Transition allowance is money from NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) to you who has lost a spouse or cohabiting partner. Full rate is 307,235 kroner per year as of 1 May 2026. Children under 20 years can receive children's pension in addition. You must apply yourself.
How much is transition allowance in 2026?
Full transition allowance is 2.25 G = 307,235 kroner per year, that is 25,603 kroner per month before tax, as of 1 May 2026. G is the base amount in the National Insurance scheme, and is 136,549 kroner from 1 May 2026.
The allowance is reduced by 45 percent of income you have above half the base amount, that is above 68,275 kroner per year. If you earn more than approximately 751,000 kroner, you usually receive no payment (National Insurance Act § 17-9).
| Benefit | Full rate per year | NAV back-pays |
|---|---|---|
| Transition allowance | 307,235 kr (2.25 G) | 3 months |
| Children's pension, one parent deceased | 136,549 kr (1 G) | 3 years |
| Children's pension, both parents deceased | 307,235 kr (2.25 G) | 3 years |
This article is about the money. The practical steps in the first days, such as reporting the death, obtaining a probate certificate and funeral arrangements, are in death and funeral arrangements in Norway.
Children's pension: 136,549 kroner per year per child
Children's pension is 1 G = 136,549 kroner per year, approximately 11,379 kroner per month, when one parent is deceased. If both parents are deceased, the rate is 2.25 G = 307,235 kroner per year. The amounts apply as of 1 May 2026.
Children's pension is not divided between siblings. If the family has three children, each child receives the full amount. This is the most common misunderstanding about the scheme.
The child receives children's pension until and including the month they turn 20 years old. The age limit was raised from 18 to 20 years when the survivors' reform took effect on 1 January 2024.
From 1 January 2025, NAV deducts 17 percent tax from all children's pension payments, including back-payment for previous years. Children's pension should not be entered on the tax card.
The requirement of five years' membership in the National Insurance scheme
As a general rule, the deceased must have been a member of the National Insurance scheme for the last five years before death. The requirement applies to both transition allowance and children's pension (National Insurance Act §§ 17-2 and 18-2). This is the condition that most often leads to rejection in immigrant families, and it is worth knowing before you apply.
Four circumstances can nevertheless give you the right to the benefit:
- The deceased received disability benefits or old-age pension from the National Insurance scheme. Then the requirement is met under § 17-2 letter b, regardless of residence.
- The deceased had contribution periods in another EEA country, or in a country with which Norway has a social security agreement. Such periods can be combined with Norwegian membership.
- The deceased was a member at the time of death and had not yet turned 26 years old.
- You or the deceased have at least 20 years' combined residence in Norway. Then you retain the benefit even if you are no longer a member, for example because you have moved from Norway (National Insurance Act § 17-3).
Apply even if you are in doubt. It is NAV that decides the membership question, and an application costs you nothing.
Why is the amount often lower than the full rate?
Because the full rate requires that the deceased has 40 years' contribution period. If the deceased has a shorter contribution period, both transition allowance and children's pension are reduced proportionally (National Insurance Act §§ 17-6 and 18-5). Contribution periods over 40 years do not count.
The calculation is straightforward: 20 years' contribution period gives half rate. The transition allowance then becomes 153,618 kroner per year instead of 307,235 kroner, and children's pension 68,275 kroner instead of 136,549 kroner.
Contribution period is built up primarily by years you are resident in Norway after turning 16. How contribution period and residence are calculated is explained in pensions in Norway for immigrants. You can keep track of your years with the residence and residence time calculator at SamfunnPrep.
How long does the transition allowance last?
Transition allowance is given for up to three years from the month after death. The period can be extended for up to two years if you take education or need work-directed measures.
After six months you must be in work or activity of at least 50 percent (National Insurance Act § 17-7). After one year, NAV can require full activity. You are exempt from the 50-percent requirement, among other things, if you have care for a child under one year old, receive sickness benefits for full work incapacity, or do not have a satisfactory childcare arrangement for the child.
If you are born in 1963 or earlier, and had low or no income in the last five years before death, you can keep the payment until you turn 67 years old. From 67 years, supplementary assistance for elderly immigrants can guarantee a minimum income if you have short residence in Norway.
When must I apply for transition allowance?
As soon as you can. NAV normally back-pays only three months of transition allowance before the month the application was received. If you wait a year to apply, you lose nine months. With the full rate, that is 230,427 kroner you never receive.
Children's pension has a completely different deadline. There NAV back-pays up to three years from the month the application is received. If a parent died in 2024 and no one has applied, the child can still receive the full amount.
NAV does not initiate the case on its own. You must apply, even when the death has been reported to the National Registry (Folkeregisteret). Both applications are on nav.no.
Survivors' pension: final payment in December 2026
If you lost your spouse before 1 January 2024, you likely have survivors' pension under the old rules. The main rule is that the pension runs for three years from 1 January 2024. The final payment comes in December 2026.
The pension can be extended for up to two years if you take education approved by NAV, or have work training through NAV. Apply for extension now, not in December.
If you are born in 1970 or earlier and have had low or no work income, you may have the right to survivors' pension until you turn 67 years old. The pension will then be converted to transition allowance from 1 January 2029.
Other money after a death
Several schemes are forgotten because no one tells about them:
- Funeral assistance: up to 30,898 kroner for documented expenses at death from 1 January 2026. The assistance is means-tested. If the deceased was single, it is forfeited if assets are 30,898 kroner or more. If the deceased was married, a partner or cohabiting, total assets are counted, and the limit is 61,796 kroner. If the deceased was under 18 years old, the assistance is not means-tested.
- Assistance for casket transport: documented expenses minus a co-payment of 3,090 kroner.
- Assistance for childcare for a surviving spouse who is in work.
- Assistance for school fees and additional benefits if you take education approved by NAV.
The payments are connected to the settlement of the estate. Who inherits and how the estate is divided are explained in inheritance and estate division in Norway.
Many of these rules are part of the curriculum for the citizenship test — practice for free at SamfunnPrep.
