What is bostøtte and who can receive it?

Rising rental, mortgage and housing maintenance costs can put a heavy strain on a household budget. If you live in Norway and a large part of your income goes towards housing, you may be wondering whether you can receive additional support.

In this article, we explain what bostøtte is, what requirements the applicant and the home must meet, and how income, assets and housing costs affect the benefit. We also show you how and when to apply.

What is bostøtte?

Bostøtte is a tax-free government housing benefit for households with low incomes relative to their housing costs. The benefit is intended to help pay for suitable housing or allow people to remain in their current home.

The benefit may apply to both rented and owner-occupied homes. The scheme is jointly administered by Husbanken and municipalities:

• the municipality receives and reviews the application and contacts the applicant,
• Husbanken makes the decision, pays the benefit and handles appeals.

Bostøtte is calculated separately for each month. The household composition, its income and assets, place of residence, and recognised housing costs all matter.

Who can receive bostøtte?

To receive bostøtte, you must simultaneously meet the requirements relating to the applicant, household and occupied home.

Basic requirements for the applicant

A person may be entitled to the benefit if they:

• legally reside in Norway and are registered as resident in the Folkeregisteret (National Population Register),
• are generally at least 18 years old,
• actually live in the home stated in the application,
• are responsible for housing costs, for example by paying rent or covering mortgage and maintenance costs for their own home,
• meet the income and asset requirements applicable to their household.

A person under the age of 18 may receive bostøtte if they have their own child living in the same household.

Having a D-nummer alone is generally not enough. The main applicant should have a permanent Norwegian personal identification number and be registered as resident in the National Population Register. We discuss the differences between these numbers in our article on D-numbers and permanent personal identification numbers.

Bostøtte is not available to people living in Svalbard.

Registration at the correct address

All household members should be registered at the address covered by the application on the first day of the month for which the benefit is to be calculated. The register must also contain the correct unit number.

An incorrect address for the main applicant may result in rejection. An unregistered child will not be included in the calculation. In special, documented circumstances, an individual exemption from the requirement to be registered on the first day of the month may be possible.

If you have moved, you can use our assistance with changing your residential address in Norway.

Who will not receive the benefit?

Bostøtte is generally not available to:

• people completing compulsory military service or civilian service,
• people permanently staying in an institution where the fee depends on income, for example a nursing home,
• most students, pupils and apprentices entitled to a loan or grant from Lånekassen.

For students, the entitlement itself to support from Lånekassen matters, even if the person has not submitted an application. Living with a student or a person completing service may cause the entire household to lose entitlement.

However, a student, pupil or apprentice may meet the requirements, among other circumstances, if:

• a child under the age of 18 lives in the household,
• they are a parent living with their studying child over the age of 18,
• they receive AAP (work assessment allowance), disability benefit or a specific activation benefit,
• the education is part of an activation programme agreed with NAV or the municipality,
• they are studying at primary school level,
• they started upper secondary school as an adult in the year they turned 25 or later.

What requirements must the home meet?

The home covered by the application must be approved by the municipality as housing intended for permanent residence. It should be an independent residential unit and have:

• a separate entrance that does not pass through someone else's home,
• its own bathroom and toilet,
• facilities for preparing and storing food, as well as washing dishes,
• a place for sleeping and resting.

The benefit generally does not cover holiday homes, hotels, guesthouses, commercial premises, unapproved residential units or stays in an institution.

Ordinary shared housing with unrelated people also usually does not meet the requirements. An exception may apply to shared housing justified by health or social reasons and accepted by the municipality. You can find detailed requirements in the rules for homes eligible for bostøtte.

For rentals, the basis is a valid contract and actual payment of rent. We describe the rights and obligations of both parties in more detail in our article on renting a home in Norway.

How do income, assets and costs affect bostøtte?

There is no single nationwide income limit that applies to everyone. The individual threshold depends, among other things, on:

• the number of adults and children,
• the municipality of residence,
• the amount of recognised housing costs,
• household income and assets,
• the special status of a young person receiving disability benefit,
• adaptations to the home for the needs of a person with a disability.

Once the individual threshold is exceeded, bostøtte will not be paid, even if the actual housing costs are very high.

What income is included?

The basis is gross income, meaning before tax deductions. The income of the main applicant and other household members aged 20 or over is included.

The calculation basis includes, among other things:

• wages,
• pensions and taxable NAV benefits,
• feriepenger (holiday pay),
• income from self-employment,
• capital income above the tax-free threshold,
• income from Poland and other countries,
• tax-free income from renting out part of your own home.

Income from work and benefits is assigned to the month in which it was actually paid. Foreign income must be reported regardless of the country in which it is taxed.

From 1 June 2026, each person may have up to NOK 6,886 in annual capital income without it being added to the calculation basis. Only the amount exceeding this threshold is included.

As a rule, child benefit, maintenance payments, social assistance, the one-off benefit after birth or adoption, and tax refunds are not included. The income of household members under the age of 20 is also not included if they are not the main applicant.

How are assets taken into account?

Net assets, meaning the value of assets less debt, belonging to household members aged 18 or over are taken into account.

65% of net assets exceeding the relevant amount is added to annual income, and the result is divided by 12. The assets of a child under the age of 18 should not increase the benefit calculation basis.

What housing costs are taken into account?

From 1 June 2026, the standard allowance for maintaining your own home is NOK 15,262 per year. If heating is not included in the rent or common charges, NOK 7,631 per year is added to the costs.

Only costs up to a specified maximum are used in the calculation:

The limit is higher in municipalities with particularly high housing costs. In Oslo, NOK 27,982 per year is added, while Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø, Stavanger and Bærum each receive an additional NOK 19,079 per year.

The basic formula applicable in 2026 is as follows:

(recognised housing costs - household's own contribution) x 73.7% = bostøtte

The household's own contribution increases with income. From 1 June 2026, the minimum payment is NOK 63 per month. You can check your estimated individual income threshold and benefit amount in the bostøtte calculator.

How do you apply and when is payment made?

You can apply electronically after logging in with BankID, MinID, Buypass or Commfides. A person without electronic identification can submit a paper form to their municipality or district.

The application deadline is generally the 25th day of each month. Bostøtte is paid in arrears, usually on the 20th day of the following month. If that day falls on a weekend or public holiday, the transfer is made on the last working day before that date.

An incomplete form is not considered submitted by the deadline. However, if you provide the missing information within one month of the deadline, the application may be treated as submitted on time.

Once bostøtte has been granted, the application generally automatically moves on to calculation for the following month. You do not need to submit it again every month. If the rejection was solely due to income being too high, the case is automatically checked for two more consecutive months. After three rejections, you must submit a new application.

If you move, you must change your address in the National Population Register and submit a new application for bostøtte.

You are required to report, among other things, changes in the number of household members, rent, assets, income from self-employment or abroad, starting education, and changes to your bank account number. Failure to report changes may result in the benefit being recalculated and an obligation to repay an overpayment.

If you want to avoid mistakes and gather the correct documents, we will be happy to help you submit an application through the Bostøtte - housing benefit service.

FAQ - frequently asked questions

Summary

• Bostøtte is a tax-free benefit for households with low incomes relative to recognised housing costs.
• The applicant must legally reside in Norway, be correctly registered and cover the costs of a home that meets the housing requirements.
• There is no single income limit for everyone. The amount and entitlement depend on income, assets, household composition, municipality and housing costs.
• The application should generally be submitted by the 25th day of the month, and payment is usually made on the 20th day of the following month.

If you need help applying for bostøtte, call us: +47 21 38 38 21. We help Poles in Norway organise their benefit matters.

Article author: Marcin - marcin@efirma.no