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Leave in Norway
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Norway
Adoption leave in Norway
Other leave in Norway
Public holidays in Norway
Protect your employees and your business
Leave and time off in Norway
Every country has specific rules governing the paid and unpaid time off that employers need to grant their employees. In Norway, these rules are set out in Chapter 12 of the Working Environment Act. Some collective bargaining agreements also grant employees additional leave entitlements.
If you want to employ workers in Norway, you should have a solid understanding of the paid and unpaid leave those employees will be entitled to. In this section, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about annual leave, parental leave, and sick leave in Norway. We’ll also go into some different types of leave that Norwegian employees have access to, including leave for education and for military service.
Leave in Norway
Norwegian employment law grants employees the right to various types of leave, which may be paid or unpaid. In some cases, employees are paid by the social security system while on leave. If your Norwegian employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, it may provide different rules about the leave they’re entitled to.
And of course, employers in Norway are entitled to create their own leave policy, as long as the leave they grant meets the legal minimum standards set out in the Working Environment Act and any other relevant legislation.
Annual leave in Norway
Annual leave in Norway is governed by the Holiday Act, which gives employees the right to at least four weeks and one day (21 working days) of paid annual leave every year. Employees also have the right to holiday pay amounting to at least 10.2% of their annual salary in the previous year.
Although this is the legal minimum, many employers in Norway choose to give their employees 25 days (five weeks) of paid annual leave, and holiday pay equivalent to 12% of their annual salary. It’s common practice to pay holiday pay in June each year.
Using annual leave in Norway
Employers in Norway are responsible for ensuring that their employees take all of the statutory annual leave they are entitled to during the holiday year. If an employer doesn’t ensure that their employees take holiday, they may have to pay compensation to the employees.
If there is an agreement between the employer and the employee, employees can carry over up to two weeks of statutory annual leave into the following year. They can also take up to two weeks of leave in advance. Collective bargaining agreements may provide different rules for carrying over leave or taking it early.
Paying out annual leave in Norway
It is generally not possible to ‘pay out’ annual leave by paying an employee’s salary instead of giving them leave. The exception is when an employee leaves a company, when their employer must pay them for any unused holiday.
Sick leave in Norway
Employees in Norway are entitled to paid time off work when they are ill or injured. Employers are required to pay them 100% of their normal salary for the first 16 days of sickness. From the 17th day, the employee can be compensated by the social security sickness benefit, which is capped at six times the National Insurance ‘basic amount’. As of 2024, the basic amount is NOK 124,028 per year or NOK 10,336 per month. The maximum sick leave entitlement for employees in Norway is 52 weeks.
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Norway
Like many of its Scandinavian neighbours, Norway is known for its generous parental leave policy. Both mothers and fathers are entitled to paid leave when they either have a baby or adopt a child under 15 years of age.
Maternity and paternity leave in Norway
When a couple has a baby in Norway, they are entitled to a combined 12 months of leave following the birth. This includes up to 12 weeks of leave which the mother can take before her due date, and six weeks of leave which the mother must take immediately after the birth. Pregnant employees are also entitled to paid leave to attend prenatal appointments if they can’t be organised outside of working hours.
Parental leave in Norway
Parents in Norway are also each entitled to an additional 12 months of paid leave, after the initial leave described above. This must be taken immediately after the first (shared) 12 months of leave.
Pay for maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Norway
Employees on maternity, paternity, or parental leave in Norway are normally entitled to the parental allowance, which is designed to replace employees’ income following a birth or adoption. This is paid for by the National Insurance Scheme.
To be eligible for the parental allowance, employees must meet three conditions:
- They must have had income for at least six of the past ten months.
- They must earn at least half of the ‘basic amount’ (NOK 124,028 per year in 2024).
- They must be a member of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
The amount of parental allowance an employee can get depends on how much leave they take, as well as how many children they have. For one child, employees can get either 100% of their salary for 49 weeks, or 80% of their salary for 61 weeks and one day. This is capped at the ‘basic amount’ of NOK 124,028 per year.
In some cases, mothers who are not entitled to the parental benefit (for example because they have not been in work for six out of the past ten months) may be entitled to a lump sum instead.
Dividing paid parental leave between parents
Both parents are entitled to paid parental leave in Norway. However, the total parental allowance a couple can get is divided into the mother’s quota, the father’s quota, and a joint period which can be shared between the two parents.
