Arbeidstilsynet Inspection at Your Company - What They Ask and How to Prepare

Are you wondering what Arbeidstilsynet may ask during an inspection at your company? Most often, it comes down to simple but very specific things: who is working, when they work, what contract they are on, what breaks they take, how much overtime they do, and what rates they are paid.

In this article, we explain what an inspection looks like, which documents are worth having on hand, and how to prepare timelisteA timesheet recording actual working hours, breaks and overtime per employee., vaktplanA shift plan showing planned working hours – who works when. and, if your industry requires it, personallisteA staff register showing who is actually at work at a location, with start and end times. Mandatory in certain Norwegian industries..

What an Arbeidstilsynet inspection looks like

An Arbeidstilsynet inspection can take two main forms: an unscheduled tilsyn or a dokumenttilsyn based on a written notice. In both cases, quick access to documents and consistent data matters.

Inspection type	How it works	What it means for the company
Uanmeldt tilsyn - unscheduled inspection	An inspector may show up without advance notice, for example if there is suspicion of violations related to working conditions, safety, arbeidsmiljøkriminalitet, or gaps in lønns- og arbeidsvilkår.	Documents should be kept up to date at all times. The inspector may immediately ask for attendance records, working hours, or shift schedules.
Dokumenttilsyn - document inspection	The company receives a letter from Arbeidstilsynet. The letter states the topic of the inspection, the required documents, and the deadline for sending them.	You have time to gather the documentation, but the deadline in the letter is binding. It helps if timeliste, vaktplan and other data are ready to export.

After the inspection, Arbeidstilsynet prepares a tilsynsrapport, i.e. an inspection report. The company can submit comments. The standard deadline for comments is usually around 3 weeks.

Timelista helps you keep an electronic personalliste, digital timeliste and vaktplan in one place, with a history of changes and data ready to show during an inspection by Arbeidstilsynet or SkatteetatenThe Norwegian Tax Administration, which among other things inspects personalliste..

What Arbeidstilsynet most often asks employers

During an inspection, access to documents usually matters most: a digital timeliste, an electronic vaktplan, contracts, and payroll data. If your industry requires an electronic personalliste, it should be consistent with working hours and shift schedules. We describe this requirement in more detail in the article What is personalliste and which industries must keep it?

The most important areas of review are:

• Up-to-date timeliste. The employer must keep a written and current record of each employee’s working hours, regardless of whether the employee is paid timelønn, fastlønn or akkordlønn. Timeliste should show, among other things, the employee’s name, date, start and end of work, start and end of overtime, and breaks, ideally filled in every day. See also Arbeidstilsynet’s official guidance on registrering av arbeidstid.

• Breaks - pauser. When working more than 5.5 hours, employees are entitled to a break. For work lasting at least 8 hours, breaks must total at least 30 minutes. Some breaks count as working time, for example when the employee cannot freely leave the workplace.

• Overtime - overtid. Overtid may only be used when there is a special and time-limited need, in line with arbeidsmiljølovenThe Norwegian Working Environment Act, which regulates working conditions including working hours. § 10-6. The standard limits are 10 hours in 7 days, 25 hours in 4 weeks, and 200 hours in 52 weeks, and the overtime supplement is at least 40%.

• Arbeidsplan / vaktplan. When employees work at different times of the day, arbeidsmiljøloven § 10-3 requires a plan showing each employee’s weeks, days, and working hours. The plan should be prepared with tillitsvalgte (employee representatives), in principle discussed no later than 2 weeks before implementation, and easy to access.

• Daily and weekly rest. As a rule, employees are entitled to at least 11 hours of rest within 24 hours and 35 hours of rest within 7 days, according to arbeidsmiljøloven § 10-8.

• Employment contracts - arbeidsavtaler. Every employee must have a written arbeidsavtale, according to arbeidsmiljøloven § 14-5. For employment lasting longer than 1 month, the contract must be prepared as soon as possible, and no later than 7 days after the start of work.

• Lønns- og arbeidsvilkår in industries with minstelønn. In Norway, statutory minstelønn applies in 10 industries. The inspector may compare timeliste, lønnsslipp and arbeidsavtale with the relevant allmenngjøringsforskrift.

Industry	Example minimum rate
Construction from 15.06.2025	Skilled worker 264.32 NOK/h, unskilled worker without experience 239.61 NOK/h
Renhold from 15.06.2025	Over 18 years 236.54 NOK/h, under 18 years 185.55 NOK/h, work 21:00-06:00 supplement min. 29 NOK/h
Overnatting, servering og catering from 15.06.2025	Beginnerlønn 204.79 NOK/h, 18 years 166.34 NOK/h, overtid min. 40%
Bilbransjen from 15.06.2026	Nyutlært fagarbeider 223.50 NOK/h, fagarbeider after 1 year 237.00 NOK/h

How to prepare timeliste, vaktplan and documents for inspection

Prepare one place where you can show the current timeliste, electronic vaktplan / arbeidsplan, employment contracts, and the basis for payroll checks. If your industry requires personalliste, keep it in a format that is easy to show, print out, or send electronically. You can find the data details in the article Who must be included in personallisten and what data is required?

Practical minimum set of documents:

Document	What to prepare	What to pay attention to
Digital timeliste	Name, date, start and end of work, start and end of overtime, paid and unpaid breaks with duration and placement in the workday.	The record should show actual working time and breaks.
Electronic vaktplan / arbeidsplan	Plan of weeks, days, and working hours for each employee.	The plan should be easily accessible and, in principle, discussed with tillitsvalgte no later than 2 weeks before implementation.
Arbeidsavtale	Written employment contract for each employee.	The contract should include, among other things, pay, supplements, working hours, breaks, and rules for changes to the schedule.
Basis for pay	Rate from the contract, timeliste, overtime list, payroll report, and any basis from allmenngjøringsforskrift.	In industries with minstelønn, the inspector may compare timeliste, lønnsslipp and arbeidsavtale.

Before the inspection, do a quick consistency check:

1. Does timeliste match vaktplan?
2. Are overtime hours marked separately and backed by a reason?
3. Does the contract match the actual work, rates, and breaks?
4. Does pay meet the industry rates?
5. Is the electronic personalliste ready to show, if your industry requires it? The list should show the people at work and their entry and exit times, including unpaid staff and innleid personale.

Timelista brings timeliste, vaktplan and personalliste together in one system. Employees register time on a phone, tablet, or computer, and you get a history of changes, a full revisjonsspor and less manual corrections. If you want to organize your documentation before an inspection, you can sign up for free.

Frequently asked questions

Timelista brings electronic timeliste, personalliste and vaktplan together in one place - 100% compliant with Norwegian law. Create a free account and see for yourself.