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The Newbie Guide to Sweden

The Newbie Guide to Sweden

We explain Sweden

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Parental leave

The Swedish parental leave – the so called föräldrapenning is a generous one. It is paid out for  480 day (approximately 16 months) for each child. Parents are – because of gender equality aspects – encouraged to share the leave. That is why 90 days out of the total 480 days are reserved for each parent. Only single custody parents are entitled to take out the 480 days on their own.

Parents generally get 80% of their salary if they have been working legally in Sweden for at least 240 days and paid taxes. This amount counts for the first 390 days. A reduced amount of 180 SEK is then paid out for the remaining 90 days.

Something that you will sooner or later become aquainted with is the term SGI – Sjukdomsgrundande inkomst. Losely translated, it stands for Sickness based income. SGI is a sum calculated by Försäkringskassan that is based on your income and that is the foundation of how much money you can get if you are for instance sick, on parental leave or home with a sick child.

Since January 2019, the second parent can take general parental leave from the sixtieth day before estimated delivery, to join his/her partner to prenatal visits at Mödravårdscentralen (MVC). Parental leave can also be used for school and preschool introduction (inskolning).

There is an upper limit to your SGI

Simply put, your SGI is the same amount as your monthly salary x 12. BUT, there is an upper limit for an SGI. Basically, if your salary is higher than the upper limit, you will not get 80% or your salary when you, for instance go on parental leave, but will instead recieve 80% of your SGI. In 2019 the upper limit of the SGI was 455 000 SEK which you will then receive 80% of.

Note: you are entitled to parental leave even if you don’t meet the requirements (of legal work in Sweden for at least 240 days). In this case you get a reduced leave of 250 SEK/day for a period of 480 days (data from 2019).

EU citizen and parental leave in Sweden

EU citizens have to right to receive their parental benefit based on their EU salary immediately prior to moving to Sweden. I.e. if you move with a new baby or wish to take your parental leave upon arriving, your EU salary is used. More find out more here (information in Swedish).

More on family benefits for EU citizen

The website Your Europe gathers information provided by the European Commission and tries to explain the often complex regulations and their effects. Worth a visit for all EU citizens that are planning to move or work in another EU country, like Sweden e.g. Read more here (information in most EU languages).

Parental leave if your child is born outside of Sweden

From the 1 of July 2017, children born outside of Sweden, will no longer have full parental leave rights.

  • children residing in Sweden from their one-year birthday have the right to maximum 200 days of parental leave.
  • children residing in Sweden from their two-year birthday have the right to maximum 100 days of parental leave.
  • this also applies to children who became residents in Sweden after July 2010 and that were at the time older than one year and where the parents have not taken out parental leave before July 1 2017.
  • this does NOT apply to children who are adopted or will be adopted.

Note that all payments from Försäkringskassan are taxed.

Further reading

The facts are important, and that is what we give you on this page. But the personal experiences are also equally important. This is why we have listed some posts from our newbie bloggers where they write about different things related to being a parent, your parental rights and social activities to do when you are home with a little one. Enjoy!

  • Make the most of your parental leave.
  • How to get a spot in Swedish kindergarten.
  • Social ideas for newbie parents.
  • Knowing your rights as a mommy to be in Sweden.

