International Programs
Totalization Agreement with Norway
Introduction
For Norway, the agreement covers old-age, survivors, disability, death, and rehabilitations in the National Insurance Act. The agreement does not cover unemployment benefits, medical benefits, cash sickness benefits, work injury, and unmarried mother's benefits for persons who not subject to Norwegian law.
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Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
- Self-employed workers who reside in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage.
- Self-employed workers who reside in Norway are assigned Norwegian coverage.
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Norwegian certificates for employees and self-employed workers
Employers and self-employed workers must request a certificate of coverage to establish an exemption from U.S. Social Security contributions.
Please mail your request to:
NAV National Office for Social Insurance Abroad
P.O. Box 8138 Dep
N-0033 Oslo
NORWAY
Please provide the following information:
- Worker's full name (including maiden name);
- Worker's date of birth;
- Worker's place of birth;
- Worker's country of citizenship;
- Worker's country of permanent residence;
- Worker’s U.S. Social Security number;
- Worker's Norway social security number, if applicable;
- Date of hire, if employed;
- Country of hire, if employed;
- Nature of self-employment activity, if applicable;
- Name and address of the employer in the United States and the agreement country (if self-employed, address of trade or business in both countries);
- Date of transfer and anticipated date of return of employment or self-employment in the agreement country;
- Spouse’s first and last name;
- Norway social security number (if known);
- Spouse’s date of birth; and
- All children’s first and last names; date of birth, and social security numbers (if known).
U.S. employers should retain certificates of coverage in case of an audit by the IRS. Employers should not send a copy to the IRS unless the IRS specifically requests the certificate of coverage.
Self-employed workers should attach a copy of the certificate of coverage to their U.S. tax return every year as proof of the exemption.
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Monthly benefits
Norway pays benefits through a two-tier program: the first tier pays a basic pension based on residence, and the second tier pays an earnings-related supplementary pension. If you have not lived or worked in Norway long enough to qualify for benefits under one or both of these programs, U.S. Social Security credits may help you become entitled.
Under the U.S. Social Security system, you may earn up to four credits each year depending on the amount of your covered earnings. For example, in 2022, you receive one credit for each $1,410 of your covered annual earnings up to a maximum of four credits per year. The amount needed to earn a work credit goes up slightly each year.
Under the Norwegian system, credits are measured in years known as “pension point years.” To simplify the information in the table, U.S. requirements are also shown in years of credits.
|
Retirement or old-age benefits |
|
United States |
Norway |
Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.*Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from one and one-half to 10 years (10 years if age 62 in 1991 or later). |
Worker— |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benefits |
|
United States |
Norway |
Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. One and one-half to 10 years credit needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind. |
Worker— |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
|
United States |
Norway |
Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the worker's entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 62 if not caring for a child. |
Spouse—Supplement paid to worker if supporting a spouse who does not receive own pension. |
Divorced spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Must be unmarried and have been married to worker for at least 10 years. |
Divorced spouse—Payable under certain conditions. |
Children—If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if in an elementary or secondary school full time) or any age if disabled before age 22. |
Children—Supplement paid to worker if child is under age 18. |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
|
Survivors benefits |
|
United States |
Norway |
Surviving Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the deceased's entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring for child. Benefits may be continued if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). |
Surviving Spouse—Under age 67 and marriage lasted at least five years or a child was born of the marriage or surviving spouse is caring for deceased's children. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years. |
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Under age 67 and not remarried and death occurred within five years of the divorce. Marriage lasted at least 25 years or 15 years if there were children of the marriage. Benefit not payable outside Norway unless also entitled to supplementary pension or the deceased or the divorced surviving spouse resided in Norway for 20 years. |
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker. |
Children—Under age 18 (or age 20 if a student or both parents deceased). |
Lump-sum death benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker. |
Lump-sum death benefit—Funeral grant payable. |
*Full retirement age for people born in 1938 is age 65 and 2 months. The full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
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How benefits can be paid
If you have social security credits in both the United States and Norway, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country's system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you do not meet the basic requirements, the agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.
- Benefits from the United States—If you do not have enough work credits under the U.S. system to qualify for regular benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both United States and Norwegian credits. However, to be eligible to have your Norwegian credits counted, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your Norwegian credits.
- Benefits from Norway—Norway provides retirement, disability and survivors benefits through two separate programs.
- A “basic” pension program pays flat-rate benefits to Norwegian residents in proportion to the number of years they have resided in Norway. The benefit amount is unrelated to past earnings. In determining eligibility for a basic pension, any year with earnings credited under the supplementary system is automatically credited as a year of residence, even if a person did not actually reside in Norway.
If you have resided in Norway for at least one year, but not long enough to meet the applicable coverage requirement for a basic pension, your United States and Norwegian coverage can be combined to meet the three-year minimum coverage requirement for retirement benefits, or to meet the recent coverage requirements that apply to disability and survivors benefits. In addition, Norway will pay basic disability and survivors benefits, which were formerly payable only to residents of Norway, if you reside in the United States.
- A “supplementary” pension program for workers pays benefits based on how long you worked in Norway and the amount you earned.
If you have at least one year of coverage under Norway's supplementary pension system, but not enough to meet the three-year minimum requirement for a retirement, disability, or survivors pension, your U.S. credits can be added to your supplementary credits to meet this requirement. In addition, U.S. credits can be used to meet the recent coverage requirement for the surviving spouse's pension.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or Norwegian benefits:
- Visit or write any U.S. Social Security office.
- Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. any business day. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
- Complete SSA-2490-BK (Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement) and mail to your local Social Security Administration office.
If you live in Norway and wish to apply for U.S. or Norwegian benefits, contact:
Federal Benefits Unit
United States Embassy
PO Box 4075 AMB
0244 Oslo
NORWAY - Any Norwegian social security office to file for U.S. or Norwegian benefits.
You can apply with one country and ask to have your application considered as a claim for benefits from the other country. Information from your application will then be sent to the other country. Each country will process the claim under its own laws - counting credits from the other country when appropriate - and notify you of its decision.
If you have not applied for benefits before, you may need to provide certain information and documents when you apply.
These may include:
- The worker's United States and Norwegian social security numbers;
- Proof of age for all claimants;
- Evidence of the worker's U.S. earnings in the past 24 months; and
- Information about the worker's coverage under the Norwegian system.
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Payment of benefits
Each country pays its own benefit. U.S. payments are made by the U.S. Department of Treasury each month and cover benefits for the preceding month. Payments under the Norwegian system are made monthly. For more information, contact the Norwegian authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”
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For more information about Norway's social security programs
For more information about Norway's social security programs, visit the Norwegian social security system website at https://www.nav.no/ or any social security office in Norway.
If you do not live in Norway, write to:
NAV National Office for Social Insurance Abroad
P.O. Box 8138 Dep
N-0033 Oslo
NORWAY