Minimum pension in Norway increases by 8,000 kroner per year in 2026. The rates for minimum pension level were raised effective 1 May 2026, and you do not need to apply. NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) will pay back the difference during September 2026. If you have a short contribution history, you receive only a portion.
Which rates apply from 1 May 2026?
All five rates for minimum pension level are raised by exactly 8,000 kroner per year. The amounts are set out in Regulation FOR-2026-06-23-1239, adopted by royal resolution on 23 June 2026.
| Rate | New rate per year |
|---|---|
| Low rate | 217,531 kr |
| Standard rate | 250,509 kr |
| High rate | 263,191 kr |
| Special rate letter a | 301,062 kr |
| Special rate letter b | 405,215 kr |
The regulation comes into force on 1 September 2026, but takes effect from 1 May 2026. The increase is in addition to the ordinary adjustment of 4.69 percent. The basic amount (G) in the National Insurance Scheme is 136,549 kroner from 1 May 2026.
Why does everyone not receive the full 8,000 kroner?
Because minimum pension level is calculated based on your contribution years. Contribution years are the years you have been a member of the National Insurance Scheme, which means as a rule the years you have lived or worked in Norway. Full contribution years amount to 40 years.
The National Insurance Act § 19-8 states that the full rate requires at least 40 years of contribution. If your contribution years are shorter, the minimum pension level becomes "correspondingly lower." NAV calculates the rate using the formula: rate × contribution years / 40.
This means the increase also becomes smaller:
- 40 years of contribution: 8,000 kroner per year, the full increase.
- 20 years of contribution: 8,000 × 20/40 = 4,000 kroner per year.
- 15 years of contribution: 8,000 × 15/40 = 3,000 kroner per year.
- 10 years of contribution: 8,000 × 10/40 = 2,000 kroner per year.
You must have at least 5 years of contribution to receive an old-age pension. The rules are explained in the guide about pensions in Norway for immigrants: contribution years and residence.
When will the money arrive, and do you need to apply?
You do not need to apply. The rates have been changed by regulation, and NAV will recalculate your pension automatically. The full increase applies to you if you were born in 1953 or earlier. If you were born between 1954 and 1962, you also receive an increase, but it becomes gradually lower for each birth year.
NAV states that the increase will be paid back during September 2026, and that you will receive the new rate from October 2026 onwards.
As of 25 July 2026, nav.no still showed rates without the 8,000 kroner supplement, for example 209,531 kroner in the low rate and 242,509 kroner in the standard rate. This is not an error on your case. More about decisions and payments is in how NAV works for immigrants.
Does the increase also apply to guarantee pension?
No, not by 8,000 kroner. The guarantee pension was adjusted in the ordinary way on 1 May 2026 by 4.69 percent, but did not receive the extra supplement of 8,000 kroner. The standard rate is now 234,765 kroner per year and the high rate 253,787 kroner per year.
Guarantee pension applies to you if you were born in 1963 or later. Minimum pension level applies to the older scheme. SamfunnPrep uses the official names so that you recognize them in letters from NAV.
Do you have public occupational pension in addition?
If you were born before 1963 and have a public occupational pension, the pensions are coordinated. This means that when the old-age pension from NAV increases, your occupational pension is reduced. Then you receive less than 8,000 kroner more in total, and some receive no increase in sum.
What do you do if your contribution years are too short?
Then supplementary support may be relevant. The scheme ensures a minimum combined income for you who are 67 years or older and have too short residence to qualify for a full pension.
Three differences from the pension increase:
- You must apply yourself, and you must apply again each year.
- The support is means-tested. Income is deducted krone for krone.
- If you are outside Norway for more than 90 days, payments stop.
The conditions are set out in supplementary support for elderly immigrants.
Pension, contribution years, and NAV are part of the curriculum for the citizenship test. SamfunnPrep updates the rates when new regulations are issued.
