Parental benefit can be taken until the child reaches the age of eight or completes its first year at school. If parents care jointly for the child, they are entitled to take 240 days' leave each with parental benefit.
Parental benefit gives parents the opportunity to be away from work to care for a child. By receiving parental benefit, parents can be away from their work and receive compensation for longer continuous periods, single days or parts of days.
How long can you be on parental leave?
Parental benefit can be taken until the child reaches the age of eight or completes its first year at school.
If the child is born the 1st of January 2014 or later, parental benefit can be taken out to the day the child turns 12 years of age or completes its fifth year at elementary school. After that the child turns 4 years of age, parental benefit can only be saved up to 96 days in total.
If the parents have joint custody they are entitled to take 240 days' leave each with parental benefit. Of these 240 days, 60 days are reserved for each parent. The others can be allocated to the other parent by choice.
The mother can receive parental benefit as from the 60th day before the estimated date of birth.
What does the benefit comprise?
There are three different compensation levels for the parental benefit. The first is referred to a sickness benefit level and is based on income qualifying for sickness cash benefit, (sjukpenninggrundande inkomst). If you have had a low or no income, benefit at the basic level is paid instead. These first two levels are paid for 390 days.
The third compensation level is referred to as the minimum level and applies to the remaining 90 days.
All parental benefit is paid as full, three-quarters, half, a quarter or eighth compensation.
Gender Equality Bonus
Parents that have joint custody and share the parental benefit may be entitled to gender equality bonus.
Gender equality bonus starts counting when the parent who has been on maternity leave the shortest time has used parental allowance for 60 days. For each day thereafter that the parent takes parental benefit both parents receives SEK 50 each in gender equality bonus. The gender equality bonus is tax free and is paid automatically. You cannot have equality bonus for double days or days at the lowest level.
Child allowance (barnbidrag)
Child allowance is a financial support that is automatically paid out to all parents who live and have children in Sweden. You do not need to apply for child allowance.
As of March 1, 2014 a new law was adopted in Sweden that says that the child allowance should be shared between the child’s guardians. Each parent of a child born on March 1 or later receives a half child allowance, SEK 525 per month.
However, if a parent has sole custody of the child he or she receives SEK 1,050 per month.
How does the benefit look like?
The benefit is paid from the month after the birth of the child or later if the child moves to Sweden. The child allowance is tax-free and is paid until the quarter when the child reaches the age of 16. The child allowance is SEK 1,050 per child per month. Large family supplement is paid automatically if child allowance is received for at least two children. The size of the large family supplement depends on how many child allowances are received.
How long is child allowance received for?
The child allowance is paid up to and including the quarter when the child reaches the age of 16. If the child studies at upper secondary school the National Board of Student Aid (Centrala studiestödsnämnden) will pay a study allowance. If this is the case, it is paid automatically without the need to apply. If, on the other hand, the child continues at compulsory school or special school, Försäkringskassan will continue to pay child allowance as of the quarter after the child reaches the age of 16.