Benefits
Child support
Child support when the parents do not live together.
Contents
Which of the parents has to pay the child support depends on where the child lives.
When the child has its permanent residence with one parent, this parent is the custodial parent and is the child support recipient. The other parent is the non-custodial parent, and the child support debtor. This parent normally has visiting arrangements with the child.
When the non-custodial parent has visits from the child, they also incur costs in connection with the visit. A deduction will be made from the child support amount when the non-custodial parent has visiting arrangements with the child for more than two days per month.
Both parents have a duty to support the child. The custodial parent supports the child by covering the child’s costs, and the non-custodial parent supports the child by making a monthly child support payment.
Some parents who live in separate homes choose to have their child live permanently in both homes. Since the child can only have one legal address registered in the National Population Register, the parents must sign an agreement for sharing the child's residence pursuant to Section 36 of the Children Act. This is a legally binding agreement.
You can read more about dual domicile on the webpage of the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (in Norwegian).
Parents who do not live together and who have children together under the age of 16 must complete an obligatory mediation session with the Family Counselling Service to decide where the child will live on a permanent basis.
When you, as parents, choose to have your child living permanently in two homes, the Family Counselling Service can help you draw up this agreement, or you can do so privately.
Where child support is concerned, having a dual domicile means:
- NAV considers that both parents shall pay equal costs for the child
- the parent with the highest income should pay child support
- parents can share the child support
When the authorities have taken over custody of a child, and the Child Welfare Services has placed the child in a foster home or institution, the parents normally do not have to pay child support to each other.
When the municipality covers the expenses of the child, the municipality may demand a fostering contribution from one or both parents (in Norwegian).
If the child lives with someone other than his parents, such as a grandparent, that person will receive the child support. Both parents still have a duty to support the child, and the former beneficiary or NAV can decide that the payment be made to grandparent.
The parent with whom the child does not live permanently must help support the child with child support.
Child support can be calculated, or adjusted, in three different ways. The parents can
In this chapter
NAV has a child support calculator which is currently only available in Norwegian. For help and guidance, contact us at 55 55 33 33. With this calculator, you can calculate the child support amount yourself. This calculator uses the same rules as NAV does when calculating the child support amount.
We recommend that you go through the calculator together, because there is a quite a lot of information that must be added by both parents. The calculation is based on the information entered into the calculator. This means the information you enter must be accurate, because the outcome will depend on the information you put in.
If you are using the calculator to calculate child support for a child over 18, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- If the child has its permanent residence with one parent, this parent must be added as the “custodial parent”.
- If the child has not yet turned 18, you can enter a fictitious birth date that would make the child 18 years old.
Unfortunately, the calculator does not work in international cases. This is because it does not take into account differences in cost levels between Norway and other countries.
The child support calculator uses some fixed rates that are adjusted on 1 July every year. The rates are updated in the calculator on the same day, so if you use the calculator before and after 1 July, you may get different results.
The Children Act specifies that parents have a duty to support the child according to their financial circumstances. When NAV calculates child support, we apply what it costs to provide for a child, based on the child’s age. This is called maintenance cost. Child support is the non-custodial parent’s share of the maintenance cost.
We also assess how much the non-custodial parent is able to pay in child support, while still having enough money to support themselves. This is called the ability to pay.
Calculation in various situations:
The parent with the highest income shall cover a larger share of the maintenance cost than the parent with the lowest income. If the child has a personal income, this may also be taken into account.
When the parents have agreed to share permanent residence for a child pursuant to Section 36 of the Children Act, NAV considers that both parents shall pay equal costs for the child. Because you are going to divide maintenance costs proportionately according to income, child support may be appropriate when one parent earns more than the other.
This means that the parent with the highest income shall pay a larger proportion of the total cost of maintenance cost.
In the case of dual domicile, the parents generally pay 50 percent each of the maintenance cost. When one earns more than the other, the person with a high income shall pay a net contribution for the income that exceeds 50 percent.
Example:
Suzy lives equally with both parents, Tim and Karen. Tim earns NOK 400 000 per year, while Karen earns NOK 600 000 per year.
In this case, Karen must pay child support to Tim, because she earns 60 percent of their total income of NOK 1 000 000. Karen already pays 50 percent of the maintenance cost. She must also pay the part that exceeds 50 percent, i.e. 10 percent more, which goes as child support to Tim.
