Sickness compensation
If you are not able to work full time, now or in the future, due to chronic sickness or a disability, you may be eligible for sickness compensation. To receive it you also have to be between the ages of 19 and 64.
Am I eligible for sickness compensation?
Keep in mind that you may have other insurance coverage
If you receive sickness compensation, you may possibly receive money from insurance coverage you have through your job or union. Ask them what applies for you.
How do I apply?
1. Apply on My pages (Mina sidor)
You must fill in the application for sickness compensation for us to be able to move forward with your case. You apply fro sickness compensation by logging in to My pages (Mina sidor).
Apply using the form
3030 Apply for sickness compensation (in Swedish)
Pdf, 869 kB.
2. Your doctor or you must submit a medical statement
Most often, your doctor will send us a medical statement describing your illness or functional capacity. In such cases, you do not need to do anything. If your doctor does not do so, please submit a medical statement via Mina intyg (My certificates) on 1177 Vårdguiden.
3. We will contact you
Once we have received your application, an administrator will be assigned to investigate your application. They will contact you by mail or phone once they have begun the investigation. You will also be told if any additional documents or information is needed at that time.
If you have given another person power of attorney to handle your case, the administrator may need to speak to you anyway.
4. You will receive a decision
It normally takes 5 months before you receive a decision on sickness compensation. However, it may take longer if the necessary documentation is missing, such as a medical statement.
If your application for sickness compensation is rejected, Försäkringskassan can offer you a meeting with the Public Employment Service. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on what support is available from the Public Employment Service. Your administrator can tell you more.
5. Disbursement
Sickness compensation is paid out on the 18th or 19th of every month. If you live abroad, your sickness compensation is sent from Sweden on the disbursement date.
Special disbursement dates
6. We follow up on your case
You receive sickness compensation for an indefinite term. This means that you will receive it until the month before your 66th birthday, provided nothing happens to affect your sickness compensation before this.
Your work capacity can change over time. In certain cases, treatments or medicines may become available that can improve your work capacity. For this reason, we perform a follow-up every few years.
In the follow-up, we review your information and contact you in necessary. Once the follow-up has been completed, we will send a letter to you.
You may be entitled to additional forms of compensation
If you receive sickness compensation, you may be entitled to housing supplement.
You will receive a benefits certificate
When you have been granted sickness compensation, we will send you a benefits certificate together with the decision. With the benefits certificate, you can get discounts from certain companies. The companies themselves decide whether they will give a discount, so we have no knowledge as to which companies give discounts.
If you need a new benefits certificate, you can call Försäkringskassan and order it.
What am I allowed to do while receiving sickness compensation?
You always have the right to play an active part in society, such as by being active in a club or association. What is important is if it can be equated to work.
You can work or study with sickness compensation
If you feel capable and wish to do so, you can work, study or volunteer and still retain your right to sickness compensation. This applies if you received a sickness compensation decision that is not time limited prior to 1 July 2008 and have not received a decision on a higher degree of sickness compensation since then.
If you intend to start working and receive an income, or work more than you already do, you must apply to work with sickness compensation. This is called work with continuous deduction.
If you want to study or volunteer, no application is required. Volunteer work can include performing tasks for an association or helping a friend or relative.
What do I do if I want to work while I am receiving sickness compensation?
Before you start working, you must apply for continuous deduction. If you are receiving sickness compensation part time, you only need to apply if you want to increase your working hours. For example, if you are receiving 50 percent sickness compensation, you must apply if you want to work more than 50 percent.
There is no time limit for how long you can work and still retain your sickness compensation, but you must re-apply before the start of each new year.
Apply on My pages (Mina sidor)
If you cannot apply via My pages (Mina sidor), you can apply using the form.
7280 Application for recalculation of sickness compensation upon work (in Swedish) Pdf, 1 MB.
What happens after I have applied for continuous deduction?
Once you have submitted your application, you can begin working immediately. You will receive a decision from us, but you do not have to wait for it.
How much can I earn per year without my sickness compensation being reduced?
When you work with continuous deduction, you can earn up to a certain amount of income without your sickness compensation being affected. That amount is called earned income allowance. The size of the earned income allowance depends on how much sickness compensation you have, and from which month of the year you start working or increase your working hours.
