Child support when the child does not live with you
As a parent, you are responsible for your child's livelihood even if your child does not live with you. This may mean that you have to pay child support for your child. Child support is intended to be used for the child's housing, food and leisure interests and is paid to the other parent.
How do we work out the child support?
You and the child´s other parent must cooperate in order to reach an agreement on child support. Use the Calculate child support tool to calculate what you should pay.
In the tool, you enter the child's costs and your own income and expenses. You will then get a proposal for child support and an agreement template which you can use to make a valid child support agreement.
Naturally, you can also do the calculation yourself. But bear in mind that you need to know what income and expenses the other parent has to be able to calculate the right amount.
Be prepared
Before you begin the calculation, it is a good idea to have
- information about your income, such as payslips. If your income varies each month, you will find much of the information you need for the calculation in your latest tax return.
- documents related to your housing cost, such mortgage loan documents and rent invoices.
- information on the child's expenses, such as an invoice for childcare fees or fees for activities such as riding, hockey, football camp or the like.
Do you need help?
You can book a personal online meeting with an administrator for help when discussing questions about how to calculate child support.
Draw up an agreement
Once you have agreed on child support, it is a good idea to draw up a written agreement. The agreement is between you parents and should not be sent to Försäkringskassan. You can use an agreement template as support.
5251 Agreement on child support for a child (in Swedish)
Pdf, 690 kB.
5252 Agreement on child support for a child aged 18 or older (in Swedish) Pdf, 704 kB.
When should I pay child support?
Child support must be paid in advance every month. So, the support for December must be paid no later than 30th November.
Child support must be paid from the time you stopped living together.
Once the child has turned 18, the child support shall be paid directly to the child if the child attends school full-time at compulsory school level, upper secondary level or the equivalent. The child is entitled to child support latest up until their 21st birthday. If the child has turned 18 and has finished school, he/she is no longer entitled to child support.
It is the child and the paying parent who enter into a child support agreement when the child is 18 years old. Use the template:
5252 Agreement on child support for a child aged 18 or older (in Swedish) Pdf, 704 kB.
What do we do if we cannot reach an agreement?
If you have a hard time agreeing on how to resolve issues related to access (visitation), custody, living arrangements and child support, you can turn to your municipality to get help through a cooperation discussion.
The cooperation discussion is an opportunity for you to find common solutions for the child's best interest without having to go to court. The cooperation discussion is free of charge.
If you have had cooperation discussions and Försäkringskassan has helped you calculate child support but you still cannot agree on issues relating to the child, you can take the matter to the district court. Contact a legal representative to find out what you should do.
