Försäkringskassan and your family – child benefit, 480 days of parental leave and your pension
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Swedish social insurance is generous, but it does not start the day you land. Whether you get child benefit, parental benefit or housing allowance depends on whether you live or work here – and on rules your home country shares. Here is what applies in 2026, and what to claim first.
Being a Swedish citizen does not automatically make you insured in Sweden, and being a foreign citizen does not shut you out. According to Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency), what counts is where you live or work. Benefits that replace income from work, such as sjukpenning (sickness benefit), usually require that you work here; most other benefits, including child benefit, usually require that you live here. Försäkringskassan makes its own assessment, based on what you tell it in its e-service.
One change is already scheduled. From 1 January 2027, Försäkringskassan will stop reconciling most people's housing allowance a year after the fact and will instead check income every month as the allowance is paid.
Are you insured? Living, working and the EU rules
For people from the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, the EU coordination rules apply: you are, as a main rule, insured in the country where you work, whatever your citizenship. Child benefit, parental benefit and housing allowance for families count as EU family benefits, so EU rules decide which country pays first, and the other can top up if its benefit is higher.
You do not need a personnummer (personal identity number) to be insured or to apply. A samordningsnummer (coordination number) works, and Försäkringskassan can request one from Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) for you. It then needs your name, date of birth, place and country of birth, citizenship and sex, plus copies of identity documents such as your passport.
| Your situation | What usually applies |
|---|---|
| You live in Sweden but work in another EU country | Insured there; underhållsstöd (maintenance support) and parts of housing allowance can still come from Sweden |
| You are waiting for a residence permit | Usually no benefits until the permit is granted |
| You move to Sweden with children under 16 | Give Försäkringskassan your details to get child benefit |
Source: Försäkringskassan, read 22 September 2026.
Child benefit, housing allowance and maintenance support
Barnbidrag (child benefit) is 1,250 kronor a month per child in 2026, for children under 16 – or older, if still in compulsory school. If two guardians share it, each receives 625 kronor. With two or more children you also get flerbarnstillägg (a large-family supplement): 150 kronor a month for two children, more with each additional child. Neither is taxed. The child can live in Sweden, the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, provided both you and the child are insured in Sweden.
Bostadsbidrag (housing allowance) for families is paid from the month you apply, never retroactively. A decision lasts at most 12 months and usually takes about two months. If your income turns out higher than you stated, you may have to repay with a sanction fee; if lower, you can get an extra payment.
| 2026 | 1 child | 2 children | 3 or more children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child benefit per child and month | 1,250 kronor | 1,250 kronor | 1,250 kronor |
| Large-family supplement per month | None | 150 kronor | Higher |
| Highest housing allowance per month | 4,200 kronor | 5,200 kronor | 6,200 kronor |
| Highest housing cost counted per month | 6,800 kronor | 7,900 kronor | 8,600 kronor |
Source: Försäkringskassan, read 22 September 2026.
For children whose parents live apart, full maintenance support in 2026 is 1,673 kronor a month up to and including the month the child turns 7, then 1,823 kronor, and 2,223 kronor from the month after the child turns 15.
Parental leave – 480 days per child
Föräldrapenning (parental benefit) gives parents 480 days per child to share. Most of them, 390 days, are paid at sickness benefit level, according to your SGI, sjukpenninggrundande inkomst (sickness benefit qualifying income); the rest at a flat minimum level.
