§ 10. The demand for payment — what it must contain and what rights you have
After the deadline in the debt collection notice (inkassovarsel) has expired, the debt collection company (inkassoselskap) must send you a demand for payment (betalingsoppfordring). This is a formal letter containing six specific pieces of information you are entitled to receive. You have at least 14 days to either pay or raise an objection (innsigelse). If the demand for payment lacks important information, you may not have to pay the debt collection fee (inkassosalær).
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
When a claim has been received for debt collection and the payment deadline (betalingsfrist) in the debt collection notice under § 9 has expired, the debt collector (inkassator) shall send the debtor (skyldner) a written request (demand for payment) to either pay or raise objections to the claim within a deadline of at least 14 days. § 9 second paragraph applies correspondingly. Circumstances that give reason to doubt whether the claim is legitimate shall have been assessed before a demand for payment is sent.
The demand for payment shall state
a. the creditor's (fordringshaver) name,
b. what the claim concerns,
c. the amount of the claim, specifying separately the principal claim (hovedkrav) and additional charges (tilleggskrav) such as claims for late payment interest (forsinkelsesrente) and compensation (erstatning) for collection (inndriving) costs,
d. which rate of late payment interest, if any, has been used and the date from which late payment interest has been calculated,
e. that failure to pay may lead to further costs for the debtor and to collection through the courts (rettslig inndriving), and
f. the right to demand complaints board review (nemndsbehandling) under § 22, if the claim is collected by an enterprise that carries on debt collection business (inkassovirksomhet) under a licence (bevilling) pursuant to § 5 first or third paragraph.
It is not necessary to give complete information as mentioned in the second paragraph letters c and d if the calculation of the claim is exceptionally extensive. The total claim must nevertheless always be stated, and it must be stated that a complete breakdown will be provided on request.
Notice of collection through the courts as mentioned in the second paragraph letter e may instead be sent as a separate later notice with its own payment deadline of at least 14 days. § 9 second paragraph applies correspondingly.
What does this mean?
The demand for payment is the step after the debt collection notice. Whereas the debt collection notice came from the original creditor (kreditor) or whoever sent the first notice, the demand for payment is what the debt collection company sends once it has taken over the case.
The section sets six specific requirements for what the letter must contain. These are not wishes — they are minimum requirements imposed by law. If one of them is missing, the demand for payment is deficient, and that can have consequences for the debt collection company.
Let us go through all six:
a. The creditor's name. You must know who is actually demanding the money from you. It is not enough for the debt collection company simply to introduce itself. The name of the original creditor — the shop, the subscription company, the bank — must appear in the letter.
b. What the claim concerns. You must understand what the debt is about. A vague description such as "outstanding amount" is not good enough. It must be clear what you have not paid for — invoice no. 12345 for an internet subscription for March 2025, for example.
c. The amount of the claim, broken down. This is where many debt collection companies make mistakes. The letter must not just state a total amount. It must explicitly distinguish between three things: the original claim (for example NOK 3,000 for dental treatment), the late payment interest (interest from the due date (forfallsdato) until today) and the debt collection fee (what is added for the debt collection process itself). You are entitled to see these three items separately.
d. Late payment interest rate and start date. The interest you pay for paying late is late payment interest (previously called default interest). You are entitled to know which percentage rate has been used and from which date the interest has been calculated. Typically the start date is the due date on the original invoice.
e. Warning about further costs and collection through the courts. The letter must tell you that failure to pay can lead to more money in costs and possibly a court case. This is a protective rule — you should never be surprised that the case escalates. You must have been clearly told in advance.
f. The right to complaints board review. If the claim is being collected by a debt collection enterprise that requires a licence, the letter must state that you can demand complaints board review. This is your right under § 22, and it must always be made visible.
The duty to assess whether the claim is legitimate
There is one requirement in the section that many people do not know about: the debt collection company must assess whether the claim is legitimate before sending the demand for payment.
This means that the debt collection company cannot simply pass on anything at all. It has an independent responsibility to review the case and make sure there actually is a valid claim. A debt collection claim based on a false invoice, an accounting error or a claim that is time-barred (foreldet) must not be sent on.
In practice, of course, this check is not always thorough. But the rules are there, and they give you as a debtor extra protection against unjustified claims.
You can object — and it has legal effects
The demand for payment gives you two choices: pay, or raise objections. An objection means that you believe the claim is wrong — either entirely or in part.
If you send a written objection to the debt collection company within the deadline, it has important consequences. The debt collection company cannot simply ignore it. It must take a position on the objection. And under § 11, it must have assessed whether the claim is legitimate before it can begin collection through the courts.
Practical tip: send the objection in writing. Email is fine. Write what you disagree with and why. You do not need legal language. "I dispute the invoice because I never received the goods" or "The amount is wrong — see attached receipt" is more than good enough.
What does the debt collection fee normally cost?
The debt collection fee is set by regulation (forskrift) pursuant to §§ 19 and 20, and varies with the size of the claim. Approximate rates [UNCERTAIN: exact current rates — check the Debt Collection Regulations (inkassoforskriften)]:
For claims up to NOK 500: approx. NOK 700 in debt collection fee. For claims between NOK 500 and 2,500: approx. NOK 1,050. For claims between NOK 2,500 and 10,000: approx. NOK 1,750. For claims between NOK 10,000 and 50,000: approx. NOK 3,150. For claims over NOK 50,000: approx. NOK 5,250.
It may seem paradoxical that the debt collection fee for a small claim is higher than the claim itself. This is deliberate — the fee is meant to encourage voluntary payment and compensate for the costs of collection. But it also means that if you have a small unjustified invoice, it is especially important to dispute (bestride) the claim early.
What is the overall timeline now?
After § 9 (debt collection notice, 14 days) and § 10 (demand for payment, 14 days), you have therefore had two separate 14-day deadlines. In addition, time must have passed between the due date (forfall) of the original invoice and the debt collection notice. The total time from the due date until collection through the courts can begin is at least 28 days — and in practice often more.
Example
Jonas subscribed to a streaming service and cancelled the subscription in October. In January he received a debt collection letter for NOK 680 — three months' subscription after the time of cancellation. He believed this was wrong. He read the demand for payment carefully. It stated who the creditor was, what the claim concerned, and broke the amount down correctly. It provided information about late payment interest and the right to complaints board review. Jonas sent a written objection with documentation of the cancellation. The debt collection company looked into the case and dropped the claim. The entire debt collection case was closed without Jonas paying anything — because he had used the deadline and the rights in § 10 correctly.
Common mistakes
- Not reading the demand for payment carefully enough to spot errors or omissions
- Paying without checking that the total amount is correctly broken down into the main element, interest and fee
- Not using the deadline to raise an objection even though you know the claim is wrong or unjustified
- Believing that you automatically avoid paying anything if you dispute the claim — you only avoid the debt collection fee if the process is wrong; the claim itself must be paid if it is legitimate
- Forgetting to document the objection in writing
What should you do?
Received a demand for payment? Do the following:
Check that all six points are met. Name of the creditor? What the claim concerns? Amount broken down? Interest rate and date? Warning about further costs? Information about the right to complaints board review?
Check that the amounts are correct. Is the original claim correct? Has the late payment interest been calculated from the correct date? Is the debt collection fee within the legal maximum rates?
If something is wrong: write an objection within the deadline. State what is wrong. Send it in writing. Keep the receipt.
If everything is correct and you owe the money: pay within the deadline. The payment order must have been received by the bank before the deadline expires — not just sent.