When the authorities have taken over custody of a child, and e.g. the Child Welfare Services has placed the child in a foster home or institution, the parents normally do not have to pay child support to each other.
When the municipality covers the child’s expenses, the municipality may demand a fostering contribution from one or both parents (in Norwegian).
The child support is calculated by a discretionary assessment when one parent, or the child, lives abroad.
The cost of living in the country where the custodial parent lives will be taken into account. NAV also takes into account income levels, exchange rates and purchasing power.
A fee will be incurred for this service, unless prohibited by agreements between the two countries. The fee is NOK 1,277 which is equivalent to one court fee.
Factors in the calculation:
Fixed rates for maintenance cost and ability to pay
When NAV calculates child support, the Children Act requires us to use rates and fixed amounts based by the National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO). These rates have been prepared as an average of the cost to maintain a child at different ages.
The maintenance cost includes
- consumer expenses (clothing, shoes, food & drinks, leisure activities, etc)
- housing costs (child’s share of housing costs)
- child-care costs (kindergarten, after-school programme (SFO), nanny)
The ordinary child benefit will be deducted, because this is meant to be put toward support of the child.
Consumer expenses:
When NAV calculates child support, we base our assessment on the National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO) Reference Budget for Consumer Expenditures. This reference budget shows ordinary budget items, based on a reasonable and acceptable level of consumption, as an indication of average costs for children of different ages. The budget item prices are updated on 1 July every year.
Housing costs:
The child’s share of housing costs are included in the maintenance cost. NAV will apply a fixed amount for housing costs, based on the average of actual housing costs from Statistics Norway consumer surveys.
These expenditures are included: interest on mortgages, rent, insurance, taxes and charges, maintenance, electricity and heating. Mortgage instalments are not included.
Child-care costs:
Child-care costs are documented expenditures for child care, such as kindergarten, nanny and after-school programmes (SFO/AKS). The custodial parent’s child-care costs, if relevant, are added to the maintenance cost. If the non-custodial parent pays some of the child-care cost, we cannot add it to the calculation. NAV distinguishes between full-time child care and part-time child care. Full-time child care is a regular child supervision arrangement of 33 hours or more per week.
For children under school-age, the rates are based on Statistics Norway parent payment surveys.
For school-age children who have been enrolled in an after-school programme (SFO/AKS) or similar child supervision schemes, the rates are based on the Statistics Norway KOSTRA survey. This distinguishes between supervision up to 10 hours per week and supervision between 10 and 25 hours per week.
When the custodial parent is not a recipient of child care benefit, actual child supervision costs are applied, up to a maximum. Parental allowances are included in this calculation.
If parents pay extra for food (food fee), this will not be included.
When we calculate the parents’ incomes, we consider
- gross personal income. This includes earned income from an employer, including holiday pay, overtime pay and other supplements, as well as other taxable benefits from insurance policies, use of vehicles, telephone and media
- care benefit paid by the municipality, director’s remuneration, private pension and insurance payouts.
- positive net investment income exceeding NOK 10,000. This includes such things as dividend, interest income and proceeds from the sale of real property.
- taxable monetary payments from NAV. This includes sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, work assessment allowance, disability benefit or transitional benefit.
- other monetary payments from NAV. This includes, cash-for-care benefit, extended child benefit and extra infant supplement for single parents granted to the custodial parent for the child being supported.
Discretionary calculation
If your income is significantly lower than your earning potential, we need information from you explaining why that is. That is because we need to assess whether there is a reasonable reason for your income being lower.
If we find that you have no reasonable reason to earn less than your earning potential, we may calculate your income at our discretion. That means we estimate what your income could have been, based on your education, work experience and past income level.
Child supplement
If one parent is receiving a child supplement to a benefit from NAV for the child for whom child support is to be paid, such as disability benefit or work assessment allowance (AAP), this could affect the calculation in various ways:
- The child supplement is considered income for the parent who receives it.
- If the non-custodial parent does not have full ability to pay child support, the child supplement will be applied as child support. Tax on the child supplement will be deducted.
- NAV may, on its own initiative, calculate child support when a non-custodial parent receives child supplement.
When NAV calculates child support, we take into account how much the non-custodial parent is able to pay in child support, while still having enough money left over to provide for themselves and any children of theirs in the household.
