Appeal against a decision from NAV

Are you wondering how to proceed to appeal a decision you have received from NAV? Here you will find information about the various appeal options at NAV. Get good advice on what a complaint should contain, how to write a complaint and where to send the complaint.

Complaints concerning the following should be directed to NAV:

• Assistance allowance
• Basic allowance
• Caring allowance
• Extra care days
• Transitional allowance
• Training money

The procedure when making a complaint to NAV

If you disagree with the decision made by NAV, you have the right to appeal this decision. You will find information about the appeal deadline in the decision and it is important that the appeal is sent to NAV before the appeal deadline. NAV can be contacted if you have any questions.

• First round of complaints: The first complaint will be processed by the NAV unit that processed your application. If your complaint is upheld, a new decision will be made, but you can also appeal the new decision if you do not agree with the outcome.
• Second round of complaints: If your complaint is not upheld, you will receive a letter stating that the case will be forwarded to the NAV Complaints Board. The Complaints Board will then review your case again. If you have new relevant information regarding your case in the meantime, you can submit information to the Complaints Board until the case has been processed. You will receive a decision when the Complaints Board has processed the case.
• Third round of appeals: If you disagree with the decision from NAV's Appeals Board, you can, with some exceptions, appeal the decision. For most people, this can be done at nav.no/klage. Then select what you want to appeal and click "send appeal".
• Fourth round of appeals: If your appeal is not upheld by the NAV Appeals Board, the Appeals Board will write a letter to the Social Security Court, which you will have the opportunity to read and comment on. The Social Security Court will then process the case and issue a ruling (judgment) that you will receive.
• If you are not successful in the Social Security Court, you can choose to take the case further to the court, in the first instance the District Court. 

Where do you register your complaint with NAV??

If you wish to appeal a decision you have received from nav, click here.

Then select which application the complaint applies to and press «Submit complaint »The complaint is filled out electronically via NAV's website and you can upload attachments that support why you believe NAV's decision is wrong.

Tips on how to write a complaint                                                                     

• It is not always easy to articulate what it is that you disagree with in the decision you have received. Our best tip when writing a complaint is to be as specific and clear as possible. Try to stay objective, without emotionally driven arguments or claims. A good complaint does not mean that it has to be a long complaint. The most important thing is the content of the complaint.
• If you have not previously created a daily cycle, you should do so and attach it to the complaint.
• Attach all documents/statements from, for example, a doctor, habilitation, health center, physiotherapist, social worker or other relevant agencies that shed light on the case. In the complaint, you can refer to individual statements from the attachments. However, it is important that what you refer to is relevant to the case.
• Although it is an advantage to base the complaint legally (referring to laws), it is usually not a requirement. Instead of spending time finding what you believe is the correct legal provision, you should concentrate on describing what you believe is incorrect and what the consequences of that must be. This is the most important thing.
• Finally: Remember to date and sign the complaint before sending it.

Remember the appeal deadline!

Don't forget the appeal deadline. It is important to comply with the appeal deadline in order for the appeal to be considered and processed. We recommend starting the appeal as soon as you have received the decision you wish to appeal. It often takes longer to write an appeal than you had anticipated. The usual appeal deadline at NAV is around 6 weeks, but you can ask NAV to extend the appeal deadline. If you are granted this, it is important to get this in writing. There is no guarantee that you will be granted an extended appeal deadline, so do not wait to write your appeal in the hope of an extended appeal deadline.

Help writing a complaint

NAV has a duty to provide guidance and will guide you on how to submit a complaint if you ask for help. They should also be able to help you write a complaint. This follows from the administrative agencies' duty to provide guidance. Here it says:

According to Section 11 of the Public Administration Act, administrative bodies have a duty to provide guidance within their area of responsibility. The duty to provide guidance means that, for example, the municipality or the Norwegian Public Administration Agency shall provide guidance on applicable laws and regulations and common practice in a given area of responsibility. Information should also be provided on the rules for case processing, in particular on your rights and obligations under the Public Administration Act. If possible, the administrative body (the Norwegian Public Administration Agency in this case) should also provide information on circumstances that may have an impact on the outcome of your case. If you were to contact, for example, the Norwegian Public Administration Agency instead of the municipality for help, the person who receives your inquiry should inform you that you have contacted the wrong authority. You should also be given information on who/where to contact in order to get in touch with the right authority.

• Løvemammaene have prepared various templates. As member in Løvemammaene, you get access to these in our closed intranet (membership system), which is called Spark. 
• The Patient and User Ombudsman in your county. They provide free assistance. Read more about the Patient and User Ombudsman here.
• Lawyer: Find lawyers who specialize in the field you want to complain about. This is expensive if you do not meet the conditions for free legal aid. Read more about free legal aid here.

Your expenses for complaint processing

If you choose to use a lawyer to appeal a decision, you can claim reimbursement of your legal fees if your appeal is upheld.

Should you choose to spend time complaining or not?

Our clear recommendation is that it is definitely worth spending time on an appeal if you disagree with the decision. The case will also hopefully be better informed than it originally was if you appeal. The extra argument that can tip the case in your favor may lie in the appeal you write. 

If you are very tired, do not have the resources or time to write a thorough complaint, the sentence "the decision is appealed" will still be sufficient. In that case, the agency must process the complaint with the information they already have. 

If you are a member of Løvemammaene, you can download an example of a complaint form in our closed intranet for members. This can be used for most complaints. 

Løvemammaene hope that anyone who feels unfairly treated or has been affected by procedural errors by an administrative agency will find their inner strength to file a complaint. Good luck!

This article was last updated on 07.09.2025