Background information

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary to close schools and kindergartens across the country. Parents who are entitled to care benefit can receive care money to stay home with children during the closure. The difficult situation can increase the need to care, hence the number of care days a parent can receive care benefit is temporarily doubled for the calendar year 2020. Increased use of care benefit in the current situation can have major financial consequences for employers and the Norwegian business community. To reduce the burden on employers, the employer’s responsibility to pay for care benefit is reduced to 3 days, and the employer can seek reimbursement from The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration for pay from the fourth day.

Content of measure

Employees are usually entitled to care benefit, also called "sick-child-days", when they need to be absent from work if a child, or the person who usually looks after the child, is ill. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of days a parent is entitled to is doubled from 10 to 20 days per calendar year when you have one or two children under the age of 12 and from 15 to 30 days per calendar year when you have more than two children under the age of 12. The employer’s responsibility for paying the care benefit days is reduced to 3 days (regularly 10 days). The employer also offsets other days of care allowance, but may seek a refund from the Labor and Welfare Administration from the fourth day. Self-employed workers and freelancers are entitled to care benefit from The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration from the 4th day of absence (regularly from the 11th day of absence).

Use of measure

No information to date.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Other social actors (e.g. NGOs) Public employment service	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Consulted	Consulted
Form	Direct consultation outside a formal body	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

Social partners have been consulted regularly during design and implementation of the measure.

Views and reactions

The social partners have supported the measure.

Sources

• 27 January 2020: General information on care benefit, utdated January 2020 (www.nav.no)
• 20 March 2020: Foreldres rett til omsorgspenger dobles (www.regjeringen.no)
• 21 April 2020: Midlertidig forskrift om unntak fra folketrygdloven og arbeidsmiljøloven i forbindelse med covid-19-pandemien (lovdata.no)
• 29 September 2021: Which corona measures are discontinued and which are extended? (www.nav.no)
• 07 December 2021: Government annonce several compensating measures (www.regjeringen.no)