Public occupational pension - what you need to know
If you work in the public sector, you have an occupational pension through your job. But which scheme you have depends on both your workplace and year of birth. Here you will get an overview of the schemes, and information about what happens to your pension in the event of a job change and termination.
What is a public occupational pension?
- Retirement pension - the pension you receive when you retire.
- Disability pension - pension you receive if you become disabled and are unable to work in whole or in part.
- Children's pension - pension your children will receive if you die.
- Spouse's pension- pension your spouse/former spouse receives unpaid if you die.
What is the National Insurance basic amount (G)?
As of 1 May 2025, 1 G amounts to NOK 130,160.
- Most benefits in the National Insurance Scheme are stated in the number of G.
- The basic amount is adjusted on 1 May each year.
Which pension scheme applies to you?
Which pension scheme applies to you depends on the year you were born.
- A new public occupational pension scheme (introduced in 2020) applies to everyone born from 1963 onwards.
- The old scheme applies to accrual until 2020.
- The old scheme still applies to cohorts up to and including 1962.
Gross scheme
Dette er en bruttoordning
Bruttoordning betyr at pensjonen din beregnes ut fra sluttlønnen, med fradrag for alderspensjon fra folketrygden. Bruttoordningen sikrer dermed et visst nivå på tjenestepensjon og folketrygd samlet sett.
Slik fungerer bruttoordningen
Viktige begrensninger
Can you lose your pension by working for a long time?
If you were born before 1963 , you may lose your occupational pension if you stay in work for a long time. This is an unreasonable result of the coordination rules. In NITO's opinion, this should have been avoided.
This is how you can lose your pension:
- Your total pension may be lower if you are employed after the time you are allocated "ratio/adjustment figure 1".
- After this time, the coordination deduction increases . Your occupational pension will be reduced for each month you continue to work.
- The loss is greatest if you have worked for at least 30 years in the public sector and for older cohorts.
- The loss is smallest for the last cohorts in the old system.
You can keep the same annual pension payment by waiting to draw your retirement pension from the National Insurance Scheme. But the occupational pension is still being reduced. In total, you will then receive less pension over time than if you had retired at the time of ratio/adjustment figure 1.
See the table above from which age your cohort may experience a reduction in pension in spk.no.
NITO's advice:
If this is a relevant issue for you, you should contact your pension provider. Use the pension calculator at your pension fund or ask for a calculation of what the pension will be at different withdrawal ages.
Surcharge order
Dette er en påslagsordning
Den nye ordningen fra 2020 er en "påslagsordning". All opptjening gir økt pensjon – også etter 30 år i ordningen.
Pensjonen beregnes uavhengig av folketrygden. Det er ingen samordning. Det spares opp i en pensjonsbeholdning hvert år.
Slik fungerer opptjening i påslagsordningen
- 5,7 % av all pensjonsgivende inntekt opp til 7,1 G
- 23,8 % av inntekt mellom 7,1 og 12 G
Uttak av pensjon
Fleksibilitet i den nye ordningen
- Pensjonen utbetales livsvarig.
- Du kan ta den ut fra 62 år og jobbe så mye du vil uten at pensjonen reduseres.
- Du får også AFP – som utbetales livsvarig.
Disability pension and survivor's pension in the public sector
Public occupational pensions also consist of disability and survivors' pensions.
Disability pension: Extra security
You can get this if you are completely or partially unable to work due to illness or injury. The disability pension is paid in addition to work assessment allowance or disability benefit from the National Insurance Scheme.
This is how disability pension is calculated:
Disability pension provides a supplement of 3% of salary and a NOK supplement of 0.25 G. For salary above 6 G, the disability pension also covers 66% of salary.
If you have an income above 6 G, disability pension is particularly important. The National Insurance Scheme only covers income up to 6 G.
Children's pension and spouse's pension: Security for the family
Survivor's pension is a collective term for both children's pension and spouse's pension.
- Children's pension is 15% of the deceased's salary
- Spouse's pension is 9% of the deceased's salary
Important information about divorced spouses:
- If you have a divorced spouse who works in the public sector, you can receive a spouse's pension when they die.
- You will only receive this pension if you report it yourself. You should therefore keep in touch with your ex.
- You must have met conditions such as "marital service" of 10 years, have been over 45 years old at the time of divorce and not have remarried.
As a public employee, it is therefore particularly important to get married.
Job change and dismissal: What happens to your pension?
Retirement before retirement age: Deferred pension entitlement
If you leave your job in the public sector, you will also be withdrawn from the pension scheme, and if this happens before you can draw your pension, you will receive a so-called deferred pension right.
If you leave the public sector and later become disabled, you may be entitled to a deferred disability pension. However, if you become disabled while working, you will retain membership of the pension scheme as if you were working.
Only applies to deferred retirement pension for those born up to and including 1962:
Normally, deferred entitlement means that the requirement for a full pension is changed from 30 to 40 years. This applies if you were 30 years old or younger at the time of your first employment in the public sector. For example, if you have 15 years of accrual, you will receive 15/40 of your full pension.
Changing jobs in the public sector: Accrual period is merged
If you start a new job with a public occupational pension scheme, the accrual period is combined. This happens because all public schemes are included in a transfer agreement.
It is the last pension provider you have had in the public sector that is responsible for all payments of your pension.
