Försäkringskassan: benefits, parental leave and sickness

Who is insured

Swedish social insurance rests on two grounds: residence (you live in Sweden) and work (you work in Sweden). Your citizenship does not matter.

Within the EU there is a simple main rule: you are insured in the country where you work. If you work in Sweden you are normally insured here, even if your family lives in another country, and the other way round: it depends on your situation.

When you apply for a benefit, Försäkringskassan checks whether you are insured. If you do not have a personnummer, it can request a samordningsnummer for you. For registration, see folkbokföring.

From 1 January 2027: a new qualification rule

The Riksdag approved a reform on 20 May 2026: for certain residence-based benefits you will need to have lived in Sweden for 5 of the last 15 years, or to live in Sweden with earned income at a certain level for a certain period. Exceptions can be made for "exceptional reasons".

Examples of benefits affected: parental benefit at the basic and minimum levels, barnbidrag (child allowance), sickness compensation as guarantee compensation, bostadsbidrag (housing allowance).

A requirement of lawful residence is also introduced for being treated as resident.

People who settled in Sweden before 1 January 2027 keep the old rules.

The exact income thresholds for the work route are not in the sources we verified: check Försäkringskassan before deciding when to move.

Barnbidrag and flerbarnstillägg

Barnbidrag (child allowance) is 1 250 kr per child per month. It is paid automatically to people who live in Sweden with their children, normally up to age 16 (longer if the child is still in compulsory school). It is divided between the parents. Both parent and child must be insured in Sweden.

With more children you also get a monthly flerbarnstillägg (large-family supplement):

Children	Supplement per month
2 children	150 kr
3 children	730 kr
4 children	1 740 kr

Föräldrapenning

Föräldrapenning (parental benefit) covers 480 days per child, shared between the parents (660 for twins).

390 days at the income-based level: 250 to 1 259 kr per day.
90 days at the minimum level: 180 kr per day.

If you have just arrived and have not worked yet, you may miss the higher level: plan before the birth.

If you fall ill

It depends on how you work. For employees:

Days 1–14: your employer pays sjuklön (sick pay).
Karensavdrag: a deduction of 20 % of one average week's sjuklön is taken off.
From day 15: Försäkringskassan pays sjukpenning (sickness benefit), once your employer has reported you sick to them.

If you are self-employed or unemployed, other rules apply: see Försäkringskassan's website.

Bostadsbidrag

Bostadsbidrag (housing allowance) is for families with children and a low income. There is also a form for young people under 29. Amounts depend on your situation and are calculated by Försäkringskassan. This benefit is also among those affected by the 2027 rule. For housing in general, see bostad.

How to apply

Försäkringskassan's website has a page for each benefit. Many matters are handled online with electronic ID (BankID). Before applying, make sure you are insured and have a personnummer (or a samordningsnummer assigned for the case).

Common mistakes

Assuming citizenship decides: residence and work are what count.
Counting on barnbidrag without being insured in Sweden.
Not checking the 240-day condition before planning parental leave.
Mixing up sjuklön and sjukpenning: the employer pays the first 14 days, Försäkringskassan from day 15.
Forgetting the karensavdrag when working out the first period of sickness.
Ignoring the 1 January 2027 rule: if you move after that date, the new qualification applies.