BPA in Norway is a way to organise everyday help. You apply to the municipality. Some people have a statutory right, while others may receive BPA after an individual assessment. You can get guidance and request an interpreter if Norwegian is difficult.

What is BPA in Norway?

BPA means user-controlled personal assistance. It is not a separate diagnosis or a cash benefit. It is a way the municipality can organise practical help, training and a support contact. The goal is for you to be able to control more of your everyday life yourself.

With BPA, within the hours approved by the municipality, you can be a work supervisor. This means that you can influence what assistants do and when help is provided. The help may be relevant both at home and when you take part in work, leisure activities or family life. The municipality or a private provider may be the employer.

The statutory right to BPA usually does not include night services or help that requires more than one assistant at the same time. The exception is when you have a continuous need. Health care in a respite measure for children is also not part of this statutory guarantee. The municipality must nevertheless assess your full needs and whether BPA or other forms of help are suitable. Therefore, describe all the help you need when you apply. At SamfunnPrep’s tools, you can also find practical guides for a new start in Norway.

Who may have a right to BPA?

You may have a statutory right to BPA if you are under 67 years old and have a long-term and substantial need for personal assistance. Long-term normally means that the need lasts more than two years. A substantial need normally means at least 32 hours of help per week. These are rules in the Patient and User Rights Act, applicable as of 25 July 2026.

There is an important rule between 25 and 31 hours per week. You may then also have a right to BPA, but the municipality may refuse if it can document that BPA would result in a significantly higher cost. Therefore, you should not assume that fewer than 32 hours automatically means no. Ask the municipality to assess your needs specifically and explain its decision in writing.

The right may also include respite for parents who are responsible for a child under 18 living at home with a reduced functional ability. If your help was organised as BPA before you turned 67, this right also applies after you have turned 67.

Even if you do not meet all the conditions for the statutory right, you can apply. The municipality has a duty to offer BPA and must make an individual assessment. This may be important for older people, for people with fewer hours or for families with complex needs.

What can an assistant help with?

BPA should suit your actual needs. It may, for example, involve help with getting up, cooking, shopping, accompanying children, getting to activities, keeping order at home or participating in society. Which tasks are appropriate depends on the decision and on what you need in everyday life.

Write down a typical week before you apply. Note tasks you cannot manage alone, how often you need help and what happens if the help does not arrive. Include home, travel, work, school and leisure. Such an overview makes it easier for the municipality to understand that the need does not concern just one single day.

You can also read about assistive devices from NAV. Assistive devices and BPA are not the same thing. A wheelchair, a bathroom aid or technical equipment can make some things easier. BPA is about help from people. Many people need a combination of several services.

How to apply to your municipality

You apply for BPA in the municipality where you are staying. Go to the municipality’s website and search for “BPA” or “health and care”. You can also call the municipality’s service centre or health and care service. Ask for information in a language you understand, or ask for an interpreter before the meeting.

Attach or explain what shows your needs. This may be information from a doctor, physiotherapist, school, work or people who help you. You do not need to know all the legal terms. The most important thing is to explain what you can manage yourself, what you need help with and how long the need is likely to last.

This is a simple checklist:

  • Describe a typical week and specific tasks.
  • State whether the need is over two years and approximately how many hours you need.
  • Explain how lack of help affects health, work, school, children or social life.
  • Ask for a written decision with reasons.
  • Keep a copy of the application and attachments.

The municipality must assess the application individually. The decision must state what help you receive, how many hours it covers and how the service is organised. Read the decision carefully. If anything is unclear, ask for an explanation before deciding what to do next.

What if the municipality says no or grants too few hours?

You can appeal if you believe you have not received the health and care services to which you are entitled. Send the appeal to the municipality that made the decision, within the deadline stated in the letter. The municipality must reconsider the case. If the municipality does not change the decision, it must forward the appeal to the County Governor. Write what you disagree with, which needs have not been assessed well enough and what you ask for instead.

Feel free to attach new documentation or a clear weekly plan. If the application concerns your child, you can explain how the need affects the child and the family. You can also ask the municipality, the Patient and User Ombudsman or an organisation familiar with BPA for advice. SamfunnPrep has an overview of rights for people with disabilities that can help you see BPA in a broader context.

A refusal does not always mean that you lack a need. Sometimes the problem is that the municipality has misunderstood the situation or lacks information. Keep the tone factual and ask for a new, specific assessment. Do not wait to appeal because you hope the case will resolve itself.

BPA, attendance benefit and care allowance: what is the difference?

BPA is a municipal service with assistants. Attendance benefit and basic benefit are benefits from NAV for specific additional needs and expenses. Care allowance is municipal support for people who carry out particularly burdensome care work. The schemes may be relevant at the same time, but they have different rules.

If you help a family member a lot, you can read about care allowance and home care. If you or your child has extra expenses or needs help, basic benefit and attendance benefit from NAV may be relevant topics. Always ask the responsible service what is appropriate in your case.

BPA can provide more freedom, but you do not need to know everything before you get in touch. Start by describing your everyday life honestly. SamfunnPrep explains Norwegian schemes in plain language, so that you can meet the municipality better prepared.