If you start working when a part of the year has passed, your earned income allowance will be calculated based on the number of months remaining in the year when you started working, or increased your working hours. The earned income allowance is calculated on your gross income (before tax). Even if you will earn less than the earned income allowance, you still need to apply for continuous deduction.
We will only know afterwards how much sickness compensation you were entitled to
Once you have applied, you will receive a decision on sickness compensation based on your expected income during the year. Once we have received information from the Swedish Tax Agency about your income, we will make a new decision based on how much income you have actually had. It can take up to two years after the income year before the decision can be made.
If it turns out that you received too much sickness compensation, you may have to pay back money. If you have received too little sickness compensation, you can get more sickness compensation retroactively.
Report changes
You must report all changes that could affect your right to, or the size, of your compensation. If you receive a higher income than you expected, you must report it on My pages by filling in the Notification of changed income for sickness compensation (continuous deduction). Report the change as soon as possible, but no later than 14 days after you have become aware of it.
What happens if I start working and receive an income without applying?
If you do not apply for recalculation of your sickness compensation before you start working, the rules of continuous deduction will no longer apply to you. This could result in you no longer being entitled to sickness compensation. There is also a risk that Försäkringskassan will require you to pay back your sickness compensation.
Can I receive sick pay and sickness benefit if I work with sickness compensation?
Yes, you can receive sick pay and sickness benefit for the part for which you do not have sickness compensation.
I have housing supplement. Can that be affected if I start working?
Yes, the amount of housing supplement may decrease if your income increases. Contact Försäkringskassan to ensure you receive the correct compensation.
What happens if I am unable to continue working?
If you are unable to continue working, you must report a change in income. You do this by logging in to My pages and filling in the Notification of changed income for sickness compensation (continuous deduction).
When you report that you have stopped working, you may not get any more sickness compensation for that year. If so, the reason for this is that your income has already become so high that you have received the sickness compensation to which you are entitled.
Once you have been receiving sickness compensation for at least one year, you can try working and have your compensation set to dormant status. This means that you retain your right to sickness compensation if you were to become sick again. During the time period you are working, you will also receive a tax-free amount equal to 25 percent of the dormant compensation. Your sickness compensation can be dormant for a maximum of two years.
What should I do if I want to work?
Apply for dormant sickness compensation before you begin working.
If you are unable to apply via My pages (Mina sidor), you can apply using the form.
5042 Application for dormant sickness or activity compensation when working (in Swedish) Pdf, 1 MB.
What happens if I want to work a little each week?
You can work a little, for example doing political or volunteer work, and still retain your entire sickness compensation. This applies if you:
- have full sickness compensation
- work less than 5 hours a week
- earn no more than one-eighth of the normal income for the work you are doing.
But, you must report this to us before you begin. Call the Customer Centre at 0771‑524 524 and they will help you.
Who arranges work?
You can arrange work on your own or ask for assistance from the Public Employment Service. If you are receiving 75 percent sickness compensation and want to work more, contact your administrative officer. He/she will contact the Public Employment Service, which should be able to offer you work within 6 months.
What should I do if I want to study?
Once you have been receiving sickness compensation for at least one year, you can have it set to dormant status while you study. This means that it is not paid out, but you retain your right to sickness compensation if you were to become sick again.
While you are studying, your entire compensation is set to dormant status, regardless of whether you are studying full time or part time. Your sickness compensation can be dormant for a maximum of two years. While you are a student, you can apply for student aid or another type of financial aid from CSN.
You must apply before you begin studying.
Your sickness compensation can be dormant for a maximum of two years. While you are studying and are no longer receiving sickness compensation, you can apply for student aid or another type of financial aid from the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN).
Report changes!
You must report all changes that could affect your right to or the size of your compensation. This applies, for example, if:
- you begin working or studying
- you begin working at a greater scope than before, for example if you receive one-half compensation but begin working full time.
- you are given an additional volunteer task or the task changes in scope
- you continue working after your decision on dormant activity compensation has expired
- your work capacity improves, even if you do not work
- you receive a new or modified foreign pension, annuity, or the like
- you move abroad.
Changes related to how much you work must be reported in advance. Other changes must be reported as soon as you find out about them. If you do not report changes, you may be obliged to pay back money if you received too much or should not have been receiving compensation.
