National public pension in Sweden
In Sweden, there are different types of pensions. This page concerns the national public pension (allmän pension). Most people who work or have worked in Sweden also have occupational pension from their employers, and some have also saved money themselves towards their pension.
The national public pension is the state pension for which the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten) is responsible. It is made up of several different parts - income pension (inkomstpension), premium pension (premiepension), guarantee pension (garantipension), income pension supplement (inkomstpensionstillägg), housing supplement (bostadstillägg), personal income support (äldreförsörjningsstöd), and survivor’s pension (efterlevandepension.)
You can read about other Swedish pensions on the Info Norden page about the Swedish pension system.
Are you entitled to a national public pension?
Everyone who has worked or lived in Sweden receives a national public pension, which is based on all the income on which you have paid tax. This also includes income such as unemployment benefit, sickness benefit or activity compensation (aktivitetsersättning), and parental allowance.
Every year, 18.5 percent of your pensionable income, i.e. salary and other taxable benefits up to 7.5 times the income base amount (inkomstbasbelopp), is set aside for your national public pension. The income base amount is calculated by the Swedish Pensions Agency, but it is the Swedish Government that sets the amount each year. This forms the basis for calculating the highest pensionable income. Most, 16 percent, goes to the income pension. The remainder, 2.5 percent, goes to the premium pension.
If you have low or no income and have lived in Sweden, you may also be entitled to a guarantee pension.
If you are self-employed
If you are self-employed, you must ensure that you save towards your pension yourself. In order to receive the same pension you would have received had you been employed, you must take out salary or financial surplus and pay taxes and fees. You also need to compensate for your lack of occupational pension through private savings.
See how much your pension will be
If you have an electronic ID, such as a Swedish BankID or Freja eID+, you can log in to the website of the Swedish Pensions Agency (pensionsmyndigheten.se) and see a pension forecast of how much your monthly pension will be when you retire. The forecast shows national public pension, occupational pension, and any private pension savings of your own. However, you can only see the pensions you have earned in Sweden.
You also receive an annual report from the Swedish Pensions Agency and from any pension companies showing how much you have earned towards your pension each year. If you are unsure about whether you have an occupational pension, contact your employer.
Calculation of Swedish pension if you have lived or worked in several countries
The Swedish national public pension is only calculated on the basis of what you have earned in Sweden. The guarantee pension can be affected by both the number of years your have worked or lived in another EU/EEA country, and the pension you may receive from that country or from another country outside the EU/EEA.
Payment of national public pension
In Sweden, there is no fixed retirement age. From 2026, a target retirement age has been introduced within the national public pension. It is the target retirement age that determines the earliest you can start to draw your national public pension or receive a guarantee pension, an income pension supplement, or housing supplement.
On the Swedish Pensions Agency website, you can read more about what the target retirement age means and which retirement age applies for you and your generation.
The time you choose to start drawing your pension is very important for the size of your pension. You are entitled to work until you are 69. If you want to work beyond that, your employer must give approval.
If you live in Sweden, but have lived in other countries, you apply for pension in the other countries via the Swedish Pensions Agency website or by submitting a form. If you have worked in several countries, we recommend that you apply six months before you want your first payment. If you have only worked in Sweden, it is enough if you apply three months before you want your first payment.
Your national public pension is paid for the rest of your life.
If you live in another Nordic country, and/or have been covered by social insurance in the country in which you live now, you should contact the pensions authority in that country to apply for pension from Sweden.
The pensions authority in that country will send your application to the Swedish Pensions Agency, which will process your application and pay your Swedish national public pension. The case processing time between when your application is received by the Swedish Pensions Agency and when you receive your first payment is normally around four months, but in some cases may take up to six months or more.
You can receive the pension you have earned in Sweden even if you live abroad, both your national public pension (allmänna pensionen) and any occupational pension (tjänstepension).
You may only be entitled to a Swedish guarantee pension if you have had little or no income from work and live in Sweden. If you move abroad, you are no longer entitled to a guarantee pension and payment stops.
Remember to notify the Swedish Pensions Agency if you move.
Can you take your Swedish national public pension to another Nordic country?
You can receive the pension you have earned in Sweden even if you live abroad, both your national public pension and any occupational pension.
You may only be entitled to a Swedish guarantee pension if you have had little or no income from work and live in Sweden. If you move abroad, you are no longer entitled to a guarantee pension and payment stops.
How is the national public pension paid in the event of death?
When a close relative dies, you may receive survivor’s pension as financial support. Survivor’s pension is part of the national public pension, and consists of child’s pension (barnpension), adjustment pension (omställningspension), and widow’s pension (änkepension). Which pension you are entitled to depends on whether you are under 18, a spouse/partner, or a widow(er).
Swedish survivor’s pension is based on Swedish conditions, and serves as financial support to cover the part of the income that the deceased contributed. The requirement for entitlement to Swedish survivor’s pension is that the deceased at some time worked or lived in Sweden.
Survivor’s pension is completely based on the deceased’s pensionable income that they earned in Sweden. It is not paid as a fixed amount that applies for everyone. If the deceased had a low pensionable income in Sweden, the survivor’s pension is also low. This applies regardless of whether the survivor has low or no pension in the country in which they live.
Where do you pay tax if you receive a Swedish national public pension when you live abroad?
If you live abroad and have pension from Sweden, you normally pay a special income tax for people who live abroad (SINK). The SINK tax is either 0% or 25% of your income. The tax deduction is calculated on your monthly amount after deduction for a personal allowance. You only pay tax on the part of your pension income that exceeds the personal allowance.
What regulations apply for elderly persons on the labour market?
In Sweden, there is no fixed retirement age. From 2026, a target retirement age has been introduced within the national public pension. It is the target retirement age that determines the earliest you can start to draw your national public pension. You can choose the percentage of your Swedish national public pension you wish to draw - 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent or 100 percent. You may draw your pension and work at the same time, and if you change your mind and want to start working full-time, you can adjust your percentage of pension. Other regulations may apply for your occupational pension.
You are entitled to work until you are 69. If you want to work beyond that, your employer must give approval.
If you start drawing your pension later, less tax is deducted. If you continue working instead of retiring, you pay a lower tax on your salary than you did in previous years. This applies from the year after your target retirement age.
Who should you contact if you have questions?
The Swedish Pensions Agency arranges live online information meetings in both Swedish and English in which you are given up-to-date information about the Swedish pension system, and you have the opportunity to ask questions.
More information
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.