must provide the name of the doctor or doctors treating you/your child, as well as the doctor’s address. You do not need to submit medical information.

You will be notified if you need to submit documentation for any of your information.

Apply for assistance allowance

Please contact NAV if you need more information or counselling, and/or if you need help filling out the form.

You will receive a written decision once NAV has considered your application.