Kindergarten and school rules combine a national framework with local administration. Norway sets the maximum kindergarten prices, sibling reductions, income-based reduction and free-core-hours scheme. The nationally set maximum is not identical everywhere: lower ceilings apply in the least central municipalities, and kindergarten is free in the Finnmark and Nord-Troms action zone. Municipalities and individual providers manage applications, deadlines, admissions and food charges.
All figures are current on 27 August 2026 and can change. Check Udir and your municipality before budgeting or applying.
Sources: Udir — kindergarten parental payment; Regulation on kindergarten parental payment; Udir — deferred and early school start; Drammen municipality — prices; Bergen municipality — reduced payment.
The national price rules
From 1 August 2025, the ordinary national maximum is NOK 1,200 per month. In municipalities in Statistics Norway centrality zones 5 and 6, the maximum is NOK 700 per month. Kindergarten is free in the action zone covering Finnmark and Nord-Troms.
These limits continue to be the current Udir figures on 27 August 2026 and apply to approved municipal and private kindergartens. A municipality may set a lower price.
Kindergartens may charge separately for food. This kostpenger charge sits outside the maximum and varies by provider.
Sibling and income reductions
The national sibling scheme reduces payment for the second child and makes the place free from the third child when the conditions are met. Food charges are separate and are not normally covered by the sibling reduction.
Under the income-based scheme, a household should not pay more than six per cent of gross household income for a kindergarten place. The municipality where the child is registered processes the application.
Children in the covered age groups are entitled to 20 free core hours per week when household income is below the threshold. From 1 August 2026, Udir gives that threshold as NOK 692,465.
These reductions do not always appear automatically. Check the municipality’s documentation and renewal requirements.
The right to a place
The Kindergarten Act establishes a national right to a place for children who meet its age, residence and application conditions. The relevant birthday and the municipality’s main application deadline affect when the right begins.
A right to a place does not necessarily mean the family’s first-choice kindergarten. Municipal admissions rules determine allocation among available places.
What municipalities decide
Municipalities operate their own application portals, main admission rounds and supplementary admissions. They also set local procedures for reduced payment and free core hours.
Deadlines differ. For example, Drammen asks families to apply by 1 June for a reduction from August and then uses monthly deadlines. Bergen normally applies a decision from the month after receiving a complete application and gives a separate deadline when a place is accepted during the year. These are examples, not national rules.
Income documentation matters. A municipality may apply the ordinary maximum until it receives a complete application. Decisions on reduced payment are individual administrative decisions and can be appealed under the instructions in the decision.
Food and payment periods
Food charges vary by kindergarten and should be added separately when comparing prices. Payment schedules and summer arrangements also follow local or provider rules, so confirm how many months are invoiced rather than assuming that every kindergarten uses the same schedule.
Compulsory school
Children normally begin compulsory school in the calendar year they turn six. Primary and lower-secondary schooling lasts ten years and is administered by municipalities. County authorities are responsible for upper-secondary education.
School placement, catchment areas and after-school care are local matters. SFO, called AKS in Oslo, has separate payment and reduction rules from kindergarten.
Deferred school start is not automatic. Parents apply or consent, and the municipality must allow a start in the year the child turns seven when the statutory conditions are met following an expert assessment. Early start also requires an application or consent and an expert assessment showing that it is appropriate.
A practical checklist
- Find the municipality’s kindergarten portal and main deadline.
- Check whether the NOK 1,200, NOK 700 or free-zone rule applies.
- Add the provider’s food charge and confirm the payment schedule.
- Apply for sibling, income-based or free-core-hours reductions with complete documentation.
- Contact the municipality about school placement and SFO or AKS.
For the wider move, use the first-30-days checklist. Healthcare professionals should run those tasks alongside the authorisation process.