If you are the non-custodial parent and you have a low income, your child support payments may be reduced or even set to NOK 0. The child support payment can never exceed the non-custodial parent’s ability to pay it. If the non-custodial parent pays child support to more than one custodial parent and does not have sufficient income to cover all child support payments, the child support may be reduced. The amount the non-custodial parent is able to pay will then be distributed across all custodial parent recipients.
If the non-custodial parent’s income is insufficient to pay full child support for all children, the child support payments will be reduced to what he/she is able to pay. The amount the non-custodial parent can pay will be distributed between the children.
How does NAV assess the ability to pay child support?
We use fixed rates when we assess someone’s ability to pay child support. This means that we are not able to take into account your specific debt level and other expenditures. Click here for an overview of the rates.
We take the following into account:
- Tax rate and social security contributions are calculated based on ordinary rates for salary and wage earners.
- Subsistence costs are divided into two different rates. There is one rate for non-custodial parents who live alone, and a somewhat lower rate if the non-custodial parent shares their home with another person.
- The rate applied for caring for own children within the non-custodial parent’s household, is an average rate for all age groups. The standard rates applied include consumer expenditures, housing costs, child-care costs and child benefit. These are the same rates we apply when we calculate maintenance cost.
- The rates for housing costs are taken from the Statistics Norway consumer survey. There is one rate for non-custodial parents who live alone, and another rate if the non-custodial parent shares their home with another person.
Other maximum limits on how much a non-custodial parent can be ordered to pay The non-custodial parent cannot be ordered to pay more than
- 5/6, or 83.3 percent, of the child’s maintenance cost.
- 25 percent of the gross income estimated by NAV before making deductions for visiting arrangements, if relevant.
When NAV calculates child support, we also take into account if the child has personal income. The child’s income is only taken into account if the annual income exceeds NOK 59,100.
The child is considered self-supporting if their income exceeds NOK 197,000. In these cases, we will not order the non-custodial parent to pay child support.
When the non-custodial parent has a visiting arrangement with the child, they also incur costs in connection with the visits. This means the non-custodial parent is entitled to deductions from the child support payment.
Visiting arrangement deductions apply when there is an agreement, either verbal or written, outlining a regular visit schedule, and the parties comply with this schedule. This also applies to visiting arrangements regulated by order or administrative decision. This includes settlements in court, judgments and agreements imposed by the County Governor.
Click here for visiting arrangement deduction rates (in Norwegian)
Expenditures included in the visiting arrangement deduction:
- food and drinks
- health and hygiene
- play and leisure activities
- transport
- housing costs (visiting arrangement classes 3 and 4)
Travel costs in connection with visits are not part of the child support.
Visiting arrangement calculator
NAV has a visiting arrangement calculator which is currently only available in Norwegian. For help and guidance, contact us at 55 55 33 33.
When NAV calculates child support, deductions are made when the non-custodial parent has a visiting arrangement with the child for more than two days per month. This is because the non-custodial parent then incurs the cost of visits from the child, such as the cost of food. The calculator can help you figure out which visiting arrangement class to apply in your calculation of child support.
Add the regular visiting arrangement through the year, plus visits during holidays.
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Divided residence
Normally, deductions for visiting arrangement are not made if the child has divided residence.
However, the actual circumstances will be a determining factor even when there is an agreement stating that the child has divided residence. If there is deviation from the agreement, NAV may calculate child support as if the child did not have divided residence.
What if a visiting arrangement schedule exists, but the schedule is not followed?
There may be several reasons why visiting arrangements are not followed, even if there is a schedule for it. If it’s not followed through, the non-custodial parent does not incur costs in connection with visits , and will therefore not be granted a visiting arrangement deduction.
If there is a judgment, court settlement or binding agreement in place for visiting arrangement, and visits does not happen due to disagreement between the parties, the other parent may file a claim for so-called enforcement damages with the district court.
If a child has been abducted
If a child has been abducted, Skatteetaten may stop child support payments. In order for NAV to be able to process the case as an abduction case, NAV must receive notice of child abduction from the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) or the police.
The child is the one who is entitled to the child support, and the non-custodial parent must therefore continue to pay the child support as before, but the money is put into a frozen account for the child. The child will get access to the frozen account when they turn 18 years old.
