Absence less than a day

If you become ill during the working day and therefore need to leave the workplace, you must notify your immediate superior. You do not need to submit self-certification of absence for this day.

Absence 1-8 days

For the first full day of absence, you must report that you are off sick to your immediate superior as soon as possible, and at the latest by the end of the working day.

In addtion to this, you need to register your self-certfied absence in the Self-service portal once you are back at work. 

Self-certified sick leave: regulations, registration and number of days

Doctor-certified sick leave must be submitted digitally, with some exceptions allowing for paper submissions. 

Employees paid by the hour

Go to Time-limited contracts for more information. 

1. The same day as your doctor`s appointment, your doctor submits the sick leave certification electronically to Altinn.no. You will receive a message via SMS or email when it is available on Altinn.no for you to log in and submit it forward to Nav and to your employer.
2. The same date as your last day of absence, you will receive a message via SMS or email requesting you to log in to Altinn.no and submit an application form for sickness benefits. 

Digital sick leave (only in Norwegian)

If prevented from using digital doctor-certified sick leave, you may submit it by paper as soon as possible, and no later than two weeks from the first day of absence.

Your employer is not entitled to any information regarding your diagnosis.

Employees paid by the hour

Go to Time-limited contracts for more information. 

The employer must take the initiative to create an individual follow-up plan in cooperation with you. This work should start now.

After you have been on sick leave for 4 weeks, you and your immediate superior with personnel responsibility must work together to create an individual follow-up plan for you. The plan must be revised in the absence period in connection with the dialogue meetings.

The follow-up plan must be drawn up whether you are on full or partial sick leave, and it is sent to the person who issued the medical certificate.

The follow-up plan must include:

• an assessment of your duties as an employee in relation to your functional capacity
• relevant measures on the employer’s part to improve physical, organizational or psychosocial conditions
• relevant measures with the assistance of the authorities
• a plan for further follow-up

The plan should also include information about:

• the date of the sickness absence notification and estimated length of the sickness absence
• whether the absence is work-related and whether it is an occupational injury
• the date when it is estimated that you can start working for part of the time (partial sick leave)
• the date of the follow-up meeting
• goals during the period until the next meeting

Your employer must arrange a dialogue meeting with you within seven weeks after you were reported sick. Dialogue meetings generally apply to employees on 100% sick leave, but they can also be held for employees on partial sick leave if the employer believes this is necessary.

In principle, only you and your employer participate in the dialogue meeting. The person who issued the medical certificate is asked to attend if both you and your employer want this, or if you want this.

What should be discussed?

Together, you go through the follow-up plan. Your ability to work and any adaptation measures should be discussed.

The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) is responsible for convening dialogue meeting 2 for you and your employer. The person who issued the medical certificate or other health professional participates if NAV believes this is sensible.

The employer must send the updated follow-up plan to NAV at the latest 1 week before the meeting.

NAV convenes dialogue meeting 3. No exact date is specified for this meeting, but after 39 weeks of sick leave, NAV sends an information letter to the person on sick leave with an offer of a dialogue meeting.

Apply for a work assessment allowance

At this meeting, a work assessment allowance (AAP) should be considered. As an employee, you must apply to NAV for a work assessment allowance yourself if the illness is expected to last more than 12 months. You can also submit a claim for a disability pension (uførepensjon) to NAV, if the illness is of a long-term nature.

You must also apply for a disability pension from the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) at least 3 months before the maximum date for sickness benefits from NAV. Submit the application electronically via “Min Side” (“My Page”) at www.spk.no

The HR staff also send a pension notification to SPK about 3–4 months before your salary stops (the maximum date). Your salary stops on the 1st of the month after the maximum date.

While you are on sick leave, your immediate superior must keep in touch with you at least every 4 weeks, and must update the follow-up plan.

After 12 months have passed, you are no longer entitled to sickness benefits from NAV.

However, your employer has a duty to take steps and make adjustments in the workplace as long as there is still a possibility that you might come back to NTNU – for example, if you apply for a work assessment allowance.

Leave of absence from your position

At NTNU, a year of leave without pay is usually granted after one year of absence due to illness. If you want to keep your original position when your right to sickness benefits ends, you must apply for leave of absence from your position.

After one year’s unpaid leave of absence, the employer may consider whether there are grounds for dismissal.

If you, as an employee, have been on sick leave for 24 months, and there is still no prospect of improvement in your capacity for work, ending the employment relationship will be considered.

Medical treatments during working hours

If you are receiving regular treatment such as physical therapy or similar, your doctor may prescribe a doctor-certified sick leave for a maximum of 1 single treatment day per week for this type of absence. In such cases, a confirmation from the physical therapist, therapist and/or examiner must be added to the doctor-certified sick leave.

If you work in a reduced position, you should preferably arrange processing time outside of working hours.

Treatment during working hours

You are allowed to have shorter absences during working hours in connection with, for example, an appointment with a doctor or dentist. This must be clarified with the manager in advance. If you register working hours, such absence shall not be recorded in the flexitime accounts.

If you are going for repeated treatments with a doctor, you should take this as time off or compassionate leave by agreement with your manager.