# Employer closes for Christmas: holiday or lost pay?

Workplace closing for Christmas? Clarify holiday, time off in lieu, unpaid leave and temporary lay-off. Ask for a written explanation before pay changes.

Canonical: https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/arbeidsgiver-stenger-jul-ferie-lonn
Language: en
Publisher: SamfunnPrep
Author: Hlib Suslov
Published: 2026-10-05T16:12:09.76+00:00
Modified: 2026-10-08T19:23:19.609149+00:00
AI use policy: https://samfunnprep.no/ai-policy.txt

## Key takeaways

- Clarify each closed day Ask about dates, the absence arrangement and payment before holiday balances or pay change.
- A shutdown can require holiday During a stoppage connected with holiday arrangements, you may be required to take holiday without enough holiday pay.
- Leave needs an agreement basis Closure does not automatically make days agreed unpaid leave or a lawful temporary lay-off.

When your employer closes for Christmas, clarify how the days will be recorded and paid. Closure may involve holiday, time off in lieu or another arrangement. Unpaid leave and temporary lay-off have their own conditions. Ask for a written plan before holiday balances or pay change.

## What does it mean when the workplace closes?

A closure notice alone does not tell you what happens to your pay. Ask your employer to explain the arrangement for each day you would otherwise have worked.

**Romjulen** means the days between the Christmas celebrations and New Year. Some workplaces close throughout this period; others operate normally or have shorter opening hours.

These terms mean different things:

| Arrangement | What it involves | What you should check |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday | You use holiday days | Dates, balance and holiday pay settlement |
| Time off in lieu | You take time off for hours already worked | Hours balance and agreement on taking time off |
| Agreed unpaid leave | You take leave under an agreement | Agreement basis, dates and lost pay |
| Temporary lay-off | Temporary release from work because of circumstances in the business | Valid reason, notice and duty to pay wages |
| Paid time off under an agreement | You have time off with pay | What your employment or collective agreement provides |

A **collective agreement**, or tariffavtale, is an agreement on working conditions between the employee and employer sides. It can provide rights beyond the legal minimum.

SamfunnPrep has a [basic guide to holiday and holiday pay](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/ferie-og-feriepenger-norge). This article helps you sort out a specific Christmas closure notice.

The rules were checked on **4 October 2026**. Ask early about the December 2026 plan, especially if your employer wants to schedule holiday during the period.

## Can your employer require holiday during romjulen?

Your employer may schedule holiday within the Holiday Act's rules. The timing must first be discussed with you or the elected employee representative.

You can normally demand to know the holiday dates at least **two months beforehand**. The Holiday Act has an exception where special reasons prevent this. Ask for a specific explanation if you receive late notice.

Arbeidstilsynet, the authority overseeing working environment rules, explains this on its [holiday page](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/arbeidstid-og-organisering/ferie/). The provision itself is in [ferieloven section 6](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/regelverk/lover/ferieloven--feriel/).

Preferring different dates does not always give you the right to choose. However, the employer must remain within the holiday arrangements applying to you. Closure does not make all other holiday requirements irrelevant.

Sundays and public holidays are not **working days**, or virkedager, under the Holiday Act. Saturdays normally count as working days. Ask for the number of holiday days deducted, not just how many calendar days the building closes.

## What if you lack holiday pay or holiday days?

Insufficient holiday pay normally gives you a right to refuse holiday that the money does not cover. However, an important exception applies where operations actually stop wholly or partly in connection with holiday arrangements.

Under **ferieloven section 5, paragraph 5**, affected employees may still be required to take holiday. This may apply to a new employee without enough accrued holiday pay. Do not plan your finances on the assumption that you can always refuse holiday.

The exception concerns a stoppage connected with holiday arrangements. A notice about lack of work therefore needs closer examination. Ask which arrangement your employer is using and why.

Missing **holiday pay** and missing **holiday days** are different problems. If you have already used your holiday days, ask for an overview of what your employer says remains. Do not treat new unpaid days as holiday simply because the employer uses that word.

Also ask payroll to show how Christmas holiday affects your payment. If pay for this year's holiday was already deducted during the holiday pay settlement, ask how this has been accounted for. The check concerns your actual settlement, not an assumption that everyone gets normal pay in December.

## Can your employer call it unpaid leave?

Leave not provided by law must be based on an agreement between you and the employer or a collective agreement. Workplace closure alone is not such an agreement.

Arbeidstilsynet's [guidance on leave](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/lonn-og-ansettelse/permisjoner/) distinguishes statutory leave from leave that must be agreed. Staying home during Christmas is not automatically one of the statutory grounds for leave.

