Dictionary

Contractual Early Retirement Pension (AFP) - supplementary pension for employees in companies with collective agreements. Provides lifelong extra payment alongside old-age pension.

AFP gives you the opportunity to retire earlier with more money.

Old-age pension - monthly payment from the state when you become a pensioner. Can be withdrawn from age 62, but the later you start, the more you get.

You can check how much old-age pension you will receive at nav.no/pensjon.

Altinn - a website where you can submit forms and documents to public authorities.

You can find your tax return on Altinn.

App - a program you download to your phone.

Download the NAV app from the App Store or Google Play.

Work Assessment Allowance - money you can receive from NAV if you cannot work due to illness or injury and need help returning to work.

After 1 year on sick pay, you can apply for AAP.

Direct debit - automatic payment of regular bills like electricity, insurance, and rent.

With direct debit, the bill is paid automatically on the due date.

BankID - a digital identity you use to log in to websites and sign documents. You get BankID from your bank.

Log in with BankID on your mobile.

Child benefit - money all parents automatically receive from NAV for children under 18 years old.

Child benefit is paid on the last working day of each month.

Blue prescription - a prescription for medicines for chronic diseases where the state covers most of the cost.

Diabetes medication is available on blue prescription.

Housing allowance - financial support from Husbanken to pay rent or housing expenses for those with low income.

Housing allowance is paid around the 20th of each month.

Unemployment benefits - money you can receive from NAV when you have lost your job or are temporarily laid off.

See nav.no/dagpenger for current rates.

Digital mailbox - a digital mailbox where you can receive letters from public agencies and businesses.

Your tax settlement arrives in Digipost.

Electronic invoice - a digital invoice that goes directly into your online bank, so you don't have to enter numbers.

Turn on electronic invoices to get bills automatically in your online bank.

Co-payment - the portion of the cost you must pay yourself, for example at the doctor.

See helfo.no for current copayments.

Discharge summary - a summary written by the doctor after treatment is completed.

The discharge summary is sent to your regular doctor.

Regular doctor (GP) - the doctor assigned to you who should be your permanent doctor for common health problems.

You can change your regular doctor up to twice per year.

Father's quota - the portion of parental leave reserved for the father or co-mother. Cannot be transferred to the mother.

The father's quota is 15 weeks.

The National Population Register - a public register of everyone living in Norway with addresses and personal information.

Report your move to the Population Register within 8 days.

Due date - the last day a bill must be paid without an extra fee.

The due date is shown at the top of the invoice.

Wealth tax - tax on assets you own above a certain amount (property, shares, bank deposits minus debt).

See skatteetaten.no for current thresholds.

Advance tax - tax that self-employed individuals pay in advance four times a year.

Advance tax is due on March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15.

Deduction - expenses that are subtracted from your income before tax is calculated. Reduces your tax.

Interest expenses on home loans are a common deduction.

Exemption card - a card that gives you free healthcare services when you have paid enough in co-payments (the exemption limit).

See helfo.no for current free card threshold.

Guarantee pension - minimum pension that ensures everyone a certain income in old age, even if you have worked little.

Guarantee pension requires that you have lived in Norway for at least 5 years.

The National Insurance base amount - an amount used to calculate many benefits from NAV. Adjusted annually.

G is updated annually on May 1. See nav.no/grunnbelopet for the current amount.

Referral - a letter from your regular doctor that gives you the right to treatment at a specialist or hospital.

You need a referral to see a specialist.

Home screen - the main screen on your phone where all your app icons are located.

Press the home button to return to the home screen.

The Norwegian State Housing Bank - a state bank that provides loans and grants for housing, and manages the housing allowance scheme.

Apply for housing allowance through Husbanken at husbanken.no.

White prescription - a regular prescription where you pay all or part of the cost yourself.

Antibiotics are often on white prescription.

ID-porten - the system that handles login to public websites like NAV, the Tax Administration, and Helsenorge.

ID-porten is common for all public services.

Debt collection - when a company sends your bill to a collection agency because you haven't paid.

Pay before debt collection to avoid extra fees and payment remarks.

Settings - the place on your phone where you can change language, font size, Wi-Fi, sound, and more.

Go to Settings to increase the font size on your phone.

KID number - a number sequence on invoices that identifies your payment. Important to enter correctly.

The KID number is on the invoice, usually 15-25 digits.

Summary Care Record - a digital overview of important health information shared between healthcare services.

The Summary Care Record shows medications and allergies.

Municipal housing - housing owned by the municipality that is rented out to those who have difficulty obtaining housing themselves.

Municipal housing often has lower rent than private landlords.

Contacts - a list of phone numbers and names of people you know, stored on your phone.

Add a new number to Contacts so you can see who is calling.

Cash-for-care benefit - support for parents who care for children at home instead of using daycare.

You can receive cash-for-care benefit for children between 1-2 years old.

Emergency room / Urgent care - emergency medical help when your regular doctor is closed. Call 116 117.

The emergency room is open around the clock.

The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund - a state agency that provides student loans and grants for education in Norway and abroad.

Apply for grants and loans from Lanekassen at lanekassen.no.

