Over the past five years, 18,469 people received a total of 339 million from Nav to cover the costs of their funeral.
‘Death benefit is means-tested. It may be up to 22,723 kroner to cover actual and necessary expenses for a funeral,’ write Nav on their website.
According to Vårt Land, 26,700 citizens sought means-tested benefits between 2012 and 2016. 18,469 of these had their application approved.
‘In 2016, we granted 71.2% of this type of application’, said senior adviser, Lise Jørenn Grondahl Berg, of Nav. It is most often the spouse or children of the deceased, or their nearest relatives, who receive benefits.
Tom Budalen funeral service director, M. Jacobsen in Oslo, said an average funeral costs around 40,000, but that support from Nav will suffice.
‘We help many social clients we have in Oslo east. But we are also talking about ordinary wage-earners, who have zero excess wealth.
Until 2003, all citizens were paid 4,000 from the state to cover the cost of funerals.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today