Et enklere Nav – Aktivitetspenger for unge (Trondheim Basic Income Trial)
NAV Trondheim (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration's local offices), together with the national Labour and Welfare Directorate and the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, is launching a pilot benefit called "aktivitetspenger for unge" for Trondheim residents aged 18-29 who are out of work and education. It replaces several overlapping benefits (work assessment allowance, qualification benefit, unemployment benefit, participation money, social assistance) with one payment that does not require proof of illness, paid monthly and set at 66% of prior income with a guaranteed minimum floor. The trial is funded by the Norwegian state budget (NOK 17 million allocated for 2026 start-up) with a municipal cost offset, and is due to start November 1, 2026, running for up to four years while being evaluated by Oslo Economics and the Frisch Centre for Economic Research.
Basic income-adjacent, Youth unemployment, Non-medical eligibility, Single unified benefit, Norway, NAV welfare reform, Government pilot
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- NAV Trondheim (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration)
- City
- Trondheim
- State / Province
- Trøndelag
- Country
- Norway
Contact
- Website
- https://www.nav.no/
- Phone
- +47 55 55 33 33
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 2,000
- Funding type
- Government, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Total Amount
- 278,689
- Avg. Per Month
- 5,806.02
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 48 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit
- Benefit details
The benefit ("aktivitetspenger") equals 66% of the recipient's pensionable income from the prior year, with a guaranteed minimum of 2.041x the National Insurance base amount (G) per year for those 25 and older (roughly NOK 278,689/about $28,800 using the May 2026 G of NOK 136,549), and two-thirds of that minimum for under-25s. It is paid monthly in arrears, calculated on a 5-day/week basis, and is cut by 66 øre per NOK of any earned income (never stopping the benefit entirely). Parents receive a per-child supplement of NOK 38/day, 5 days/week. Recipients can also access travel, relocation, childcare, and learning-materials supplementary allowances tied to approved work-related activities. Benefit periods run in blocks of up to 52 weeks at a time, up to 4 years total per person.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Recipients must live in Trondheim municipality, be 18 up to (not including) 30 years old, and have been formally assessed by NAV as needing assistance to obtain or keep ordinary work. They must generally have at least 5 years' prior membership in Norway's National Insurance scheme (folketrygden), with some exceptions. People able to finance study independently through ordinary higher education are excluded unless their education is an approved labour-market measure. No medical/disability documentation is required to qualify -- a deliberate departure from Norway's usual health-based benefit gateway. Recipients must follow an individually tailored NAV activity plan and are reviewed at least every 6 months; failure to engage or unreasonably refusing work can end the benefit.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Maximum age
- 29
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
- Employment status
- Unemployed
Geography
- Countries covered
- Norway
- Cities covered
- Trondheim
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Individually tailored NAV activity plan (arbeidsrettet oppfølging), which may include labour-market measures, job search activity, or medical treatment as part of the recipient's plan
- Research / participation requirements
The trial is evaluated by Oslo Economics in partnership with the Frisch Centre for Economic Research (Frischsenteret) as a non-experimental study, comparing register data (administrative data, not opt-in surveys) from participating Trondheim NAV offices against a control group of comparable NAV offices elsewhere in Norway. A continuation/scale-up decision is due within four years of launch; if results are promising, the government has signaled it may expand the model to more NAV offices, potentially as a randomized trial, before considering a permanent national benefit.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applicants must first be registered with NAV and have their need for assistance assessed under the Nav Act (§14a). A claim for aktivitetspenger is then submitted in whatever format the Labour and Welfare Administration specifies (typically via nav.no or in person at NAV Falkenborg or NAV Lerkendal, the two Trondheim offices running the trial). Intake is being phased in, with eligibility for the first cohort tied to not already being registered as a jobseeker between August 1 and October 31, 2026.
- Selection process
There is no lottery or competitive selection; NAV caseworkers determine eligibility administratively against the fixed criteria (age 18-29, Trondheim residency, National Insurance membership, an assessed need for employment assistance, and not receiving another primary subsistence benefit). Approved participants then co-develop an individualized activity plan with a NAV caseworker as a condition of continued payment.
