Housing allowance is a government-financed support scheme for partial coverage of housing expenses for households with low income.

Parental benefit is intended to ensure parents an income in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. If you are expecting a child and have not had an income in the past year, you can receive a lump-sum instead of the parental benefit.

Use the guide to decide whether you should apply for parental benefit or a lump-sum grant. You can only apply for one of them. 

You can receive cash-for-care benefits for children between the ages of one and two years of age or for adopted children who have not started school. If your child attends a government subsidised day care centre full-time, you will not receive cash-for-care benefits. If your child attends a government subsidised day-care centre part-time, you can receive partial support.

You may be entitled to child benefit if you have a child under the age of 18 in your care, who is living with you in Norway. Single parents are also entitled to extended child benefit and infant supplement. You do not usually need to apply for child benefit. If the child is born in Norway, the mother will automatically receive child benefit around 2 months after the child is born.

If you received unemployment benefits in the past but have not received them for a while, you can reapply for these benefits by submitting the simplified application form. You may not submit a simplified application if more than 52 weeks have passed since you last received unemployment benefits.

In order to become eligible for unemployment benefit, you must first register as a job seeker at NAV. The earliest you can submit your claim for unemployment benefit is one week before the first day on which you become totally or partially unemployed. It is important that you do not submit your application too early, as it may be rejected.

Disability benefit may be appropriate for those who have a permanently reduced earning capacity due to illness or injury. Whether you are entitled to full disability benefit or graded (partial) disability benefit depends on your earning capacity. If it is possible for you to work say 40 per cent, you may be eligible for 60 per cent disability benefit. You may be entitled to child supplement if you receive disability benefits while supporting your own children or foster children under the age of 18.

If you live in a low-income household, you may be entitled to receive housing allowance. Here you can calculate how much housing allowance you may be entitled to.

To register as a job seeker or to receive unemployment benefit while you are seeking work, you need to report to NAV every 14 days. You can do this by submitting an employment status form online.