Late-payment interest 2026
In Norway, forsinkelsesrente — the statutory late-payment interest — is 12.25 percent per year from 1 July 2026. For the first half of the year it was 12.00 percent. You do not need to have agreed interest with the customer to claim it, and you do not need to do anything for it to start running: it accrues from the due date by itself. Here are the Norwegian rates, the calculation, and the two items people forget. If you invoice from outside Norway, your own country's rules will be different ones.
Rates for 2026
From 1 January 2026: 12.00 percent per year. From 1 July 2026: 12.25 percent per year. The rate is set every six months, effective from 1 January and 1 July, and is the key policy rate plus at least eight percentage points (Late Payment Interest Act § 3). From 2025, the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority sets it—previously the Ministry of Finance, so older articles cite the wrong authority.
From which day does interest accrue?
From the due date on the invoice, if you agreed on one. If not, interest starts 30 days after you sent the demand (Late Payment Interest Act § 2). No clause in the contract or advance notice is required. Interest also accrues while you send reminders and stops only when the money is in your account.
Calculation
Amount × rate × days overdue ÷ 365. A 25 000 kroner invoice overdue for 60 days at 12.25 percent: 25 000 × 0.1225 × 60 ÷ 365 = 503 kroner. If the claim spans a rate change, use the rate that applied in each period and add them together. Interest is calculated on the invoiced amount, not on any fees you’ve added.
Invoicing a business? You can also claim 430 kroner
If the customer is a business or a public body, you can claim standard compensation for recovery costs in addition to the interest: 430 kroner from 1 July 2026, 460 kroner for the first half of the year (Late Payment Interest Act § 3a). You don’t need to document actual costs. In the example above, 430 kroner plus 503 kroner in interest almost doubles what you recover for the delay. This does not apply to private individuals.
Should you charge interest to a customer you want to keep?
The usual approach is to include a reservation in the reminder – "interest on arrears will be charged from the due date" – and then let it go if the customer pays quickly. It gives you something to refer to without turning it into a conflict. If the bill is never paid and the case ends up in forliksrådet, the conciliation board, or debt collection, the interest and compensation are part of your claim regardless of whether you mentioned them along the way.
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Create notice with interest reservationFAQ
Do I need to have written anything about interest on the invoice?
No. The right to interest on arrears follows from the law and applies even if the invoice does not mention it. An interest rate you agreed yourself only applies if it is higher than the Norwegian statutory rate and was actually agreed.
Can I demand a higher rate than 12.25 percent?
Only if you have agreed on it, and in dealings with consumers the room for negotiation is limited. The Norwegian statutory rate is a floor you are always entitled to here, not a cap you must stay under between businesses.
What if the customer pays the invoice but not the interest?
The interest claim remains. You can send a separate invoice for the interest and any standard compensation. In practice, many skip this once the principal is paid, but it is your decision, not the customer’s.
How long can I claim interest?
As long as the claim is not time-barred. Ordinary monetary claims expire after three years, and the interest on arrears expires together with the principal claim.
General information, not legal advice. Rates verified by FSA and updated.