What Is AFP and Who Can Receive Early Retirement in Norway?

Can you retire early in Norway after turning 62? Or perhaps you plan to continue working but want to start receiving AFP benefits?

In this article, we explain what AFP is, what conditions must be met in the private and public sectors, and what you need to keep in mind before changing jobs or terminating your contract. The amounts and thresholds given are current for 2026, based on information available as of 21 September 2026.

What Is AFP and What Types Are There?

Avtalefestet pensjon (AFP) is a pension based on a collective agreement. Eligibility depends on whether your employer is covered by the AFP scheme, how long you have worked in such a company, and whether you meet the conditions at a specific age.

AFP exists alongside the regular pension from NAV. You can start drawing a regular pension from the age of 62 if you have accumulated sufficient pension rights. Starting earlier generally means a lower monthly payment for the rest of your life. You can read more about how it is calculated in our article on the Norwegian pension after several years of work.

In 2026, there are three AFP options:

Simply turning 62 is not enough. What matters includes your employment history with AFP-covered employers, your working hours, income level, and employment status on the date payments begin.

Who Can Receive AFP in the Private Sector?

Private AFP is a lifelong supplement to your NAV pension and occupational pension. You can start receiving it no earlier than the first day of the month after you turn 62. The benefit is paid only at 100%, but you can continue working without an income limit and without a reduction in AFP.

Conditions on the Date You Turn 62

To retain the right to private AFP, you must generally meet all of the following conditions:

• your workplace is covered by a collective agreement that includes AFP,
• you have worked in one or more AFP-covered companies for at least 7 of the last 9 years before your 62nd birthday,
• AFP-covered employment is your main employment relationship,
• you work at least a 20% position,
• your pay from the AFP company is higher than your other income from work or self-employment, and your other income cannot be higher for more than two years during the qualifying period.

The 7 out of 9 year period is generally counted from your 53rd birthday. Changing to an employer without AFP after that age may therefore result in losing your right to the benefit.

If you receive uføretrygd (disability benefit), you must give it up no later than the month you turn 62 in order to retain the possibility of receiving AFP. We discuss the rules for this benefit separately in our article on who is entitled to uføretrygd in Norway.

Severance packages, early retirement benefits, and other payments received without an obligation to work between the ages of 59 and 62 may also disqualify you from AFP. The threshold is generally 1.5 G in each of those years. From 1 May 2026, this corresponds to approximately NOK 204,824, but for earlier years, the G value applicable in the relevant period is used.

Conditions on the Date AFP Starts

On the date payments start, you must still be employed and actually working for an AFP-covered company. During the last three years before the benefit begins, you generally need to have remained continuously employed in at least a 20% position.

Income thresholds also apply:

• your income on the date AFP starts, converted to an annual amount, must exceed 1 G, which from 1 May 2026 is NOK 136,549 per year,
• your income in the previous calendar year must exceed the average G for that year, which for 2025 is NOK 128,116.

An ordinary break from actual work can last a maximum of 26 weeks. If you receive sickness benefits, AAP, or uføretrygd, an additional 78 weeks of absence are permitted, for a total of up to 104 weeks, provided that the employment relationship continues.

How Much Is Private AFP?

The calculation basis consists of pensionable income up to 7.1 G for each year, up to and including the end of the year in which you turn 61. With the G value applicable from 1 May 2026, this limit corresponds to approximately NOK 969,498.

The lifelong AFP component amounts to 0.314% of the calculation basis, and the result is then adjusted according to your year of birth and age when payments begin. Starting later increases the monthly amount, but postponing payments beyond the age of 70 does not result in any further increase.

If you start AFP before the age of 67, you receive a supplement of NOK 1,600 per month until the month you turn 67. This is an advance payment of part of AFP, not an additional amount that increases the total value of the benefit.

For guidance, a person with 40 years of employment history and an annual salary of NOK 550,000, starting private AFP at the age of 62, may receive approximately NOK 5,800 per month. This is an example, not a guaranteed rate.