Read a proposed agreement before signing. Check its dates, whether it is unpaid and when you must return. If you have not requested leave, write that you need the basis clarified.

For example, you can reply that you are available for agreed work and ask where to report. This documents the situation without accepting an arrangement you do not understand.

## Is the closure a temporary lay-off?

Temporary lay-off, or permittering, requires a valid reason connected with the business and a temporary need. An ordinary Christmas notice is not enough to determine whether the conditions are met.

During temporary lay-off, your employment continues, although the duty to work is temporarily suspended wholly or partly. The arrangement has rules on notice and the employer's duty to pay wages. See [Arbeidstilsynet's explanation of permittering](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/lonn-og-ansettelse/permittering/).

Ask for the formal notice if your employer says you will be laid off temporarily. Ask which days it covers and what will be paid. Do not assume you automatically get unemployment benefit from Nav, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

SamfunnPrep explains the next steps in [the guide to permittering](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/permittering-norge). Here, the first task is to establish whether the employer is actually using this arrangement.

## What about time off in lieu and cancelled shifts?

Time off in lieu must be assessed according to the agreement and your accumulated hours. A cancelled shift is a different situation from taking time off for hours already worked.

An agreement to take time off in lieu of overtime must be written. The overtime premium of at least **40 percent** must still be paid, according to [Arbeidstilsynet's overtime guidance](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/arbeidstid-og-organisering/arbeidstid/overtid/). Flexitime and ordinary accumulated hours may follow other agreements.

For an on-call worker, an agreed shift is normally binding and must be paid even if cancelled. Reservations in the agreement may affect the consequences. Check the employment agreement and the message agreeing the shift.

If your employer changes the rota, SamfunnPrep has a separate [guide to changes in the work schedule](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/arbeidsplan-endret-pa-kort-varsel). Do not delete an earlier schedule before saving it.

## How to ask for a written Christmas plan

Ask about dates, arrangement and payment in the same message. You can then check the plan against the agreement and your holiday and hours balances.

You can write:

> I have been informed that the workplace will close on [dates]. Please confirm which of my agreed working days will be holiday, time off in lieu, leave, temporary lay-off or paid time off. State how many holiday days or hours will be used, the agreement basis and how pay is calculated. I am available for agreed work unless otherwise clarified.

Add questions about missing holiday days or hours if relevant. Ask for an answer before booking travel or signing a leave agreement.

## If the payslip does not match the explanation

Compare the payslip with the written plan and ask payroll to explain the difference. Keep your employment agreement, work schedule, balances and messages.

Take the matter to your employee representative or union if unresolved. Arbeidstilsynet can explain the rules, but a specific pay dispute may require other help.

[SamfunnPrep's tools page](https://samfunnprep.no/en/verktoy) offers help with more practical tasks in Norway. Start by gathering the documents showing what Christmas closure means for your particular job.

## FAQ

### Can my employer decide that I take holiday during romjulen?

Yes, within the Holiday Act's rules. Timing must be discussed first. You can normally demand to know the dates two months in advance, with an exception for special reasons.

### Can I refuse Christmas holiday without enough holiday pay?

Normally, you can refuse holiday that your holiday pay does not cover. However, affected employees may still be required to take holiday where operations actually stop wholly or partly in connection with holiday arrangements.

### Is a closed workplace automatically unpaid leave?

No. Non-statutory leave must be based on an agreement between you and your employer or a collective agreement. Ask for the basis before accepting such an arrangement.

### Is Christmas closure the same as temporary lay-off?

No. Temporary lay-off has separate conditions about a valid temporary reason and rules on notice and the duty to pay wages. Ask for formal notice if your employer says you are being laid off temporarily.

### Can all overtime pay be replaced by Christmas time off?

An agreement to take time off in lieu of overtime must be written. The overtime premium of at least 40 percent must still be paid. Flexitime and ordinary accumulated hours may follow other agreements.

## Sources

- [Ferie](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/arbeidstid-og-organisering/ferie/)
- [Ferieloven – feriel](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/regelverk/lover/ferieloven--feriel/)
- [Permisjoner](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/lonn-og-ansettelse/permisjoner/)
- [Permittering](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/lonn-og-ansettelse/permittering/)
- [Arbeidsplan, vaktliste, turnus, skift- og turnusplan](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/arbeidstid-og-organisering/arbeidstid/arbeidsplan-vaktliste-skift-og-turnus/)
- [Overtid](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/arbeidstid-og-organisering/arbeidstid/overtid/)

Citation: Hlib Suslov, "Employer closes for Christmas: holiday or lost pay?", SamfunnPrep, 2026-10-05T16:12:09.76+00:00, https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/arbeidsgiver-stenger-jul-ferie-lonn