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Leave and time off in Sweden

Employees in Sweden are entitled to time off work for various reasons, including holidays, public holidays, and sick leave. Employees in Sweden also get generous time off work when they or their partner has a baby and during the first four years of the child’s life. This is known as parental leave, which is shared between the two parents in Sweden.

Time off in Sweden is sometimes mandated by national labour laws, as is the case with annual leave. However, collective bargaining agreements often provide additional requirements for time off work, which employers must adhere to. Read on to learn everything you need to know about paid and unpaid time off in Sweden.

Leave in Sweden

Swedish labour laws grant employees the right to various types of leave, including annual leave (holiday), sick leave, parental leave, and public holidays. Employers are required to pay their employees for some types of leave, while others are funded through the social security system.

Collective agreements between trade unions and employers’ organisations sometimes provide additional leave entitlements, which employers must grant to their employees. And of course, employers in Sweden can choose to make their leave policies more generous to help with talent attraction and retention.

Annual leave in Sweden

Employees are entitled to a statutory minimum of 25 days’ annual leave in Sweden, which is mandated by the Annual Leave Act. Those working irregular or part-time hours are entitled to the equivalent of 25 days’ leave based on their normal working pattern. Collective agreements or individual employment contracts may provide for additional leave.

Accruing, using, and carrying over annual leave in Sweden

Unless otherwise stated in a collective agreement or employment contract, annual leave is allocated on 1 April each year. Employees are obliged to take at least 20 days of leave every year, with any additional leave rolling over into the following year.

Employees are generally entitled to take four weeks of their leave continuously at some time between June and August, though the exact period may be chosen by the employer. Annual leave in Sweden is paid at the rate of 12% of the employee’s gross salary. Employees are also entitled to a premium of 0.43% of their salary the month they take their holiday.

Employers that start a new job after 1 August are granted five days of leave between their start date and 1 April in the following year, when they’re entitled to the usual 25 days of annual leave. When an employee leaves a company, the employer must pay them for any unused annual leave.

Sick leave in Sweden

Employees in Sweden are entitled to paid time off work when they are sick. For the first 14 days, the employer is obliged to pay the employee at a rate of at least 80% of their normal salary. After 14 days, employees can receive sick pay through the social security system.

Employers must report to the Social Security Services (Försäkringskassan) if an employee is still sick after 14 days off work. The employee can then apply for the sickness benefit after providing some information about their income. In some cases, the employer may also be asked for information.

While an employee is on sick leave in Sweden, their employer must maintain ongoing contact with them and develop a plan to help them return to work. In some cases, employers may be able to temporarily assign different work to the employee if they are not able to perform their usual duties.

Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Sweden

Employees in Sweden have the right to paid time off work when they or their partner has a baby and during the first few years of their child’s life. There is no specific maternity or paternity leave in Sweden. Instead, parental leave is shared between the two parents.

Parental leave in Sweden

Parents in Sweden are entitled to a shared 480 days of parental leave in Sweden. Each parent can take 240 of those days, or one parent can choose to transfer a maximum of 150 days to the other parent. However, 90 days of leave is reserved for each parent. During the child’s first year, parents can opt to take up to 30 days of parental leave at the same time.

Although parental leave in Sweden is shared between the two parents, birthing parents are entitled to start their leave 60 days before the expected birth and must take at least 60 days’ leave after the birth. This is part of the overall 480-day entitlement. The other parent can also take 10 days of leave in connection with the birth, which is the equivalent of paternity leave in Sweden. This is in addition to the 480-day entitlement.

Parents can choose to take their leave full-time or extend it by working part-time hours after having a baby. Parents must use at least 384 days of leave before the child’s fourth birthday. The remaining 96 days can be saved and used any time before the child turns 12 or finishes fifth grade.

Pay for parental leave in Sweden

Employees on parental leave in Sweden are entitled to receive the parental benefit, which is provided by the social security system. Of the 480 days of shared parental leave, 390 are paid at the sickness benefit rate, which is between SEK 250–1,218 per day depending on the employee’s usual income. The remaining 90 days are paid at the minimum level of SEK 180 per day.

In order to qualify for the parental benefit, employees must have worked at least 240 consecutive days in the year before the expected date of birth. An employee who hasn’t worked this many days may still qualify for the parental benefit at the basic level, which is SEK 250 per day.