Before the age of 70, private AFP must be started together with a NAV pension of at least 20%, unless you are already receiving it. To start AFP before the age of 67, you must have sufficient entitlement to early retirement pension from NAV.

AFP in the Public Sector

The rules for public AFP depend primarily on your year of birth. People born in 1962 or earlier are covered by the old scheme, while those born in 1963 or later receive the new lifelong benefit.

Old Public AFP for Those Born up to 1962

Old public AFP is an early retirement benefit paid from the age of 62 to 67. To receive it, you must stop working or reduce your employment percentage.

The key conditions include:

• remaining employed in a position covered by the public pension scheme until AFP starts,
• income of at least 1 G on the date the benefit starts and at least 1 G in the previous year,
• at least 10 years of pension points after turning 50, or 10 years of membership in a public pension scheme,
• average pensionable income over 10 years of at least 2 G, which according to the amount from 1 May 2026 is NOK 273,098.

Between the ages of 62 and 65, full AFP includes a fixed supplement of NOK 1,700 per month. The benefit generally cannot exceed 70% of your previous income.

Income from continued work reduces AFP. For SPK members, the income limit without a reduction in 2026 is NOK 33,842 per year. Other public pension schemes may use a different limit.

You cannot receive old public AFP together with a regular pension from NAV. If your NAV pension has already been started, its payment rate must be set to 0% no later than the month AFP begins.

New Public AFP for Those Born in 1963 or Later

New public AFP is a lifelong benefit. You can start it from the month after you turn 62 and continue working without an income limit. AFP is paid at 100%, and once started, it cannot be stopped or reduced.

On the date you turn 62, you must generally meet the following conditions:

• have worked for at least 7 of the last 9 years for an employer covered by public or private lifelong AFP,
• have your main employment in at least a 20% position,
• earn more from this employment than from your other income,
• not receive uføretrygd from NAV after turning 62,
• not have received disqualifying payments without an obligation to work worth at least 1.5 G per year during the last three years before your 62nd birthday.

For those born between 1963 and 1966, more lenient transitional rules apply if the person has at least 10 years of membership in a public pension scheme:

Immediately before AFP starts, you generally need to have been continuously and actually employed in a position covered by the public AFP scheme for three years, in at least a 20% position. You must work until the day before the benefit starts.

Your income on the date AFP starts, converted to an annual amount, must exceed 1 G, and your income for the previous year must exceed the average G for that year.

For the new public AFP, 4.21% of pensionable income up to 7.1 G is accrued. The final payment depends on accumulated entitlements, your year of birth, and your age when the benefit starts. New public AFP can be received without simultaneously starting a NAV pension.

How to Apply and Avoid Losing Your Right to AFP?

Before applying, you need to identify the correct AFP option and confirm that your employer's specific organisational unit is covered by the scheme. Mandatory occupational pension alone does not confirm participation in AFP.

The application process depends on the type of benefit:

In the private scheme, AFP is not granted retroactively. Terminating your contract too early, moving to a company without AFP, or accepting a particular severance package may eliminate your right to lifelong payments.

Working or being posted outside Norway also requires an individual assessment. Factors include continued membership in the Norwegian social insurance scheme and how the posting is organised.

If you want to check your entitlements and prepare your application, we will be happy to help through the Alderspensjon - pension in Norway service.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

• AFP results from a collective agreement, and simply turning 62 does not guarantee entitlement to the benefit.
• Private AFP and new public AFP are lifelong and can be combined with work without a reduction.
• Old public AFP for those born up to 1962 is a temporary benefit until the age of 67, and income from work affects its amount.
• Before changing jobs or terminating your contract, confirm your employer's AFP participation and check your employment history.

If you need help checking your right to AFP and early retirement, call us: +47 21 38 38 21. We help Polish people in Norway organise their pension matters.

Article author: Marcin - marcin@efirma.no