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  • Online courses
  • Just arrived
    ▼
    • 10 things to get you started
    • Visa & Residence permit
      ▼
      • Visa
      • Residence permit
        ▼
        • About residence permits
        • Temporary residence
        • Permanent residence permit
        • Residence based on family ties
        • Residence permit based on employment
        • Work permits for young people
        • Residence permit for students
        • Residence for asylum seeker
        • Residence permits for EU citizens
    • Register for a personal identity number
      ▼
      • About the Swedish Tax Agency
      • Why you need an identity number
      • Register for a identity number
    • Register for welfare
      ▼
      • About the Swedish welfare system
      • Register with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency
      • Housing allowance
      • Parental leave
      • Sickness benefits
    • Get an ID-card
    • Set up phone and broadband
      ▼
      • Network coverage in Sweden
      • Find the right phone plan
      • Broadband plans
    • Get insurance
      ▼
      • Get a Home insurance
      • Usual insurance types
      • Pet insurance
    • Get your bank life started
      ▼
      • Get a bank account and BankID
      • Have you been denied a bank account?
    • Set up an electricity contract in Sweden
    • Medborgarkontor – citizens advice bureau
    • Social orientation for newcomers
    • The Refugee Guide to Sweden
      ▼
      • Apply for asylum in Sweden
      • Swedish for Refugees
      • Housing for asylum-seekers
      • Work, internships & voluntering
      • Make friends & connect with locals
      • Healthcare for asylum seekers
      • The Newbie Guide To the Swedish Authority Jungle 
    • LGBT Rights in Sweden 
  • Swedish
    ▼
    • Where to learn Swedish?
      ▼
      • Self-studies and tools
      • Svenska för invandrare, SFI
      • Svenska som andraspråk, SAS
      • Swedish for professionals and academics
      • Swedish at a Swedish university
      • Private Swedish courses and teachers
        ▼
        • ELANS Swedish education
        • The Swedish Teacher
        • Swedish with Mumm
        • JC Learning
    • Why learn Swedish?
    • How to learn Swedish?
    • Swedish Language Tests
    • Swedish requirements for higher Education
    • Swedish Spelling Software
    • Swedish student aid, CSN
  • Work
    ▼
    • How to find work
      ▼
      • How to start looking for a job
      • The Public Employment Service
        ▼
        • General services
        • Employment help for Newbies
      • For foreign-born graduates & professionals
        ▼
        • What you should know
        • Korta vägen – training program foreign born graduates
        • SIFA & SFX – Swedish for professionals and academics
        • Mitt Livs Chans – Mentoring Program
      • Staffing agencies
      • International recruitment agencies
    • Labour Legislation
      ▼
      • Swedish work law
      • Employment types
      • Checklist for signing a contract
      • Labour Unions
      • Unemployment insurance
      • A-kassa temporary rules
    • Networking & support
      ▼
      • Find a job through networking
      • Jobbsprånget
      • Korta vägen – training program foreign born graduates
      • Mitt Livs Chans – Mentoring Program
      • SWENCL – Sweden’s Engineers Club
      • Volontärbyrån
      • The Job Coach
    • The Swedish labour market
      ▼
      • Professions where workers are needed
      • Regulated professions
    • Fired?
    • Overtime & public holidays
    • The Newbie Work Guides
      ▼
      • Step one: make yourself interesting for employers
      • Step two: Get visible on the work market
      • Step three: Expand your network
    • The Newbie Startup Guide
      ▼
      • Market Validation
      • Register your business
  • Housing
    ▼
    • Accommodation in Sweden
    • Find accommodation in Sweden
    • Emergency rental solutions
    • Temporary housing solutions
    • Write a great rental application
    • How to avoid fraud
    • Legal stuff and housing
      ▼
      • How do I know if a housing contract is legitimate?
      • What can I do if my rent is “way” over the market price?
      • What do I do when the landlord refuses to return the deposit?
  • Health
    ▼
    • The Swedish Health System
      ▼
      • Emergency!
        ▼
        • Emergency? Call 112!
        • Important phone numbers
        • Cardiac arrest
      • Health Centre
      • Specialist Treatment & Referrals
      • Free Choice of Care
      • Health Care Guarantee
      • Medical help online
      • How to buy prescription medicines
    • Sexual and Reproductive Health
      ▼
      • Sexual & Reproductive Care 
      • Contraception
      • Morning-after-pill
      • Abortion
      • Sexually Transmitted Illness – STI
    • Dental Care
    • Costs & Fees
      ▼
      • Patient Fees & High-Cost Protection
      • Health care costs – What applies to you?
      • European Health Insurance Card
    • Funeral arrangements
  • Driving
    ▼
    • Which licenses are valid in Sweden?
    • Exchange a driving license from an EU country
    • Driving license from a non-EU country
    • The Step-By-Step Guide To A Swedish Driving License
  • Services
    ▼
    • Moving to Sweden
    • The Small Newbie Business Directory
      ▼
      • Join our Small Newbie Business Directory
  • Get connected
    ▼
    • The Swedish Red Cross – Röda korset
    • Nya Kompisbyrån
    • Panion
    • Internationella Bekantskaper
    • Kompis Sverige
  • The Refugee Guide to Sweden
    ▼
    • Apply for asylum in Sweden
    • Swedish for Refugees
    • Work, internships & voluntering
    • Housing for asylum-seekers
    • Healthcare for asylum seekers
    • Make friends & connect with locals
  • Blogs
    ▼
    • Blog
    • العربية
    • Recommended blogs and accounts
  • Newbie Stories
  • About
    ▼
    • Who we are
      ▼
      • The short facts
      • The Newbie Team
      • Meet our Newbie Bloggers
    • Advertise with us
    • Newbie partners
    • Media Kit
    • Are you an Oldbie or a Newbie?
    • Volunteer with us
    • Miss something?
    • The legal stuff
    • Contact us
    • Sign up for our newsletter
  • Follow us