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Disability benefit: who can get it, and how do you apply?

Translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

Disability benefit provides income when your ability to earn is permanently reduced due to illness or injury. How the process works, up to an application.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 19 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so always check the official site before you act.

Disability benefit (uføretrygd) is meant to secure your income when your ability to earn is permanently reduced due to illness or injury. It is not the same as sick pay or AAP (work assessment allowance), which are temporary schemes.

Who can get disability benefit?

According to NAV, you must, among other things:

  • be between 18 and 67 years old,
  • have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme for a period before becoming disabled (NAV states the last five years before you became ill or injured, with some exceptions),
  • have your ability to earn permanently reduced by at least 50 percent due to illness or injury. For those who have had AAP, the threshold can be 40 percent, and for an approved occupational injury, 30 percent,
  • have completed necessary treatment and work-related measures. Exceptions exist for serious conditions that cannot be treated.

The diagnosis alone is not decisive. What counts is how the illness or injury affects your ability to work. There are separate rules for young disabled people, who became seriously and permanently ill before turning 26.

How the process works

  1. NAV first assesses your ability to work. This happens at your local NAV office, and NAV must have made this assessment before you apply.
  2. When NAV is finished, your advisor will tell you that you can submit an application.
  3. You apply digitally at nav.no.

How long does it take?

NAV stated on 21 September 2026 a processing time of around six months. The time changes, so check NAV's site.

How much do you get?

The starting point is 66 percent of your average income from the three best of the five years before you became disabled. Income above 6 G is not included.

If you had low or no income before, you get at least a minimum rate. According to NAV, from 1 May 2026, per year:

  • Married or cohabiting: NOK 318,023 (NOK 369,911 for young disabled people)
  • Single: NOK 345,332 (NOK 404,048 for young disabled people)

The amounts are adjusted every 1 May.

If you are refused or disagree

You can complain. The deadline is stated in the decision. NAV reassesses the case, and if they do not rule in your favour, it goes to NAV's appeals unit (NAV klageinstans). Read Complain about a NAV decision.

Tip: Disability benefit is a major case with a lot of documentation. Request access to your case file early, and bring doctors' statements and treatment information.

NAV's page on disability benefit (Norwegian) →

Sources

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.