Sick leave payment

If you are sick, the Swedish system gives you the time and compensation needed to recover. Except for your first day away from work, sick leave pay in Sweden typically amounts to 80 percent of your salary.

Your first sick day is the waiting period (karensdag), which means that you do not receive any payment for this day. Your employer will pay for your sick leave for 13 days, following the waiting period. If you are on sick leave for more than seven days, you must also have a doctor’s note explaining why you are unable to work. 

If you are still sick and unable to work after this time, you are entitled to sickness benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). The Social Insurance Agency determines the amount of your sickness benefit, which is usually around 80 percent of your total salary.

After 180 days on sick leave, you are only entitled to sickness benefit if you cannot carry out any work at all on the regular labor market. You can apply for sickness benefits for a maximum of 364 days during a 15-month period.

On top of Sweden’s sick leave system, there is also a preventive system in place to keep employees active and healthy. Employers often sponsor gym memberships, and some employees are even entitled to use one hour of working time per week for exercise.