Sickness Benefits

Who is eligible for sickness benefits?

• Qualifying period: You must have been employed for at least four weeks before you became ill.
• Income requirement: Your income must be at least half of the National Insurance Scheme’s basic amount.
• Equivalent activities: Periods of receiving unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, parental benefits, or care benefits for a sick child also count.
• Partial sick leave: If you can work partially, the sickness benefits can be reduced to 20%.

To be eligible for sickness benefits, you must engage in work-related activities as soon as possible, and no later than eight weeks after becoming ill. Exceptions apply if medical reasons prevent this, or if work-related activities cannot be carried out at the workplace.

How are sickness benefits calculated?

• Employees and freelancers: Calculated based on income reported to the a-ordning system for the last three months before you became ill (the a-ordning is a system where employers report income information to the authorities).
• Self-employed individuals: Calculated based on the average pensionable income for the last three years.

Payment of sickness benefits:

• From the employer: Employees receive sickness benefits from their employer for the first 16 days.
• From the National Insurance Scheme: From the 17th day of absence for employees, freelancers, and self-employed individuals.
• Rate: Employees and freelancers receive 100% of the sickness benefit base, while self-employed individuals receive 80%.
• Maximum: The sickness benefit base cannot exceed six times the basic amount for any group.

Self-employed individuals and freelancers can purchase insurance for an additional premium to receive up to 100% coverage of income loss up to six times the basic amount.

You can find more information about sickness benefits on Nav’s website.