The mother’s quota includes six weeks of maternity leave which she must take immediately after the birth. Fathers can choose to take two weeks of their quota at the same time as the mother around the time of the birth, from two weeks before the due date to six weeks after the birth. The joint period can be shared between the parents. Only one parent can receive the parental allowance at any time.
Adoption leave in Norway
Employees who adopt a child in Norway are entitled to equal leave and pay to birth parents, which can start on the date when the child is transferred into their care. Adoptive parents do not have the right to parental leave or pay if they adopt a child over 15 years old, or if they adopt the child of their partner (their stepchild). The only exception to this is when an employee adopts their partner’s child during the parental benefit period.
Partial parental leave
Employees in Norway can also choose to combine their parental leave with working part time. Because they are not taking full-time leave, this extends the period of leave. However, parental leave must be taken within three years of the birth or adoption of a child. Employees who want to take partial parental leave must sign an agreement with their employer.
Other leave in Norway
Employees in Norway are also entitled to various other types of leave under the Working Environment Act or the collective agreement that applies. Employers are also free to grant their employees additional leave by setting their own leave policy. Below, we’ll discuss some of the other types of leave you’re likely to come across if you hire workers in Norway.
Carer’s leave in Norway
Parents in Norway are entitled to 10 days off work to care for a sick or injured child, or 15 days if they have more than one child. They have this right regardless of how long they have been employed, and they must be paid in full by the employer for the first ten days. After this point, the employer can ask for reimbursement from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.
Bereavement leave in Norway
There is no statutory requirement for bereavement leave in Norway. However, many employers choose to grant their employees compassionate leave for the death or funeral of a close relative. This leave can be paid or unpaid.
Educational leave in Norway
Employees in Norway are entitled to unpaid educational leave of up to three years if they have:
- Worked for at least three years
- Worked for their employer for at least two years
Employees who want to take educational leave must notify their employer in writing and include information about the academic content and duration of the course they want to take. Employers may refuse educational leave if it would significantly hinder their planning of operations and personnel assignments.
Military service leave in Norway
Employees in Norway have the right to take a leave of absence from work in order to complete voluntary or compulsory military service or other forms of national service. Employees must notify their employer if they want to continue their employment after completing their service.
Public holidays in Norway
Public holidays are generally days off in Norway. If an employee is required to work on a public holiday (or a Sunday), they should be given the day off on the next public holiday (or Sunday). There should also be no work performed either:
- After 6pm on the day before a public holiday
- After 3pm on Christmas Eve or the Saturdays before Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday
- Before 10pm on the day before the next workday
When employees work during these times, they are treated as if they are working on a public holiday or a Sunday.
Are public holidays paid in Norway?
Employees on fixed salaries in Norway receive the same salary instalment every month, regardless of how many public holidays there are. Similarly, they receive the same amount in a month with 28 days as they do in a month with 31 days. This means that they are effectively paid for public holidays, even if they are off work.
For employees who are paid by the hour, Labour Day (1 May) and Constitution Day (17 May) are usually paid public holidays in Norway, unless these days fall on a Sunday. There is no legal obligation for employers to pay employees for other public holidays, assuming they are not working. Specific rules may be defined by the collective agreement that applies or the individual employment contract.
Employees who work on public holidays in Norway have the right to additional pay. This is defined by collective bargaining agreements. For example, some employees may be paid an additional 100% of their normal hourly wages for working on a public holiday.
Swapping public holidays for different religious holidays
In Norway, employees who observe religious holidays that don’t fall on national public holidays are entitled to time off work for up to two days each year. They can choose which days they take and must notify the employer at least 14 days before the holiday. Employers can require that employees make up for lost time by working additional hours on other days.
Public holidays in Norway in 2024
Here are the public holidays observed in Norway in 2024:
1 January
New Year’s Day
28 March
Maundy Thursday
29 March
Good Friday
31 March
Easter Sunday
1 April
Easter Monday
1 May
Labour Day
9 May
Ascension Day
17 May
Constitution Day
19 May
Whitsun
20 May
Whit Monday
25 December
Christmas Day
26 December
Second Day of Christmas
Other days off work
Depending on the collective agreement that applies, some employees in Norway may also have the right to time off on the following days:
24 December
Christmas Day
31 December
New Year’s Eve
Protect your employees and your business
As an employer in Norway, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.
When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get their benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.
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