How many vacation days are you entitled to in Norway, and is vacation paid?
In Norway, vacation rights work differently than in Poland. You have a statutory right to days off, but during vacation you generally do not receive your regular salary. Instead, you are paid feriepenger, a vacation allowance accrued from earnings from the previous year.
In this article, we explain how many vacation days an employee is entitled to in Norway, where the popular 5 weeks of vacation comes from, how feriepenger is calculated, and why the vacation payout in June may look different from a regular salary.
How many vacation days are you entitled to in Norway?
The basic rules come from ferieloven, the Norwegian Holiday Act. Every employee is entitled to at least 25 virkedager per year. Virkedager means working days as defined by the Holiday Act, that is, all days except Sundays and public holidays. Important: Saturday also counts as a virkedag, even if you normally work Monday to Friday.
That is why the statutory 25 virkedager usually corresponds in practice to 4 weeks and 1 day of vacation for a standard 5-day workweek. However, not everyone is entitled to the same amount - take a look at the table below:
| Situation | Entitlement under Norwegian law | In practice with Monday to Friday work |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory minimum, employee under 60 | 25 virkedager | 21 days Mon-Fri, meaning 4 weeks + 1 day |
| 5 weeks of vacation under an employment contract or collective agreement | 30 virkedager | 25 days Mon-Fri, meaning 5 weeks |
| Employee turning 60 in the current year | 31 virkedager | 26 days Mon-Fri |
| Employee 60+ with 5 weeks of vacation | 36 virkedager | 30 days Mon-Fri, meaning 6 weeks |
Where does 5 weeks of vacation come from?
Many people in Norway actually have 5 weeks of vacation, and this often comes from:
- a collective agreement,
- an employment contract,
- company rules or established practice in the company.
The statutory minimum for an employee under 60 is still 25 virkedager, meaning 4 weeks and 1 day. If your company offers 5 weeks, check your employment contract, collective agreement, or information from your employer.
Extra vacation after age 60
If you turn 60 in the vacation year, you are entitled to an extra week of vacation. With the statutory minimum, this gives you 31 virkedager, and with 5 weeks of vacation usually 36 virkedager.
The timing of the extra week is chosen by the employee, but the employer must be notified at least 2 weeks in advance.
Is vacation in Norway paid?
Norwegian vacation is time off without your regular salary for the period of absence. The salary loss is replaced by feriepenger (vacation pay), calculated from wages paid in the previous calendar year.
In simple terms:
- vacation days are your right to time off,
- feriepenger is the money for your vacation period,
- feriepenger is generally calculated from salary from the previous year,
- if you did not work in the previous year, you may have the right to vacation, but without earned feriepenger.
Example: vacation taken in 2026 is usually funded by feriepenger calculated from wages paid in 2025. The previous year is called opptjeningsår (earning year), and the year in which you take vacation is ferieår (vacation year).
If you want to check the rules for vacation pay in more detail, we also cover them in the article Feriepenger - the most important rights and rules
How much is feriepenger?
The rate depends on the vacation entitlement and the employee's age:
| Situation | Feriepenger rate |
|---|---|
| Statutory minimum, meaning 4 weeks + 1 day | 10,2% of the base |
| 5 weeks of vacation | 12% of the base |
| Employee 60+ with the statutory minimum | 12,5% of the base |
| Employee 60+ with 5 weeks of vacation | 14,3% of the base |
Example: if in 2025 you earned 500 000 NOK gross and have the standard rate of 10,2%, your feriepenger to be paid out in 2026 will amount to 51 000 NOK gross. At a rate of 12%, it would be 60 000 NOK gross.
For employees over 60, the extra 2,3 percentage points are calculated only up to the 6G limit. For feriepenger paid for the vacation year 2026, calculated from 2025 wages, the 6G limit is 780 960 NOK (G as of 31 December 2025: 130 160 NOK). The current G from 1 May 2026 is 136 549 NOK, so 6G is 819 294 NOK according to the 2026 rate.
What is feriepenger calculated from?
Feriepenger is calculated from employment income. The base may include, among other things:
- regular salary,
- overtime,
- bonuses and commissions related to work,
- shift allowances,
- some benefits in kind.
The base usually does not include, among other things, reimbursements for travel, accommodation, or meals. You should be able to see the calculation basis in the annual statement from your employer, called sammenstillingsoppgave (annual statement of wages and deductions). We write more about this document here: Sammenstillingsoppgave in Norway - what is it and where to find it?
When is feriepenger paid, and what about tax?
As a rule, feriepenger is paid in the last payroll before vacation. An employee may request payment no later than 1 week before the start of vacation.
We described this mechanism in detail in the article Feriepenger payout - when, how much, and what about tax?
Is feriepenger tax-free?
Feriepenger is taxable income in the year it is paid. The common expression "tax-free" usually means that no current tax withholding is deducted from feriepenger in the month of payment, because the tax card is set so that the tax is collected in the other months.
There are important exceptions:
- if feriepenger is paid in the same year it was accrued, an advance tax deduction is usually applied,
- under kildeskatt 25% (PAYE, a simplified tax scheme for some foreign workers), the employer also withholds tax from feriepenger,
- the extra 2,3 percentage points for employees 60+ are subject to advance tax withholding.
If you are on PAYE, also check our article Kildeskatt 25% (PAYE) - is it worth it? Key information. You can also read more about feriepenger payout here: Feriepenger payout - when, how much, and what about tax?
Who sets the vacation date, and do you have to use it?
The vacation date should be discussed with the employee well in advance. If there is no agreement, the employer ultimately sets the date, but must follow the rules of the Act.
You have the right to be informed about the vacation date no later than 2 months before it starts, unless special circumstances make this impossible.
The employee may request that 18 virkedager, meaning 3 weeks of vacation, fall within the main vacation period from 1 June to 30 September. This rule does not apply to an employee who started working after 15 August of that year.
Can I refuse vacation if I do not have feriepenger?
If you do not have enough earned feriepenger from your current or previous employer, you may refuse to take vacation to the extent that feriepenger does not cover the loss of salary.
However, there is also an exception here, including situations where the company shuts down completely or partially during a collective vacation period. In that case, the employer may require vacation even from someone who has not earned feriepenger.
Can unused vacation be paid out in cash?
Statutory vacation should be used as days off. You cannot simply convert it into a cash payment instead of taking vacation. Unused statutory vacation generally carries over to the next year.
The employee and employer may agree in writing to transfer up to 12 virkedager of vacation to the following year. You can also agree in writing to take up to 12 virkedager of vacation in advance, meaning from the next year's entitlement.
When employment ends, the employer should pay out all accrued feriepenger in the final settlement.
FAQ - most frequently asked questions
Summary
- In Norway, the statutory minimum vacation is 25 virkedager, which usually means 4 weeks and 1 day for Monday to Friday work.
- The popular 5 weeks of vacation usually comes from a contract, collective agreement, or company rules.
- Vacation is time off without your regular salary, and the money for the vacation period is provided by feriepenger calculated from the previous year's earnings.
- The standard feriepenger rate is 10,2%, with 5 weeks of vacation usually 12%, and for employees 60+ respectively 12,5% or 14,3%.
If you want to check whether your feriepenger, tax, or annual settlement in Norway is correct, contact us: +47 21 38 38 21.
Article author: Marcin - marcin@efirma.no