Indexing of child support
If not otherwise decided by administrative decision, judgment or private agreement between the parties, the child support shall be indexed annually. The index date is 1 July.
When parents establish a private agreement, the parents decide between themselves what the child support shall cover.
When NAV calculates the child support, the child support payment is intended to cover expenditures that are included in the maintenance cost. In short, these are costs that a parent incurs in connection caring for the child in their day-to-day life. This means food and drinks, clothing and shoes, housing and child-care costs, and play and leisure activities.
The custodial parent manages the child support payment on behalf of the child. That means that it is also the custodial parent who decides what the support payment will be used for in the day-to-day care of the child. When the non-custodial parent has paid the determined amount, they cannot be ordered to pay any more in child support per month.
Many families, however, incur costs relating to the child that exceed what the child support payment covers. These are costs that are not considered part of the day-to-day caring for the child. This includes travel costs in connection with holidays or visiting arrangements , gifts, pocket money, celebrations, or expensive leisure activities.
What is expensive for one family may not be expensive for another, and this is not something NAV can intervene in or decide for you. In these cases, it will be up to the parents to agree on what, if anything, to pay outside of the monthly child support payment
Support for extraordinary expenses
Extraordinary expenses are necessary expenses that are not covered by the monthly child support payment. The parent who incurs costs in connection with dental braces, eyeglasses or the child’s confirmation, for example, may request that the other parent pay their share of these expenses.
When you apply for support to pay extraordinary expenses, NAV will set an amount for the other parent to pay. NAV is not covering these expenses.
Travel costs in connection with visiting arrangement
Travel costs in connection with visiting arrangement are not covered by the monthly child support. How such travel costs are shared is a private matter between the parents. You negotiate a distribution of these travel costs that you believe is best for your situation.
If you do not agree otherwise, travel costs are divided proportionately between you in accordance with your respective incomes. This means that the parent with the highest income shall cover a larger share of the travel costs than the parent with the lowest income.
Under some, limited circumstances you may request that NAV decide the distribution of travel costs, but NAV cannot collect this money on your behalf.
The obligation to pay child support normally lasts up to and including the month in which the child reaches the age of 18. After the age of 18, the child may be entitled to be supported through upper secondary education.
The duty to pay child support normally lapses at the end of the month when the child turns 18 years old. After age 18, the child may be entitled to support until they complete upper secondary education.
If Norwegian Tax Administration is collecting and paying the child support, this arrangement will automatically cease when the child turns 18, if the child has not applied for child support through upper secondary education.
How to cease payment of child support before the child turns 18
There are several reasons for ending child support payments before the child turns 18, or to request that Norwegian Tax Administration cease collection and payment of the child support. For NAV to decide to end child support or the collection of child support, NAV must receive a notification to that effect.
Examples include situations where the child has moved to the former non-custodial parent, where the child becomes self-supporting, or where child welfare services has taken care and control of the child.
When NAV calculates child support for a child who is over 18 years old, the child support arrangement will normally remain in place until such time the child is expected to graduate from upper secondary education. If there is some doubt as to whether the child will be enrolled in a programme throughout their upper secondary education, we will consider calculating child support for one year at a time.
Child support payments will automatically cease when the time period specified in the decision ends. If the child is delayed in their education, NAV will consider whether the conditions for extended child support have been met.
The child is considered self-supporting if their income exceeds NOK 197,000. In this case, the child will not be entitled to child support. If the child’s income exceeds this amount in the child support period, one of the parties must notify NAV.
If child support payments should cease, e.g. because the parents have entered into a private agreement with the 18-year-old, or the child drops out of school, the parents must notify NAV of this. The parent paying child support may submit a copy of the agreement, or the child over 18 may give notification that child support payments should cease.
Normally, child support is a private matter, and the parents can agree on an amount and other concerns in a private agreement signed by both parties.
As a general rule, NAV is not involved when you enter into a private agreement. However, there may be cases where NAV is required to determine child support for the child.
This is in situations where
- the parents did not live together when the child was born, and
- have not made a child support agreement.
In other words, if none of you have applied for NAV to determine child support from the child's month of birth, you must let us know whether you have entered into a private agreement. You can let us know by submitting a copy of the agreement or you can send us a message.
Other situations:
When you enter into a private child support agreement after a break-up, it is not necessary to inform or involve NAV. Since child support is a private matter, NAV does not come into the picture until at least one of you applies for NAV to determine, change or collect child support for you.
