Bostøtte – housing benefit
Housing benefit is a state support scheme for people with low income and high housing costs.
Who can receive housing benefit?
Housing benefit is a state support scheme calculated monthly based on your income and housing expenses.
You are not entitled to housing benefit if the income basis in your household exceeds the upper income limit. This applies to everyone, regardless of how high your living costs are.
The upper limit for gross monthly income depends on the following factors:
- The kommune where you live – the more expensive it is, the higher the limit
- The number of people in the household – the more people, the higher the limit
- Whether there are disabled minors living in the household? (if so, the limit is higher)
- Whether there are single pensioners living in the household? (if so, the limit is higher)
Conditions you must meet:
- Have a sufficiently low household income (read in the next section)
- Be over 18 years old, or under 18 and have a child
- The place of residence must meet the conditions:
- Own separate entrance
- Own toilet and bathroom
- Kitchen
- Space for rest
- You must be registered as living in Norway together with the other members of your household (you must report your move to Norway)
What is the upper income limit?
Income for your household is calculated from all people who earn income. We always use the gross amount of income. Income includes:
- wages from work paid in the given month (gross amount)
- income from benefits that are taxable
- profits from a business, averaged over the whole year
- income from abroad, averaged over the whole year
- income from untaxed rental income
However, various other benefits that are not taxable and other social assistance are not included in income.
Example upper limits can be found in the table below. These are for different municipalities and household sizes. If you meet the conditions – we will check and apply on your behalf after ordering the service.
Number of people in the household / municipality
Oslo
Stavanger Bergen Trondheim Tromsø Bærum
Ås Gjerdrum Moss Haugesund Fredrikstad Bodø Alta
1
21150
20524
19064
2
25174
24517
23083
3
28402
27760
26208
4
31687
31061
29468
5
35187
34405
32797
6
37700
36860
35139
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How much can I receive?
How much support you receive depends on many of the factors mentioned above. It also depends on your income, housing expenses, number of people in the household, etc. Example monthly support amounts for rented accommodation:
- Oslo 4 people, 15 000 kr income, 8 000 kr housing expenses including charges: 4 246 kr/month support
- Oslo 1 person, 12 000 kr income, 6 000 kr housing expenses including charges: 2 716 kr/month support
- Stavanger 2 people, 18 000 kr income, 12 000 kr housing expenses including charges: 4 118 kr/month support
The support calculation is free of charge with us.
What does the service include?
The service includes:
- sending the application together with the required documentation (in the case of postal submission, we are not responsible for the sending),
- attaching additional documentation (up to 2 times), further sending of documents/messages relating to the case is chargeable.
NOTE: The decision on whether the benefit is granted is made by Husbanken in Norway. The service only covers mediation between you and the office.
Required documents
If applicable:
- school attendance certificate
- documentation confirming receipt of pension,
- fixed housing costs - documented on bank statements,
- tenancy agreement,
- copy of the last paid rent,
- detached house – documentation of property tax and registration fee
- mortgage - copy of the repayment plan or copy of the loan agreement, paid loan costs (interest/instalments).