Employment status form - a form you submit to NAV every 14 days to report whether you have worked, been sick, or applied for jobs.

Submit your employment status form to receive your unemployment benefits.

MinID - a simpler login solution than BankID, but does not provide access to all services.

MinID does not work for the tax return.

Mobile data - internet via your phone subscription. Costs money and often has a limit.

Use Wi-Fi at home to save mobile data for when you're out.

Mother's quota - the portion of parental leave reserved for the mother. Cannot be transferred to the father.

The mother's quota is 15 weeks.

National ID card - a Norwegian ID card with photo that can be used as identification in Norway and for travel within the EU/EEA.

The National ID card is not a valid travel document outside the EU/EEA.

Download - retrieving a file or app from the internet to your phone or PC.

Downloaded files can usually be found in the Files app or Downloads folder.

Online banking - the bank's internet service where you can pay bills, check your balance, and transfer money.

You log into online banking with BankID.

Web browser - a program for viewing websites, such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Open the browser to go to nav.no.

Web browser - a program for visiting websites. Safari (iPhone), Chrome (Android), and Edge (PC) are common.

Open the browser and type nav.no in the address bar.

Financial support for those who have lost a spouse or cohabitant. Replaced survivor's pension from 2024.

See nav.no/omstillingsstonad for conditions and application.

Update - a new version of an app or phone that fixes errors and adds security. Important to install!

Check Settings - Software Update to update your phone.

Patient record - documentation of all healthcare you have received. You have the right to read your own record.

You can read your patient record on Helsenorge.

Passport - an official travel document that confirms your identity and Norwegian citizenship.

You must have a valid passport to travel outside Europe.

Password manager - a program that securely stores all your passwords, so you only need to remember one master password.

Bitwarden and 1Password are popular password managers.

Pension balance - the sum of all your pension points throughout your working life. Determines how much pension you receive.

You can see your pension balance on 'Din pensjon' (Your Pension) at nav.no.

Pension points - points you earn each year based on your income. Used to calculate old-age pension.

You earn pension points on all income up to 7.1 G.

Temporarily laid off - temporarily released from work because your employer has no work for you, but you are still employed.

Many were temporarily laid off during the coronavirus pandemic.

Personal identification number - the 11 digits that uniquely identify you in Norway (birth date + 5 digits).

Your personal identification number is used when logging in with BankID and at the doctor.

Phishing - fraud attempts via fake emails or messages that try to trick you into giving away personal information.

An email pretending to be from your bank could be phishing. Never click on links you're unsure about.

Back taxes - additional tax you must pay because you paid too little during the year.

Check skatteetaten.no for current thresholds.

Balance - how much money you have in your account right now.

Check your balance in online banking before paying a large bill.

Tax card - a document that tells your employer how much tax should be deducted from your salary.

You receive a new tax card in December each year.

Tax return - an overview of income and deductions you must submit to the Tax Administration each year. Previously called 'selvangivelse'.

The deadline for the tax return is April 30th.

Tax settlement - the calculation that shows whether you will receive money back or must pay back taxes.

The tax settlement usually arrives in June.

Screenshot - a picture of what is shown on your screen. Useful for showing error messages to others.

Take a screenshot with side button + volume up (iPhone) or power + volume down (Android).

Starter loan - a loan from the municipality for those who cannot get a regular home loan from the bank.

Starter loans can help first-time buyers who don't have enough equity.

Grant / Scholarship - money for education that you do not need to pay back.

See lanekassen.no for current rules.

Student loan - a loan from Lanekassen to cover expenses during education. Must be repaid after studies.

Repayment of the student loan usually starts 7 months after completing education.

Fraud / Scam - when someone tries to trick you for money or personal information.

Never call back unknown numbers asking for personal information - it could be a scam.

Sick note - a document from the doctor confirming that you are ill and cannot work.

The doctor sends the sick note electronically to NAV.

Sick pay - money that replaces your income when you are ill and cannot work.

You can receive sick pay for up to 1 year.

Table number - the code on your tax card that determines how much tax is deducted from your salary.

Table number 7100 is standard for most people.

Occupational pension - pension from your employer, in addition to old-age pension from NAV. Also called OTP (mandatory occupational pension).

All employers must save at least 2% for occupational pension for employees.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) - extra security where you need both a password and a code from your phone to log in.

Turn on two-factor authentication for extra protection of your email.

Disability benefit - a permanent benefit for those with reduced work capacity due to illness or injury.

Disability benefit can be full or partial.

Withdrawal rate - what percentage of your pension you choose to withdraw. You can withdraw 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80%, or 100%.

With a 50% withdrawal rate, you receive half your pension and can work alongside it.

Notification - a message that appears on your phone to alert you to something, such as a new SMS or reminder.

You can turn off notifications for apps that disturb you in Settings.

Vipps - a Norwegian payment app for sending money to friends, paying in stores, and splitting bills.

Most people in Norway use Vipps.

Wi-Fi - wireless internet from a router. Free to use at home, at the library, or at cafes.

Connect to Wi-Fi to save mobile data.

Benefit - money or services you can receive from NAV or other public agencies.

Unemployment benefits are a benefit from NAV.