By entering into a private child support agreement, you get a more flexible agreement than if NAV is in the picture. Then you can change and adapt the contribution according to your own needs. In addition, you do not have to pay a fee for NAV to take the job of determining child support for you.
In cases where the child welfare service has custody of the child, it is not relevant to enter into a private agreement.
Enter into private agreement
You can use the form below, which has been prepared by NAV. Then you will get all the points that should be included in such an agreement. Alternatively, you can write the agreement on an ordinary sheet of paper.
There are no costs associated with entering into a private agreement.
The Tax Administration also does not charge any fees if you want them to collect child support for you. If you want this, remember to tick it in the form. Then send a copy of the form to us at NAV .
Child support agreement
You can use this form when entering into a private contribution agreement.
Child support agreement for children over the age of 18
You can use this form when entering into a private agreement on child support and the child is over the age of 18.
Use one form for each parent if an agreement is to be made with both.
What must be included in the agreement?
If you do not want to use the form prepared by NAV, the agreement should include the following:which child the agreement concerns:
- the agreed amount to be paid per month
- whether you want to settle privately or whether you want the Tax Administration to collect the payment
- which time frame the agreement is valid for (date from/to)
- signatures from both parties
Do you want the Tax Agency to collect?
If you want the Norwegian Tax Administration to collect and pay already agreed child support, you must send the current private agreement to NAV. We will then take it further with the Tax Administration.
When you are asked which documents to send, select "Other documentation".
If you cannot come to a private agreement on child support, one or both of you may request that NAV calculate the child support.
Various situations
Normally, the child is the one who must apply after they turn 18 years old. However, the custodial parent may apply on the child’s behalf before they turn 18 years old, if preferable In that case the custodial parent must pay a fee of NOK 1,277 for the service.
Once the child turns 18 years old, they will become the child support recipient in their case. If the former custodial parent, or a third party, is applying on behalf of the child after the child has turned 18 years old, the application must include a power of attorney from the 18-year-old.
Read more about:
Power of attorney
How to
Child support can be calculated, or adjusted, in three different ways. The parents can
- reach a private agreement on child support
- apply for NAV to calculate the child support
- apply to have the child support decided in the country where the non-custodial parent lives
The child support is calculated by a discretionary assessment when one parent, or the child, lives abroad.
The cost of living in the country where the custodial parent lives will be taken into account. NAV also takes into account income levels, exchange rates and purchasing power.
A fee will be incurred for this service, unless prohibited by agreements between the two countries. The fee is NOK 1,277 which is equivalent to one court fee.
In most other countries, child support is decided in a judgment or court settlement.
If you want the child support to be decided in the country where the other parent lives, you can contact the proper authorities/courts in this country. If Norway has a cooperative agreement in place with this country in the area of child support, we can help you send the application to the proper authority.
Countries bound by the Lugano Convention
The countries bound by the Lugano Convention include the EU and the EFTA states Norway, Iceland and Switzerland.
If one of the parents lives in one of these countries, the parent claiming child support must normally apply to the authorities in the country where the other parent lives. There is an exception for custodial parents, who can choose whether to make a claim for child support in the country where they live, or in the country where the non-custodial parent lives.
The non-custodial parent does not have the same option. If a non-custodial parent wants to request a child support calculation or adjustment in Norway, but the custodial parent lives in a country bound by the Lugano Convention, NAV may only process this request if the custodial parent consents to this. If not, the request must be processed in the country where the custodial parent lives.
What does it cost to have NAV calculate the child support?
When NAV calculates or adjusts the child support, we collect a fee from both the custodial and the non-custodial parent. We do this because child support is normally a private matter, but one we can handle for you as a service.
The fee is NOK 1,277, which is equivalent to one court fee.
You will not have to pay the fee if your gross income is less than NOK 349,600.
You must pay a fee when NAV calculates child support in response to an application from one parent, but you will also incur an additional fee each time one of request adjustment of the child support.
You must also pay a fee when NAV calculates the child support on our own initiative. We may do this when the custodial parent receives an advance on the child support, or when the parents did not live together when the child was born and have not reached a private agreement.
You must pay a fee if you or the other parent live abroad, if not otherwise prohibited by agreement with that country.
The Norwegian Tax Administration will collect the fee. The parents will receive an invoice.
