# Flexible working hours: how to apply in 2026

Want different start and finish times without working fewer hours? Learn how to apply for flexible working hours and respond to a written refusal.

Canonical: https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/fleksibel-arbeidstid-soknad-norge
Language: en
Publisher: SamfunnPrep
Author: Hlib Suslov
Published: 2026-10-04T15:37:06.033+00:00
Modified: 2026-10-04T15:37:06.083599+00:00
AI use policy: https://samfunnprep.no/ai-policy.txt

## Key takeaways

- The same total working hours Flexible working hours change when you work without reducing your total working hours.
- Describe specific times Your application should show the period, proposed schedule and how your duties will still be carried out.
- Four weeks after written refusal The deadline for Tvisteløsningsnemnda runs from the first written refusal.

Flexible working hours let you adjust when you work without reducing your total working hours. You have a right to such an arrangement if it can be implemented without significant inconvenience to the business. Apply in writing and describe a specific solution.

## What do flexible working hours mean?

Flexible working hours concern when your working hours fall, rather than working fewer hours. An arrangement might mean starting earlier, finishing later or distributing hours differently between periods.

The rules in this guide were checked as of 3 October 2026. The right follows from arbeidsmiljøloven, Norway's Working Environment Act, § 10-2, third paragraph. **Tvisteløsningsnemnda**, a public body that decides certain employment disputes, explains how the right is assessed.

Flexitime is one possible arrangement. For example, you may vary your starting and finishing times within agreed limits. An individual application may also request a fixed adjustment that does not fit the usual flexitime scheme.

You must still follow the rules on working hours and rest. Before proposing an arrangement, read [SamfunnPrep's guide to working hours and overtime](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/arbeidstid-overtid-norge). It explains the limits that apply to working hours.

## Do all employees have this right?

In principle, all employees have a right to flexible working hours if the arrangement causes no significant inconvenience to the business. There is no separate requirement concerning a particular illness, family responsibility or age.

[Tvisteløsningsnemnda's guidance](https://www.tvistelosningsnemnda.no/tvister-etter-arbeidsmiljoloven/rett-til-fleksibel-arbeidstid/) says that you do not have to explain why you need the arrangement either. However, a strong need may affect the assessment. A short explanation is therefore often useful.

This does not mean that every request for particular times must be approved. Your employer must assess the arrangement you actually request. Duties, opening hours, staffing and the consequences for other employees may matter.

Describe your needs without sharing more private information than necessary. For example, explain that a particular starting time makes collecting your child possible. The main points are when you need the adjustment and how the work will still get done.

## What should you include in your application?

A good application shows the proposed schedule, the period and how your duties can be handled. Send it in writing so you can later document both your request and your employer's reply.

There is no single arrangement suitable for every workplace. Start with your usual working day. Identify tasks that require your physical presence at particular times and those that can be done earlier or later.

Include:

- Your position and employment percentage.
- Your current and proposed working hours.
- When the arrangement should start and how long you want it to last.
- How you will maintain the same total working hours.
- How meetings, contact with service users and other fixed duties can be covered.
- An alternative arrangement if your first proposal does not work.

You can propose a trial period with a date for evaluation. This is a practical suggestion, rather than a separate legal requirement or a guarantee of approval. Ask to agree on how you will check whether the arrangement works.

## What might a specific application look like?

Your application should describe a workable change without suggesting that you have already changed your working hours. Ask your employer to assess the proposal before you start using it.

Here is an illustrative example for an employee with regular daytime work:

> I am applying for flexible working hours from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027. I would like to start 30 minutes earlier and finish 30 minutes earlier each working day. Total working hours and breaks will remain the same. I suggest reviewing the effects on my duties after one month. If this arrangement does not work, I would like to discuss an alternative.

The times and period must fit your agreement. The example says nothing about your entitlement in a specific case. If you work shifts, you need a plan showing the shifts, rather than a general statement that you want “more flexibility”.

Also clarify breaks and any supplements to your pay. The same total working hours do not necessarily mean that every supplement stays the same. Ask for written information if new times affect pay under your agreement or collective agreement.

## When can your employer refuse?

Your employer may refuse if the proposed arrangement causes significant inconvenience to the business. The assessment must concern the actual consequences of your application.

The board mentions, among other things, essential opening hours, service users' needs and changes to other employees' shifts. An existing flexitime scheme may also be difficult to combine with your proposed adjustment. See also [arbeidsmiljøloven § 10-2](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/regelverk/lover/arbeidsmiljoloven--aml/).

Ask for an explanation connecting the inconvenience to your duties and times. Ask which parts of the proposal are difficult. You can then consider a smaller adjustment without starting all over again.

For example, propose finishing earlier on some days instead of every day. Your employer must still assess the arrangement. Do not promise to handle critical tasks from home if your application concerns only when you will be at the workplace.

## Is this the same as reduced hours or working from home?

No. Flexible working hours maintain your total working hours, whereas reduced working hours make them shorter. Working from home concerns the place of work and is not covered by this right to flexible working hours.

These three requests should therefore be described separately. If you want both to work fewer hours and to change your times, explain both parts. The board cannot handle a refusal of home working as a dispute about flexible working hours.

Your employer changing the shift schedule is also a different issue. If your shifts have changed at short notice, use [the guide to changes in work schedules](https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/arbeidsplan-endret-pa-kort-varsel). This article concerns your own application for a different working-time arrangement.

## What should you do after a written refusal?

You can submit an individual dispute about flexible working hours to Tvisteløsningsnemnda. As of 3 October 2026, the deadline is four weeks after you receive the first written refusal.

The deadline is not postponed because you ask for reasons or appeal internally. Record the date of receipt immediately. Gather your employment contract, application, refusal and relevant information about your duties and the requested period.

The board's guidance explains how to submit your case through eDialog, a secure channel for written enquiries. The board considers individual claims. A joint claim for a whole group of employees is outside this arrangement.

Continue discussing your work with your employer while the case is considered. Submitting an application or dispute does not itself authorise you to choose your own shifts. On [SamfunnPrep's tools page](https://samfunnprep.no/en/verktoy), you can find planning resources; enter your own deadlines in your calendar too.

## FAQ

### Must I have young children to apply?

No. There is no separate requirement concerning young children, illness or a particular age. Your needs may nevertheless affect the assessment.

### Can I apply for working from home under this rule?

No. The right concerns when you work, rather than where. Working from home must be agreed separately.

### Must total working hours stay the same?

Yes. Flexible working hours adjust when you work without reducing total working hours. Reduced working hours are a different arrangement.

### What is the deadline after a refusal?

You must submit your case to Tvisteløsningsnemnda within four weeks of the first written refusal. An internal appeal does not postpone the deadline.

## Sources

- [Fleksibel arbeidstid - Tvisteløsningsnemnda](https://www.tvistelosningsnemnda.no/tvister-etter-arbeidsmiljoloven/rett-til-fleksibel-arbeidstid/)
- [Arbeidsmiljøloven – aml](https://www.arbeidstilsynet.no/regelverk/lover/arbeidsmiljoloven--aml/)

Citation: Hlib Suslov, "Flexible working hours: how to apply in 2026", SamfunnPrep, 2026-10-04T15:37:06.033+00:00, https://samfunnprep.no/en/articles/fleksibel-arbeidstid-soknad-norge