Information to staff with a sick child or childminder.

Norsk versjon - Sykt barn

Theme page about illness | Allowance for care of close relatives

Sick child or childminder

If your child or the person who looks after your child is ill, you can take paid leave up to and including the calendar year that your child turns 12.

You must notify your manager as soon as possible, and your absence must be recorded in the Self-service portal.

A condition for taking leave is that you need to be away from work so that you can take care of your child. For the first three days of the illness episode, you can send self-certification of absence ("egenmelding") for a sick child or childminder. From the fourth day of absence, a medical certificate that documents the child’s illness is required from Nav.

If you are a new employee, you can receive paid leave if you are absent because your child or the person who looks after your child is ill. You must have then have started in the position, and in the first four weeks that you are employed in the position, you must submit a medical certificate from the first day of absence.

A kindergarten strike is not a reason for absence that is regulated in accordance with applicable rules and agreements. In order to receive care benefits pursuant to section 9-5 of the National Insurance Act, there must be illness in children or childcare providers as a basis for care benefits. Strikes are not illness, and on this basis will not entitle you to care benefits when the kindergarten closes.

Number of care benefit days

1 child: 10 days per year

2 children: 12 days per year

3 children or more: 15 days per year

See info further down the page about extra days for you who are a single parent or have children with a chronic illness or disability.

Your overview in the Self-service portal

You will find the number of sick child days in the absence quota overview under the "time" tab in the Self Service Portal. If you are caring for two or more children, from 2023 you will have also received the quota "sick child extra days". You cannot use this until the ordinary sick child quota has been used up.

Note that you must have registered your children in the profile fine to get the sick-child quota.

Register absence in the Self-service portal

Guide: Requests for absence (dfo.no)

1. To get the sick child quota, you must have registered your children in your profile. See guide: User profile (dfo.no). The profile will be updated during the night after you registered the change, so you will not see the quota for sick child days in the Self Service Portal until the next morning.

2. When registering a sick child day, send an absence application with the absence type "sick child 470". The form goes directly from you to your manager in the Self Service Portal. The rest column in the quota overview will decrease as your manager approves your absence applications.

Single parents

If you are a single parent caring for your child on your own, the number of care benefit days is doubled. Please notify the Service Center via the form "Endre fraværskvote" in NTNU Hjelp after you have registered your child in the Self-service portal.

Chronic illness - Extended right to care benefit days

If you have children with disabilities or with chronic illness, you may be entitled to an extra 10 days of care benefits for each of these children. You must then submit the decision from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organization (NAV) to document this right. Send the decision from NAV to the Service Center via the form "Endre fraværskvote" in NTNU Hjelp after you have registered your child in the Self-service portal.

DO NOT send any sensitive information about your children. Send ONLY proof that NAV has made a decision.

New employees

You must have been employed for at least four weeks at NTNU to be entitled to use sick child days. In some cases, you can apply directly to NAV for money if you have a medical certificate and worked elsewhere before you started at NTNU.

If you have had a break in your employment of more than 14 days due to leave, you must submit a medical certificate to use sick child day.

Earning time and requirements for documentation

If you are a new employee and have started the job, you are still entitled to receive pay during absence due to illness in a child or babysitter. In that case, however, you must submit a doctor’s certificate from the first day of the first four weeks of the employment relationship.

If you have had a breach of employment for more than 14 days due to leave of absence, the same rules apply: for the first four weeks after you resume work, you must submit a doctor’s certificate from the first day.

Sick child or childminder for part of the day

In principle, you take a day of care benefits as a whole day. But it may be possible to divide the day between work and care of a child if your job allows this and your employer has approved it. When a total of one whole care day has been used, the full day must be registered in the Self-service portal.

Training allowance

If you care for a child with a long-term illness or a disability, you may be entitled to a training allowance ("opplæringspenger"). You will then be entitled to absence from work for training at an approved health institution that is necessary for you to take care of your child. The training must last for a whole working day during a week.

You can apply for a training allowance from NAV.

Remember to apply for absence in the Self Service Portal in case of training allowance. Register a request for leave, answer yes to the question "Do you know the type of leave?" and choose type of leave Training allowance 461.

References and legislation

• Hovedtariffavtalen (the Basic Collectice Agreement) §20 (in Norwegian)
• Working Environment Act Section 12-9 (in Norwegian).
  • English version is available from the Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet)
• Folketrygdloven (the National Insurance Act) Section 9-6 (in Norwegian)

Contact information

Do you have questions or need help? Contact the Service center