Swedish welfare system: care, benefits, pensions

In Sweden, we pay together for healthcare, schools and social care. The money comes mainly from taxes. You can also get money from society when you have a child, fall ill, study or grow old.

What do taxes pay for?

The state, the regions (regioner) and the municipalities (kommuner) all collect tax. The money goes to healthcare centres, preschools and home help services, among other things.

Municipalities and regions also get state grants. Some costs are paid by fees from people who use a service. Regions spend about nine out of ten kronor on healthcare.

The state has its own budget, a plan for income and spending. The Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) decides on it. About 90 percent of the state's income is taxes. Of the state's spending:

• a little over 20 percent goes to social insurance, described below;
• a little over 10 percent goes to general state grants to the municipalities.

Tax on your pay: see Work and personal finance. Duties of the municipality and region: see Democracy and how Sweden is governed.

Försäkringskassan: when you have a child or fall ill

Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) is a government agency. It decides who gets money from social insurance and pays it out. This can be, for example, when you have a child or fall ill. To get benefits such as parental benefit and child allowance, you must be insured in Sweden. You usually are if you live or work here.

When you have a child

• Parental benefit (föräldrapenning) is money if you stay home with your child instead of working. Today (2026), parents share 480 days for each child. Each parent has 90 days that cannot go to the other parent. For children born in 2015 or earlier, the number is 60 days.
• Child allowance (barnbidrag) goes to parents who live in Sweden with their children. It is paid monthly, usually until the child turns 16. You normally do not need to apply.
• Housing allowance (bostadsbidrag): families with children can apply for it.

When you fall ill

If you are employed and fall ill, your employer usually pays sick pay (sjuklön) for the first 14 days. From day 15, you can get sickness benefit (sjukpenning) from Försäkringskassan. Försäkringskassan then needs a doctor's certificate.

New rules from 2027

The Riksdag has already decided on new rules. They start on 1 January 2027. If you move to Sweden, you may then need to qualify. This applies to some benefits, for example housing allowance and child allowance. It means you must first have lived here long enough or had a certain income here. There are exceptions.

How does the pension work?

A pension often has three parts:

• National public pension (allmän pension) comes from the state. Pensionsmyndigheten (the Swedish Pensions Agency) is responsible for it. You get it if you have lived here or worked here. It grows with income you pay tax on, for example pay and parental benefit.
• Occupational pension (tjänstepension) comes from your employer. Most people get one.
• Your own savings, if you have saved for your pension.

If you have earned little or nothing, you can get a guarantee pension (garantipension). It protects you against a very low pension. The amount depends, among other things, on your years in Sweden after age 16. You need at least three years. For the full guarantee pension, you need 40 years.

Where do you go when you are ill?

• The healthcare centre (vårdcentral) is usually the first place to seek care. You can choose it yourself. If you register (lista dig) at a healthcare centre, you belong to it.
• 1177 is a number to call if you do not know where to go. It is open day and night. A nurse helps you assess your symptoms.
• The emergency department (akutmottagning) at the hospital receives people who are badly injured or suddenly very ill. Those who are most ill get help first.
• 112 is the number to call if someone suddenly becomes seriously ill. An ambulance can then come.

Outpatient care is care where you are not admitted to hospital. It has high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd), a cap on how much you pay for visits. A visit usually costs a patient fee, but some visits are free.

School and studies

Compulsory schooling (skolplikt) means that a child must go to school. It applies to children who live in Sweden and must be registered as residents (folkbokförda). Almost all children start school in the autumn term of the year they turn six. Compulsory schooling lasts ten years. Today (2026), it ends after year 9 for most. From autumn 2028, compulsory school will have ten years. The years then get new numbers, and school ends after year 10. Children who must go to school have the right to free education. This right is in the Instrument of Government, one of Sweden's constitutional laws. Upper secondary school (gymnasieskolan) is voluntary.

In komvux (municipal adult education), you can study courses at compulsory school level and upper secondary level. Sfi, Swedish for immigrants, is part of komvux and teaches adults the basics of Swedish. Komvux, including sfi, is usually free of charge.

Universities and university colleges do not charge tuition fees to citizens of an EEA country or of Switzerland. Other students may have to pay.

CSN (Centrala studiestödsnämnden, the Swedish Board of Student Finance) gives money to people who study:

• Study allowance (studiebidrag) goes to most upper secondary students. It starts after the student has turned 16. Until then, the family usually gets child allowance. If you study in Sweden, there is no need to apply.
• Student finance (studiemedel) is for studies at, for example, komvux, a folk high school or a university. It is a grant and a loan. You pay back only the loan. For compulsory school level and upper secondary level, there is an age limit. The earliest you can get student finance there is the autumn of the year you turn 20.

Elderly care and social services

Elderly care is part of the municipality's social services (socialtjänst). If an older person needs help in daily life, they or a relative can contact the municipality's needs assessor (biståndshandläggare). The help can be home help services (hemtjänst). Staff come to the person's home, for example to help with medication or meals. A person who needs more care can apply for a place in special housing (särskilt boende). The municipality must provide such housing for older people who need care.

The Social Services Act (socialtjänstlagen) gives the municipality the final responsibility. It must make sure people get the help they need. A person who cannot support themselves may have the right to financial assistance (ekonomiskt bistånd). The support for living costs is called försörjningsstöd (income support).

See also what the citizenship test contains and how to study for the test.

Words to know

Word	Meaning
Föräldrapenning	Money for a parent who stays home with a child
Sjukpenning	Money from Försäkringskassan when you are ill and cannot work
Garantipension	A protection for people who have earned little or nothing
Högkostnadsskydd	A cap on what you pay for outpatient visits
Försörjningsstöd	Money from social services for people who cannot support themselves