Application and documentation
You can apply digitally or on paper.
There is one form for the custodial parent and another for the non-custodial parent. With these forms, you can apply for calculation or adjustment of child support.
The questions on the application, along with the requested documentation, will provide us with what we need to process your application. If we need additional information, we will contact you.
If you want the Norwegian Tax Administration to also collect and administer the child support, tick this box in the application.
Application for custodial parent
You must use the application form if you are a beneficiary and are applying for the determination or amendment of child support. Children over the age of 18 must apply themselves.
A child support case has multiple parties, who have the right to access shared information. This means that information you submit in the case will be forwarded by NAV to the other party, and vice versa.
Below is a list of documentation that may be relevant for your case. Your case may not require any documentation, but you must go through the list and attach the documentation that is relevant to you.
If the non-custodial parent has contact with the child, you must attach a copy of the visiting arrangement schedule from the private agreement or court order, which shows how much visits the non-custodial parent has with the child.
If you and the non-custodial parent have a verbal agreement on visiting arrangements, you must document this agreement and the scope of contact. There is a dedicated field in the application where you can do this.
If you have child-care costs, you must document your costs. This includes costs incurred for
- kindergarten
- after-school programmes (SFO)
- nanny or other private care arrangement
You must specify the maximum number of hours per week the child can spend in kindergarten, SFO or private care arrangement.
If the child has divided residence in accordance with Section 36 of the Children Act, you must attach a written agreement signed by you and the other parent, or a court ruling specifying that the child has divided residence.
If the child is applying for child support past turning 18, you must attach documentation of enrolment in upper secondary education.
If the child support has previously been calculated by someone other than NAV, you must attach a copy of the order or agreement.
If the child has personal income, you must attach documentation of this income.
NAV has access to income information through what is called A-ordningen. If the child has investment income, and this income has changed considerably since the last tax assessment, you must document the changes.
If you are receiving financial assistance, you must include documentation of this. Financial assistance is not considered income, and the documentation will show that you have no income.
If the child support was ordered in another country, you must attach documentation that shows this.
If you and the child have been granted asylum in Norway, or have applied for asylum, you must either attach a copy of the application or the certificate that shows you have been granted asylum in Norway. The certificate must show the date from which asylum was granted.
Application for non-custodial parent
You must use the application form if you are subject to the obligation to contribute and are applying for determination or change of child support.
A child support case has multiple parties, who have the right to access shared information. This means that information you submit in the case will be forwarded by NAV to the other party, and vice versa.
Below is a list of documentation that may be relevant for your case. Your case may not require any documentation, but you must go through the list and attach the documentation that is relevant to you.
If you have visiting arrangements with the child, you must attach a copy of the schedule from the private agreement or court order, which shows how much visits you have from the child.
If you and the other parent have a verbal agreement on visiting arrangement, you must document this agreement and the scope of visits. There is a dedicated field in the application where you can do this.
If the child has divided residence in accordance with Section 36 of the Children Act, you must attach a written agreement signed by you and the other parent, or a court ruling specifying that the child has divided residence.
If the child support has previously been calculated by someone other than NAV, you must attach a copy of the order or agreement. If the child support was ordered in another country, you must attach documentation that shows this. If you are receiving financial assistance, you must include documentation of this. Financial assistance is not considered income, and the documentation will show that you have no income.
If you and the child have been granted asylum in Norway, or have applied for asylum, you must either attach a copy of the application or the certificate that shows you have been granted asylum in Norway. The certificate must show the date from which asylum was granted.
Response to advance notice in child support case (custodial parent)
Used to provide information after receiving advance notice in a child support case.
A child support case has multiple parties, who have the right to access shared information. This means that information you submit in the case will be forwarded by NAV to the other party, and vice versa.
Response to advance notice in case of child support (non-custodial parent)
Used to provide information after receiving advance notice in a child support case.
A child support case has multiple parties, who have the right to access shared information. This means that information you submit in the case will be forwarded by NAV to the other party, and vice versa.
Child support is normally first calculated for the calendar month during which the application was made. If an application for adjustment is later submitted, the adjustment will take effect from the month following the month during which the application was made.
When one of you have submitted an application, the other party will receive notification that NAV is calculating child support. The notification will include information about the process. All parties involved will get an opportunity to give a statement before NAV makes a decision.
