Temporary lay-offs – which rules and pay obligations apply?
A lay-off requires proper, temporary grounds connected to the business. The general rule is 14 calendar days' notice, after which the employer pays lay-off pay for 15 working days. After that the employer can be released from the pay obligation for up to 26 weeks within 18 months, and the employee can claim unemployment benefit at 62.4% of previous income up to 6 G.
The condition is that the loss of work is temporary
A lay-off (permittering) can be used where there is a temporary loss of work, but not as a substitute for dismissal where the staffing need has permanently fallen away. There have to be proper, temporary grounds connected to the business. Where the need for the work has permanently gone, the business should consider redundancies instead. Laying off rather than dismissing defers the problem and can make a later dismissal harder.
The notice period
The general rule is 14 calendar days. In certain unforeseen situations the notice period can be 2 days. During the notice period you pay salary as normal. The pay obligation triggered by the lay-off only begins when the lay-off starts.
The employer period is 15 working days
The employer pays lay-off pay for 15 working days from the first day of the lay-off. Those are working days, not calendar days. On a full lay-off that normally corresponds to three calendar weeks. The difference matters in a partial lay-off: at 50%, the laid-off hours normally take 30 working days to amount to 15 full working days.
Unemployment benefit
After the employer period the laid-off employee can claim unemployment benefit. Working time has as a general rule to be reduced by at least 50%. A 40% lay-off therefore gives no entitlement. The benefit is normally 62.4% of previous income. Income above 6 G is not counted – with G at NOK 136,549 in 2026 that is NOK 819,294.
Maximum duration
The employer can be released from the pay obligation for up to 26 weeks within 18 months after the employer period. Once that period is used up, the pay obligation revives even though the lay-off continues. It is a deadline to be tracked, not a ceiling that resolves itself.
Work, sickness and holiday along the way
Short periods of work do not necessarily interrupt the lay-off. More than six weeks back at the ordinary percentage does normally break it – and the notice period and employer period then start again if you lay the person off once more. Holiday does not count as lay-off time. Where holiday is taken during a lay-off, the period is extended correspondingly.
Reporting in the a-melding
A lay-off is reported monthly with the start date, the end date and the lay-off percentage. The correct percentage is not just a formality: it is the basis NAV uses in the employee's benefit claim. An error here hits the employee, not the business – see A monthly checklist for the payroll run We handle the payroll treatment and the reporting on a lay-off.
This is general guidance, not advice on your specific case. Deadlines, rates and amounts change – always check the current rules, or get in touch with us.
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