The catch for newcomers is the 240-day rule. For the income-based level, you normally need an SGI equal to a monthly salary of at least 7,083 kronor for at least 240 days before the expected birth. Otherwise the benefit can be lower; with no income or SGI at all, you still get the lowest amount. Anna arrives pregnant and starts work at once, with fewer than 240 days to the due date. She should ask Försäkringskassan how her benefit will be calculated – and whether insurance from her previous EU country counts.
| Parental benefit | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total days per child | 480 (660 for twins) |
| Days at sickness benefit level | 390, paying 250–1,259 kronor for a full day |
| Days at minimum level | 90, at 180 kronor a day |
| Reserved for each parent, cannot be transferred | 90 days (60 for children born in 2015 or earlier) |
| Condition for the income-based level | SGI equal to at least 7,083 kronor a month for 240 days before the expected birth |
| Earliest start | 60 days before the expected birth |
| 10-dagar for the parent who did not give birth | Ten days, up to 60 days after the child comes home from the maternity ward |
| Application deadline | 90 days after your first day at home with the child |
Source: Försäkringskassan, read 22 September 2026.
Sickness benefit and your SGI
Your SGI is the income on which sickness benefit and parental benefit at sickness benefit level are calculated. If you lose your job, register with Arbetsförmedlingen (the public employment service) on your first day without work – that is what keeps your SGI. Part 6 covers work and unemployment insurance.
| Amount in 2026 | Kronor |
|---|---|
| Highest SGI per year – ten times the price base amount | 592,000 |
| Lowest SGI per year | 14,200 |
| Highest sickness benefit per calendar day, 80 per cent level | 1,259 |
| Highest sickness benefit per calendar day, 75 per cent level | 1,180 |
| Income base amount, inkomstbasbelopp | 83,400 |
Source: Försäkringskassan, read 22 September 2026.
Pension – the orange envelope and years abroad
Your public pension is handled by Pensionsmyndigheten (the Swedish Pensions Agency). If you are earning pension rights here, your yearly statement comes in the orange kuvert (orange envelope): a pension forecast, what you have earned so far in income pension and premium pension, and the funds your premium pension is invested in. Pensioners get theirs in mid-January – on 12–16 January in 2026 – and people still earning pension in February and March.
You cannot change the income in the statement yourself: Skatteverket sets your pensionsgrundande inkomst (pension-qualifying income) from your tax return. You can, however, change the salary assumption in your forecast.
Worked in several EU or EEA countries, or in Switzerland or the UK? You may have pension rights in each. According to Your Europe, the European Commission's information service, you apply where you live or last worked, and periods from different countries are added together – the principle of aggregation – to decide your right to a pension.
| Pension question | Where to turn |
|---|---|
| Your Swedish public pension and the orange envelope | Pensionsmyndigheten, 0771-776 776, weekdays 8–16 |
| You live outside Sweden | Pensionsmyndigheten, +46 498 200 700 |
| The income in your statement looks wrong | Skatteverket, which sets it from your tax return |
| Pension rights from other EU or EEA countries | The pension authority where you live or last worked |
Source: Pensionsmyndigheten and Your Europe, read 22 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Give Försäkringskassan your details in its e-service | As soon as you have moved |
| 2 | Ask for a samordningsnummer via Försäkringskassan if you lack a personnummer | When you apply |
| 3 | Check your SGI before parental leave | Early in the pregnancy |
| 4 | Apply for parental benefit | Within 90 days of your first day at home |
| 5 | Apply for housing allowance | In the first month you need it |
| 6 | Check the income in your orange envelope | Each year, January to March |
| 7 | Call Försäkringskassan on 0771-524 524, or visit one of the 124 offices of Statens servicecenter (the government service centre) | Weekdays |
Source: Försäkringskassan, Pensionsmyndigheten and Statens servicecenter, read 22 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 22 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Försäkringskassan, Försäkrad i Sverige · forsakringskassan.se
- Försäkringskassan, Barnbidrag och flerbarnstillägg – så funkar det · forsakringskassan.se
- Försäkringskassan, Föräldrapenning · forsakringskassan.se
- Försäkringskassan, Aktuella belopp · forsakringskassan.se
- Försäkringskassan, Ansök om bostadsbidrag för barnfamiljer · forsakringskassan.se
- Pensionsmyndigheten, Orange kuvert – årsbesked för allmän pension · pensionsmyndigheten.se
- Your Europe (EU-kommissionen), Allmän pension utomlands · europa.eu
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.