If one of the parties chooses to not give a statement, we will use the information and documentation we have available.
NAV is an objective party in this process. Child support is a sensitive and difficult issue for many. We do understand, but we will base our calculation on fixed rates and the available documentation
After you have applied
Child support is normally first calculated for the calendar month during which the application was made. If an application for adjustment is later submitted, the adjustment will take effect from the month following the month during which the application was made.
When one of you have submitted an application, the other party will receive notification that NAV is calculating child support. The notification will include information about the process. All parties involved will get an opportunity to give a statement before NAV makes a decision.
If one of the parties chooses to not give a statement, we will use the information and documentation we have available.
NAV is an objective party in this process. Child support is a sensitive and difficult issue for many. We do understand, but we will base our calculation on fixed rates and the available documentation.
Processing time for applications
The processing time is the time from when we receive your application until we have made a decision. Remember that we need all the necessary documentation to process your application.
Case concerns | Expected case processing time |
---|---|
Application for determination or change of contribution | 5 months |
International application | 8 months |
Access and confidentiality
When NAV calculates child support, both parents have a mutual right of access to any and all information used by NAV. All information you submit in connection with the case will be made available to the other parent. That is because both parents are part of the same case, and both parents have the right to give a statement on the case.
You must keep confidential all information to which you become privy in connection with the case, and you may not use or release this information in other contexts.
Other parties may get acces
In this case, the affected child support cases will trigger rights of access to all parties involved. That is because a collective assessment must be made for all cases, to ensure that the distribution of the child support is fair. In these cases, you must also keep this information confidential.
All parties to a child support case may complain about NAV’s decision. If a child is a party, he or she must be 18 years or older to appeal.
The term of complain is 3 weeks from the date on which you received the decision.
The decision has been made based on the information available at the time. If the information is incorrect, you may complain about the decision. If the information changes after the date of the decision, you can reapply for an adjustment.
Complain about a decision
The decision will have information about how to proceed if you want to complain, where to send your complaint and the term of complaint. If you have questions about the decision, you can contact us.
Complain process
When you complain about a decision, the NAV unit that made your decision, will review your case. If the unit finds no reason to amend its decision, the complain will be forwarded to NAV Appeals Management Unit. The appellate authority will then make its decision, and this decision will be final.
In order to get this decision reviewed, you must bring the matter before a court of law. You may also appeal to the Parliamentary Ombud.
In this chapter
When you have entered into a private agreement, you may transfer the contribution privately between you. You can request the Tax Administration to administrate the child support payments. This means the Tax Administration will collect child support from the person who is obligated to pay the contribution, and pay this to the beneficiary (the custodial parent). There is no cost to have the Tax Administration collect the contribution.
The Tax Administration can administrate the contribution for private agreements and when NAV has determined the contribution.
Child support shall, at the earliest, be paid from the first month the parents no longer live together.
If the parents have a private agreement, the child support shall be paid monthly in advance, if not otherwise agreed. You decide the date by which child support shall be paid.
If you have questions about receipts or payments, you must contact the Norwegian Tax Administration on telephone 21 05 11 00. You can read more about their services online (skatteetaten.no)
When the Tax Administration is handling collection of the child support, the non-custodial parent must make payment no later than the 25th of the month prior to the month the child support is for.
Holiday and holiday pay
There is no holiday pay on this benefit.
Tax
No tax is deducted from the money.
Annual report
When child support is paid for a child under the age of 18, the Tax Administration will issue a certificate of pay and tax deducted for the child support paid. The certificate is always issued in the child’s name, even when another parent, caregiver or institution has been the recipient of the payment.
If the non-custodial parent fails to pay on time, the Tax Administration will automatically follow up on the matter. They will issue a reminder for the outstanding payment. The reminder will
be issued on the 10th of the following month, with 14 days allowed for payment. If the reminder also goes unpaid, another reminder will be issued, along with a notice of forced collection. This reminder also allows 14 days for payment.
Once the time allowed for payment on the notice of forced collection has expired, the Tax Administration will actively check whether the non-custodial parent has an income, such as earned income or monetary support from NAV. If so, an attachment of earnings will be ordered. This means the employer will be forced to make deductions from the pay, or NAV will make deductions from the monetary support.
