Sick leave by country / Sweden
Sick leave and sick pay in Sweden
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in Sweden or work on one.
In Sweden the employer pays sjuklön at 80% of salary for the first 14 days of sickness, minus a karensavdrag equal to 20% of a week's sick pay (roughly one day). From day 15 the Social Insurance Agency pays sjukpenning at about 80% of qualifying income up to a ceiling, normally for up to 364 days. A doctor's certificate is required from the eighth day.
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How it works
The Sick Pay Act obliges employers to pay 80% of the pay and benefits the employee would have earned for the first 14 calendar days of each sick period. Since 2019 the old unpaid first day has been replaced by a karensavdrag: a deduction of 20% of the average weekly sick pay, which spreads the cost fairly across people with irregular hours. If the employee falls ill again within five days, the periods are merged and no new deduction applies. From day 15 the employer stops paying and reports the case to Försäkringskassan, which pays sjukpenning at just under 80% of the sickness-benefit qualifying income (up to the ceiling) for up to 364 days, with a lower rate afterwards. Collective agreements commonly add a top-up of around 10% from day 15.
Worth knowing: Under the Annual Leave Act, up to 180 days of sick leave a year count as holiday-qualifying time, so someone off sick for half the year still earns full holiday pay.
If you run a team in Sweden
Pay 80% sick pay for days 1–14 with the karens deduction, require a certificate from day 8 (earlier only in special cases with a documented reason), report sickness continuing past 14 days to Försäkringskassan by day 21, and prepare a rehabilitation plan by day 30 for employees expected to be off for 60 days or more. Sick days do not reduce holiday: holiday keeps accruing for up to 180 days of sickness a year.
If you work in Sweden
Report sick to your employer on the first day. Expect the karens deduction, then 80% for two weeks from your employer and, from day 15, sjukpenning from Försäkringskassan — you apply yourself once your employer reports. Provide a certificate from day 8. Your collective agreement may add a top-up.
Sickness and annual leave
Illness during holiday can be converted to sick leave if reported to the employer. Sickness is holiday-qualifying for up to 180 days per accrual year.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Sweden annual leave page — 25 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In Sweden those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in Sweden: common questions
What exactly is the karensavdrag?
A deduction of 20% of the sick pay the employee would receive for an average week — about one day's pay for someone working five equal days — applied once per sick period.
Who pays if I am sick for a month?
Your employer for days 1–14 (80%, minus the karens deduction), then Försäkringskassan from day 15 with sjukpenning, plus any collective-agreement top-up.
When do I need a doctor's certificate?
From the eighth day for your employer; Försäkringskassan needs medical evidence from day 15 as well.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Sweden?
Illness during holiday can be converted to sick leave if reported to the employer. Sickness is holiday-qualifying for up to 180 days per accrual year.
Source
Primary source: Lag (1991:1047) om sjuklön; Socialförsäkringsbalken (sjukpenning). Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.