Sickness benefit in Sweden

Sickness benefit (sjukpenning) is a similar benefit to that paid in other Nordic countries (sjukdagpenning). Sickness benefit is money you can receive if you cannot work because you are sick.

When are you entitled to sickness benefit in Sweden?

The regulations about when you are entitled to sickness benefit in Sweden vary according to your situation.

If you are employed or have a limited company , your employer or your company pays you sick pay for the first 14 days you are ill instead of your normal salary. An amount is deducted (karensavdrag) from the sick pay. The deduction is 20 percent of the sick pay you are calculated to receive in an average calendar week.

From Day 8, you must provide your employer with a medical certificate from a doctor.

After 14 days, your employer must notify the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) that you are sick. You can then apply for sickness benefit from Försäkringskassan. In order to receive sickness benefit, a medical certificate must be linked to your application. The doctor normally sends this digitally to Försäkringskassan.

If you run your own business (sole proprietorship), you do not receive sick pay. Notify Försäkringskassan on the first day you are sick. You can choose how many qualifying days (karensdagar) you want before receiving sickness benefit from Försäkringskassan. If you do not make an active choice, you will automatically have 7 qualifying days.

You can receive sickness benefit if you

• are covered by social insurance in Sweden
• you cannot work your normal hours because you are sick. You must be away from work for at least one-quarter of your normal working hours to receive sickness benefit.
• lose income that is sickness benefit qualifying income. Sickness benefit qualifying income (SGI) is an amount calculated by Försäkringskassan that forms the basis for how much you can receive.

You receive just under 80 percent of your salary (if you are a sole proprietor, 80 percent of your income derived from business activities), but there is a limit to how much you can receive per day. 

If you are on parental leave and become sick, you may be entitled to sickness benefit for the time you would otherwise have received parental benefit. Notify Försäkringskassan on the first day you are sick. Försäkringskassan then suspends your parental benefit during the time you are sick and cannot take care of your child.

You may be entitled to sickness benefit if you

• are sick and your ability to care for your child is reduced by at least 25 percent
• have a defined sickness benefit qualifying income (SGI)

SGI is an amount that Försäkringskassan calculates based on how much you earn per year. Your SGI forms the basis of whether you are entitled to payment and how much you can receive if you become sick.

If you are a jobseeker and become sick, you may receive sickness benefit if you

• cannot look for work or accept a job because you are sick. You must be sick for at least one-quarter of the time you would otherwise have spent looking for a job.
• are registered as a jobseeker at the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen). If you stopped working less than 3 months ago, you can receive sickness benefit even if you are not registered as a jobseeker at the Public Employment Service. However, you receive no sickness benefit for the first 14 days.
• are covered by social insurance in Sweden. You are covered by social insurance if your last job was in Sweden. You can have worked in another country and still be covered by social insurance in Sweden. There are also situations where you can have worked in Sweden but are covered by social insurance in another country. Call the Försäkringskassan Customer Centre (0771-524 524) to find out what applies in your case.

Notify Försäkringskassan on the first day you are sick. You receive just under 80 percent of your previous salary, but there is a limit to how much you can receive per day.

If you are a student and become sick, you must notify Försäkringskassan on the first day you are sick.

If you are sick and cannot study, you can retain your student grant and loan from The Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN). CSN takes into account that you have been sick, for example, when they check your educational results.

If you are working while studying, and become sick, you may receive sickness benefit. You must earn a minimum income in a year to qualify for sickness benefit.

If you live in Sweden, you are generally covered by social insurance in Sweden. This means that you may be entitled to payments from Försäkringskassan.

If you move to Sweden and plan to remain for at least one year, you must generally be listed in the Swedish Population Register. Register at the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).

If you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register, you must notify Försäkringskassan. When you have done this, Försäkringskassan will assess whether you are to be covered by social insurance in Sweden or in another country.

If you work in Sweden, but live in another Nordic country, you are covered by social insurance in the country in which you work, i.e. Sweden.

How many days of sickness benefit are you entitled to?

Sickness benefit is a temporary payment to compensate for loss of income until you can start work again. The length of time for which you can receive benefit, and how much you receive, depends on how much your sickness affects your ability to work.

How do you apply for sickness benefit in Sweden?

You apply for sickness benefit at Försäkringskassan.

If you are sick for a long period, you will be assigned a personal case officer at Försäkringskassan who will help you with everything relating to sickness benefit. Your case officer will contact you when you have received your first payment.

If you are under 30, and cannot work full-time for at least a year because of sickness, injury or disability, you may be entitled to activity compensation (aktivitetsersättning).

If you are 19 or over, and will probably never be able to work full time because of sickness, injury or disability, you may be entitled to sickness compensation (sjukersättning).

If you have lost income because of an occupational injury, you can receive compensation from Försäkringskassan. This is called annuity (livränta). To receive annuity, a doctor must have assessed that your occupational injury will affect your ability to work for at least one year ahead.

If an occupational injury means that you incur costs for dental treatment, assistive devices or medical care abroad, you can receive compensation from Försäkringskassan.

How do you apply for sickness benefit when you are working abroad?

If you live in Sweden, but work abroad, you are no longer entitled to sickness benefit from Sweden. Instead, you are entitled to a corresponding benefit in the country in which you work. Contact the social insurance agency in the country in which to work for information about how you can receive sickness benefit.

On the Info Norden website, you can find more information about sickness benefit and the public agencies you should contact in the other Nordic countries if you become ill.

Call the Försäkringskassan Customer Centre at 0771-524 524, or look on the Försäkringskassan website for more information.