Norway Sets Standardized Income-Loss Compensation Tables for Injured Children

The Norwegian government has adopted a new regulation establishing standardized, table-based compensation for children’s loss of income after personal injury, published in Norsk Lovtidend on 21 August 2026 as regulation nr. 1651. The rules were set by Royal Decree of 21 August 2026 under section 3-2a of the Skadeserstatningsloven (Compensation for Damages Act) and presented by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet). The regulation enters into force on 1 January 2027, replacing the previous regulation of 16 February 2018 nr. 236 on the same subject.

The new framework converts the statutory compensation into fixed amounts expressed in G (the national insurance basic amount, grunnbeløp), adjusted to the child’s age at the time of the injury or settlement. It covers both the “transition” compensation for income loss up to the year the injured child turns 21 and the later phase after that age, and it introduces separate models for cases where the compensation is placed as a bank deposit under section 51 of the Vergemålsloven (Guardianship Act).

Transition compensation up to age 21

For income loss up to and including the year the injured child turns 21, the compensation is set to an age-adjusted number of G ranging from 4.9 G (ages 0–1) to 5.7 G (age 13). Where the permanent medical invalidity is below 40 percent, the amount is reduced proportionally:

• 35–39 % invalidity: 80 % of the full transition compensation
• 30–34 %: 70 %
• 25–29 %: 60 %
• 20–24 %: 50 %
• 15–19 %: 40 %
• 10–14 %: 30 %
• Below 10 %: no transition compensation

Compensation after age 21 and disability models

For income loss after the year the child turns 21, settled early, the regulation sets age-adjusted amounts between 59.9 G and 62.9 G, rising to 74.5–77.1 G where the compensation is to be placed as a bank deposit under the guardianship rules. Where the disability degree does not meet the requirement for disability benefit (uføretrygd), the compensation is a proportional share of a higher table, from 130.5 G to 139.6 G, and 162.4–168.5 G in guardianship cases.

Alternative settlement model and transition rules

For permanent medical invalidity of up to 25 percent, the regulation offers an alternative settlement model (“valgfrihetsmodell”) with amounts from 28.8 G to 34.7 G, and 35.2–42.4 G in guardianship cases, reduced for invalidity below 25 percent. Under the transition rules, the regulation applies to events occurring after it takes effect, and also to earlier events where the settlement is not fully concluded at entry into force — defined as when the parties have agreed, a final judgment has been issued, or the payment obligation has been discharged.

The new tables give families and insurers a predictable, standardized basis for personal-injury settlements involving children, replacing case-by-case discretion with clear age- and disability-adjusted amounts. For every injured child and their family, the regulation clarifies what compensation can be expected at each stage of the settlement.

Source: Norsk Lovtidend, nr. 1651 of 21 August 2026, Avd. I (official reference: LTI-2026-08-21-1651).