Other parental benefits in Sweden

In addition to parental leave and the parental benefit, Swedish law includes many other provisions to help parents maintain a balance between work and family life. First, all children are entitled to a place at nursery school for a modest fee from one year of age. Parents are also entitled to compensation through the social security system if they have to take time off work to care for a sick child.

Adoption leave in Sweden

Adoption leave in Sweden

Adoption leave in Sweden is granted on more or less the same terms as leave for birth parents. Employees who adopt a child in Sweden are entitled to parental leave and the parental benefit from the day of adoption. How long parents can receive the parental benefit depends on when they receive the child, but it can’t go past the child’s 12th birthday.

Like with birth parents, the parental leave entitlement can be shared between two parents adopting a child in Sweden. The 10 days of temporary parental benefit that are normally reserved for the father (or non-birthing parent) can also be shared between the two parents.

Other types of leave in Sweden

There are many other types of leave in Sweden, which may be defined by collective agreements, company policies, or individual employment contracts. Below, we’ll discuss a few of the most common types of leave you may come across if you hire employees in Sweden.

Bereavement leave in Sweden

Employees in Sweden are entitled to bereavement leave by law. However, there is no fixed number of days, so it’s up to each employer to set their own policy. Bereavement leave is generally unpaid unless a collective agreement, company policy, or employment contract says otherwise.

Leave for union representatives in Sweden

Union representatives may be entitled to unpaid leave from work to carry out duties related to their role. This is usually stated in the collective agreement that applies.

Educational leave in Sweden

Under certain circumstances, employees in Sweden have the right to unpaid lead for studying, even if the studies are unrelated to their work. They have the right to return to their former employment in either the same job or an equivalent one after their studies are complete. This is mandated by the 1974 Study Leave Act.

Temporary parental leave in Sweden

Employees are entitled to take time off work to care for a sick child. This applies until the child is 12 years old. While they are off work, employees can receive the temporary parental benefit (VAB).

Leave for immigrants to study Swedish

Employees who have been admitted to municipal adult education in Swedish have the right to take time off work to attend classes. While this time off is unpaid, the hours the employee spends unemployed count as work in the application of other regulations.

Leave to conduct business in Sweden

Employees in Sweden are entitled to six months of unpaid, full-time leave to conduct their own business activities, as long as they don’t compete with the business of their employer. Employees are eligible for this leave if they have worked for their employer for either six months or a total of at least 12 months in the past two years.

Public holidays in Sweden

There are 13 public holidays per year in Sweden. Public holidays in Sweden are very similar to those observed in other countries in the Nordic region. However, Maundy Thursday and Whit Monday are not public holidays in Sweden despite being observed in Norway, Denmark, and Finland. In Sweden, there is a difference between public holidays (sometimes known as ‘red days’) and other non-working days.

What is a ‘red day’ in Sweden?

Days that are not working days in Sweden are sometimes called ‘red days.’ This includes Sundays and statutory public holidays. Employees are generally free from work on public holidays in Sweden. Some trade unions have agreements that give employees the right to time off on ‘bridge days,’ which are days that fall between two red days.

Are public holidays paid in Sweden?

Yes, employees are paid for public holidays, even if they don’t work. However, there are no specific regulations governing hours worked on public holidays. Employees who work overtime (i.e. hours above the statutory 40-hour weekly maximum) on public holidays are generally entitled to additional compensation.

Public holidays in Sweden in 2025

Here are the public holidays observed in Sweden in 2025:

1 January
New Year’s Day
6 January
Epiphany
18 April
Good Friday
20 April
Easter Sunday
21 April
Easter Monday
1 may
May Day
29 May
Ascension
6 June
National Day
8 June
Whit Sunday
21 June
Midsummer Day
1 November
All Saint’s Day
25 December
Christmas Day
26 December
2nd Day of Christmas

Protect your employees and your business

As an employer in Sweden, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.

When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get their benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.

Compliantly hire workers anywhere with CXC

With our EoR solution, you can engage workers anywhere in the world, without putting your business at risk. No more worrying about local labour laws, tax legislation or payroll customs — we’ve got you covered.

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