The attachment of earnings will be equivalent to the monthly child support payment, or relevant debt settlement arrangement. When the Tax Administration issues an attachment order, they will also take into account whether the non-custodial parent is paying off debt. The non-custodial parent must have enough money for subsistence and other necessary expenses. If Skatteetaten does not find that the non-custodial parent has an income, other measures will be considered. These include execution liens or distress levied by the Execution and Enforcement Commissioner.
When an employer has been ordered to attach earnings, the employer is obligated to inform the Tax Administration of any changes to the employment relationship. This includes situations where the non-custodial parent resigns or is placed on sick leave. If the non-custodial parent gets a new employer, the attachment of earnings is transferred to the new employer.
The Tax Administration will take into consideration that the non-custodial parent must have enough money to support themselves. They will apply their own subsistence rates, which are different from the ones applied by NAV in their assessment of the ability to pay child support.
The subsistence rates take account of your expenses for includes general consumption expenses, including expenses for public transport, electricity/heating, and home contents insurance, but not housing expenses. Other typical expenses will be food, clothes and shoes, health and hygiene, household items, telephone, media and other expenditure on, for example, holidays and leisure.
If there are more than 3 people in the household, a deduction of 20 per cent is made starting with person number 4 in the household. The deduction must be calculated for the youngest children.
If you live abroad, separate rates apply.
Subsistence rates are set by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion (FOR-2014-06-13-724).
Current rates from 1 July 2024:
Child's age | Amount |
---|---|
Single debtor | NOK 10,724 |
Married or cohabiting debtor | NOK 9,082 |
Debtors who support a spouse or cohabitant | NOK 18,164 |
Supplement for children aged 0-5 in the household | NOK 3,432 |
Supplement for children aged 6-10 in the household | NOK 4,553 |
Supplement for children aged 11-14 in the household | NOK 5,747 |
Supplement for children aged 15 or older in the household | NOK 6,611 |
Debt settlement arrangement for child support debt
The non-custodial parent may enter into a debt settlement arrangement for child support debt with the Tax Administration.
Debt settlement must be paid in addition to the monthly child support payment.
If NAV has registered debt owed by the non-custodial parent, The Tax Administration will automatically make deductions from payments, such as tax refunds and retroactive payments from NAV.
Cancellation of child support debt
If a non-custodial parent fails to pay child support, child support debt will accumulate with NAV. The non-custodial parent may apply for relief from this debt.
NAV will only grant debt relief if compelling circumstances are present. Among other things, NAV will consider whether the non-custodial parent will be able to repay this debt now or in the future.
- If it is likely that the non-custodial parent can improve their earning ability in the future, NAV will not grant debt relief.
- If the non-custodial parent’s annual income is lower than 75 times the increased advance, and it is clear that the income will not improve with time, NAV may grant relief from all of the child support debt. NAV will also assess whether the non-custodial parent has any assets before they will consider granting debt relief.
- If the income is more than 75 times the increased advance, NAV will not grant complete debt relief. NAV may still, however, consider partial relief from the child support debt.
Normally, the non-custodial parent may apply to NAV for cancellation from child support debt.
If the child support debt concerns a child who has turned 18 years old, the child may choose to release the non-custodial parent from their debt (cancel the debt).
A custodial parent cannot cancel child support debt on behalf of a child under the age of 18, because the child is entitled to the support.
In addition, the estate of the non-custodial parent (if the non-custodial parent dies), or heirs who have assumed liability for the debt may apply for debt relief.
Advance payment of child support
Advance payment is a means-tested monetary support, which will be paid if the child support payment cannot be collected.
When you have established a private agreement on child support, you may agree adjustments or amendments to this agreement without involving NAV.
If you have opted to have Norwegian Tax Administration collect the child support payments on your behalf, you simply send a copy of the new agreement to us.
Adjust child support calculated by NAV
For NAV to adjust the child support, the new calculation must lead to an adjustment exceeding 12 percent. The adjustment normally takes effect from the month after the claim for adjustment was filed.
Both parents must pay a fee for NAV to perform this service for you. The fee is NO 1,277, which is equivalent to one court fee.
Automatic adjustment of child support
In cases where NAV has calculated the child support and is collecting it, the rate will automatically be adjusted in the years the child turns 6, 11 and 15 years old. This means it will not be necessary to request an adjustment in these cases.
Apply for adjustment
Other options
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Updated 08/06/2024
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