THE SHORT ANSWER
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency pays benefits that replace part of your income, such as sickness benefit when you cannot work and parental benefit when you stay at home with a child. The benefit is based on your income, but only up to a cap. In 2026 the price base amount is 59 200 kr and the highest qualifying income for sickness benefit is 592 000 kr, ten times as much.
On top of that, insurance through work, a union or a policy you bought yourself may pay more. This guide shows what the agency pays, where the limits are and where to find the rest. It is also written for people new to Sweden: to receive benefits, you need to reside or work here. [1][2][5]
Keep these points in mind
- Sickness benefit is based only on income up to 592 000 kr a year in 2026.
- Collective agreements can add extra compensation, but you often need to apply yourself.
- You need to reside or work in Sweden to be insured here.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
See what applies when you fall ill
If you are employed, your employer pays you wages for the first two weeks you are ill, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency says. From day 15 you can receive sickness benefit. Your employer must first report you as sick, and the agency needs a medical certificate with details of your illness or injury.
Sickness benefit can be paid at 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent, depending on how much the illness limits your ability to work. The highest sickness benefit is 1 259 kr per day at the 80 percent level. According to Avtalat, sickness benefit is paid on income up to 592 000 kr a year, so the part of your salary above the cap gives no sickness benefit.
[2][1][6]Check parental benefit and long-term illness
Parental benefit is paid for 480 days per child, shared between the parents. According to the agency, 390 days are based on income and often give about 80 percent of salary. For 90 days, everyone receives 180 kr per day, regardless of income. The highest parental benefit is 1 259 kr per day.
If your ability to work is reduced for the foreseeable future, sickness compensation may apply. The income-related part is 64.7 percent of your average income over recent years. If you are 19 to 29 and could work more in the future, you can apply for activity compensation instead. If you had little or no income, you may receive guarantee compensation, and its size depends on how long you have resided in Sweden and how old you are.
[3][1][4]Find out what the collective agreement adds
Manual workers with a collective agreement have a group sickness insurance known as AGS. According to Avtalat, it pays about 10 percent extra on top of the roughly 80 percent the Swedish Social Insurance Agency pays, from day 15 up to day 360 of the sick period. You must have been employed at a company with a collective agreement for at least 90 days and have worked at least 25 percent before going on sick leave.
The money does not arrive by itself. Avtalat says you must report and apply for AGS compensation yourself on day 15 of your sick leave. Ask your employer which collective agreement covers you and which insurance it includes. The guide to insurance through work and your union goes through what you may have through work and a union.
[6]Read what private sickness insurance pays, and when
Private sickness insurance, also called income insurance in case of illness, can replace part of your lost pay during long-term sick leave, according to Konsumenternas. It complements benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and from insurance through work or a union. Konsumenternas says that under the terms, compensation added to sickness benefit and other payments may not exceed 90 percent of your pay before tax.
Read the waiting period. According to Konsumenternas, payments usually start after three months of sick leave, and for stress, pain and psychological conditions it is common for cover not to start until after one year. The insurer may require a health declaration, and the right to compensation often ends at retirement age. Such cover may also exist in a group policy through a union.
[8]
If you are injured at work
According to Avtalat, the general work injury insurance at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency can cover costs for dental care, healthcare abroad and special aids, and pay a life annuity for lost income. Employees at a company with a collective agreement also have work injury insurance known as TFA. It applies to accidents at work or on the way to or from work, and an illness or infection caused by the job can also count as a work injury.
According to Avtalat, TFA can replace income lost during sick leave, including the waiting-day deduction, and costs such as medical care and medicine. Report the event to your employer and the safety representative, get a medical certificate, and report and apply for TFA compensation yourself. Also check whether you may be entitled to benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
[7]New to Sweden: are you insured here?
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency says you need to reside or work in Sweden to receive benefits, and that you are not automatically insured just because you are a Swedish citizen. Benefits paid instead of work usually require you to work in Sweden. For the agency's other benefits, you usually need to reside here. Within the EU, the main rule is that you are insured in the country where you work.
Guarantee compensation with sickness compensation depends partly on how long you have resided in Sweden. Private insurance is a separate question: home insurance is covered in the guide to home insurance for newcomers to Sweden, and pay during unemployment in the guide to income insurance and unemployment funds.
[5][4]Put statements from work beside your own policies
Keep policy documents, statements from work and your union, and private policies in My Forsio. You then have the documents in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from. If the statement from work is missing, the cover is Not verified, not confirmed as missing.
Forsio does not decide whether you are insured in Sweden, how much you receive or whether you need a policy. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the insurer decide that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
Pay above the cap, three documents to read.
Sara earns more than 592 000 kr a year and wants to understand what is paid if she is on long-term sick leave.
- Sickness insurance through the collective agreement
- Stated in the employer's statement
- Private sickness insurance
- Not verifiedThe policy document is missing.
- Pay above the cap
- No document shows compensation for that partPotential gapRead the terms of the workplace policy and the private policy.
Sickness benefit is not calculated on pay above the cap. Whether any policy pays for that part cannot be said until the private policy document has been added.
Common questions
How much sickness benefit will I receive?
It depends on your income and how much you are on sick leave. Sickness benefit can be paid at 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent. According to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the highest sickness benefit is 1 259 kr per day at the 80 percent level, and the qualifying income can be at most 592 000 kr a year in 2026. [2][1]
What is the sickness benefit cap in 2026?
The price base amount is 59 200 kr in 2026, and the highest qualifying income is ten times that: 592 000 kr a year. According to Avtalat, sickness benefit and AGS are paid on income up to that limit. Read what your workplace and private policies say about pay above the cap. [1][6]
Do I need private sickness insurance?
Forsio does not decide that. Start with what already exists: sickness benefit, compensation through a collective agreement and any group policies through a union. Konsumenternas describes private sickness insurance as a complement to these, often with a waiting period and a health declaration. Read the limits in each policy. [8]
Is sickness insurance the same as health insurance?
No. According to Konsumenternas, sickness insurance replaces part of your lost pay during long-term sick leave. Health insurance, or private healthcare insurance, is about care instead. The guide to sickness and healthcare insurance explains the difference. [8]
What does the Swedish Social Insurance Agency pay after a work injury?
According to Avtalat, the general work injury insurance can cover costs for dental care, healthcare abroad and special aids, and pay a life annuity for lost income. With a collective agreement there is also TFA, which you report and claim from yourself. [7]
Am I insured in Sweden if I have just moved here?
It depends on your situation. You need to reside or work in Sweden, and benefits paid instead of work usually require you to work here. Swedish citizenship alone is not enough. Within the EU, the main rule is that you are insured in the country where you work. [5]
MY FORSIO
See what your policies add.
Keep policy documents and statements from work and your union in My Forsio. Read periods, waiting periods and details that need confirmation, with the passage each detail came from. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: current amounts for 2026, price base amount and highest sickness benefit
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: on sick leave as an employee
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: parental benefit
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: sickness compensation, activity compensation and guarantee compensation
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: insured in Sweden
- Avtalat: collective-agreement group sickness insurance (AGS) for manual workers
- Avtalat: work injuries and collective-agreement work injury insurance (TFA)
- Konsumenternas: income insurance in case of illness