Barnetrygd – child benefit

Barnetrygd – child allowance?

Basic benefit for people with children and working in Norway. A solution similar to the Polish 500+.

1.Award criteria 

1.1 Requirements

To be entitled to the benefit you must have: 

• income in Norway resulting from work, running your own business or receiving other benefits (e.g. sickness benefits) and thus being a member of the social security system in Norway
• joint registration with a child (both Norwegian and Polish addresses are recognized)

1.2 Who is a member of the Norwegian social security system? 

We have been paying contributions for 1 month while working, so after this period of work in Norway we are entitled to the benefit because we become a member of the Norwegian social security system.

It is worth noting that working in Norway does not always mean meeting this rule. If we are, for example, employees delegated to work in Norway, and our employer settles his/her tax in Poland, then we are automatically members of the Polish system and are entitled to only Polish benefits.

1.3 Who can receive child benefit?

• Mother or father of the child. If the parents have concluded a shared residence agreement for the child, the child benefit can be divided equally between them.
• Foster parents, other guardian or social welfare institution if the child lives there permanently (i.e. longer than three months).

2.Amount of benefit

2.1 Current amount

From January 1, 2024, the benefit is 1510 kr per month for a child from the age of 6 (18 kr per year) and 120 kr per month for children under 1766 years of age (6 kr per year).

The benefit can be repaid up to 3 years back.

2.2 Barnetrygd and taxes

Barnetrygd is tax exempt.

3.How long can you download Barnetrygd?

Family allowance is paid from the first month of the child's life until the child turns 1 - that is, until the calendar month before the child turns 18.

If our situation changes and we do not meet the conditions, the benefit will be paid until the month in which our entitlement to the benefit ends.

4. Submitting an application

4.1 General rules

Generally, you do not need to apply for barnetrygd. If the baby is born in Norway, the mother will automatically receive child benefit approximately 2 months after the birth. 

4.2 When do we need to submit an application?

We must conclude when:

• the mother is not registered as a resident in Norway
• the child is more than six months old when the right to benefits arises
• the child was not born in Norway
• the father receives or has received this benefit for another child
• the mother wants the father to receive benefits - in this case, the father must submit an application
• family allowance is assessed in accordance with the provisions of the EEA Agreement or other social security agreements
• the parents declare in writing that their place of residence will be separate and they want the benefit to be divided
• you are the child's guardian, in such cases the child must be listed as the applicant - the application must be accompanied by a power of attorney or other document confirming that you are the child's guardian
• you are the child's adoptive parent - you must attach documentation confirming custody of the child
• lone parents may be entitled to extended benefits - see utvidet barnetrygd

5.Documentation required

5.1 Basic documentation

• birth certificate of the child (if he or she was born outside Norway and is not included in the Norwegian population register) on an EU or regular form (in this case we must attach a translation into English or Norwegian)
• applicant's identity document
• registration of the applicant's stay in Norway (registreringsbevis) or residence permit (oppholdstillatelse)
• employment contracts for the period for which we are submitting the application (or other documentation confirming employment in Norway)
• payslips - Lønnsslipp for the entire period for which we are applying for the benefit and an annual income statement from the employer

if applicable

• identification numbers and address from the home country for the applicant, child and other parent (if different from Norway)
• marriage certificate (if any) on an EU or regular form (in this case we must attach a translation into English or Norwegian)

5.2 Running their own business

• printout from the Brønnøysund register of the company
• a balance sheet from an accountant for the entire period for which we are applying for the benefit

5.3 Single parents

If we also apply for an extension of the benefit:

• documentation confirming our situation (e.g. documents confirming separation) - if the documentation is from a country other than Norway, it should be translated into English or Norwegian
• if you are a single parent and the child lives in another EEA country, please provide the name, address and ID numbers of the person living with the child

6.Barnetrygd, a 500+

6.1. NAV interpretation

According to the NAV interpretation, barnetrygd is equal to the Polish 500+ benefit. Therefore, before submitting your application, you must determine which country has priority in paying the benefit. 

To simplify:

• If one parent works in Norway and the other stays with the child in Poland without working, Norway has priority in payment.
• However, if the other parent works in Poland, Poland has priority for payment. The rule is effective from July 2019.

6.2 Barnetrygd and 500+ at the same time

The situation is similar if the benefit was paid twice. One of the parties (Poland or Norway) may demand the return of the benefit paid along with interest. 

7.Barnetrygd, and going abroad

If you go abroad for purposes other than a holiday and receive benefits, you should check whether you can continue to receive benefits while staying in another country.

You must inform NAV which country you intend to travel to. If your stay lasts longer than planned, you should also notify the office. It assesses whether benefit payments can continue.

Example - we are granted benefits, we collect them, but we have to return to Poland for family reasons, e.g. taking care of a sick family member.

8.Utvidet barnetrygd- extended benefit

8.1 When can I get the extension?

Lone parents who live alone with their children can receive an extension to their basic allowance.

When can you apply for utvidet barnetrygd?

• after the death of our spouse, when we become single parents
• we are permanently separated from our spouse or are officially separated
• there was a permanent break-up of marriage without an official judgment/decision
• we are not married and do not live with the other parent, in case of breaking the cohabitation and we have children under 16 years of age, a certificate of mediation must be presented
• the other parent has been deprived of liberty or detained for at least six months
• the other parent has gone missing and at least six months have passed since then

8.2 Loss of entitlement to extension

We lose the right to the allowance when:

• we are getting married
• we live with a partner with whom we do not have children in common, if we have been cohabiting for at least 12 months of the last 18 months

Our situation may also be influenced by the birth of another child from a new partnership, even if the relationship and life together last less than 12 months.

Therefore, we should report any change in our life situation. Failure to report such a change may be considered as withholding information.

8.3 Amount of benefit

The extension of the benefit involves paying the benefit for one more child than the mother. This means that if you have one child and meet the expansion conditions, you receive 2108 kr instead of 1054 kr per month, if you have two children, you receive 3162 kr per month, etc.

Extended Benefit provides a special tax deduction.

8.4 Sharing with an ex-partner 

It is possible to share benefits with your former partner. This depends on the agreement between the parents.

Example:
A child after divorce lives with both parents, e.g. 50% of the time with one parent and 50% with the other. Then both parents are entitled to the benefit and it can be divided equally.

If both parents have the right to make decisions about the child, but the child lives permanently with one of the parents, then that parent is entitled to the benefit.

In such situations, NAV considers each case individually depending on the agreement reached between the parents.

9. Rejection of application/suspension of payment

Your benefit claim may be rejected and your current benefit stopped if:

• information that is required has not been provided, false information has been provided or important information has been concealed
• a given person does not obey orders issued under the Act

The benefit may also be withheld if it was granted due to an error on the part of the office.

However, if we believe that our application has been rejected or withheld unjustifiably, we have the right to appeal within 6 weeks of such decision. 

10. What does the service include?

The service includes:

• sending the application to NAV along with the necessary documentation (if sent by post, we are not responsible for shipping),
• attaching additional documentation (up to 2 times), subsequent sending of documents/messages regarding the case are subject to a fee.

WARNING: The decision to grant the benefit rests with NAV in Norway. The service only covers mediation between you and the office.