Calculate your parental leave benefits

How parental leave benefits work

Parental leave benefit is the compensation you receive from Försäkringskassan when you stay home with your child. There are 480 days per child in total, of which 390 days are paid at the sickness benefit level and the remaining 90 days at the minimum level (SEK 180/day).

How much you receive per day depends on your SGI (income-based sickness benefit). Försäkringskassan calculates your SGI based on your annual income, up to a cap of SEK 592,000 (2026).

What is SGI and how is it calculated?

SGI is Försäkringskassan's measure of your income. For employees it's calculated as monthly salary × 12, with adjustments if you have shift pay, bonuses or other variable income. It forms the basis for most benefits you can receive, including parental leave benefit, sickness benefit and temporary parental leave benefit (VAB).

Parental leave at the sickness benefit level equals 77.6% of your SGI. It's not a flat 80% — Försäkringskassan first multiplies your SGI by a statutory factor of 0.97, then takes 80% of that (0.97 × 0.80 ≈ 77.6%).

SGI has a cap. In 2026 it's SEK 592,000 per year (10 × the price base amount of SEK 59,200). Even if you earn more, your parental leave benefit is based on the cap.

The days — how many and how long do they last?

Each parent has 195 days at the sickness benefit level. Of these, 90 days are reserved and cannot be transferred to the other parent. The remaining 105 days can be shared between you.

How long the days last depends on how many days per week you take and whether you work part-time during leave. Taking seven days a week burns through them fastest; at five days a week you only claim on weekdays. And at part-time (say 75% leave) each day only consumes 0.75 of a benefit day, stretching them further.

Employer top-up

Many employers pay a supplement on top of Försäkringskassan's benefit, often around 10% of salary below the SGI cap and up to 90% of salary above the cap. This is usually regulated in collective agreements or individual contracts. Lotsa helps you calculate with your top-up so you see the full picture.

Gaps that can affect your SGI

If you've had a gap in employment before going on parental leave, it can affect your SGI, and therefore your benefits. Sick leave and prior parental leave protect your SGI. But unpaid leave or studying without studiemedel (CSN-funded student aid) can lower it or put you at the basic level (250 SEK/day).

For the first 180 days to be paid at the full sickness benefit level, you need to have worked at least 240 consecutive days before the child's expected birth date. The remaining days are paid at the sickness benefit level as long as you have SGI, regardless of the 240-day rule.

Practical things to know

Leave ≠ benefit. Föräldraledighet is your legal right to be away from work; föräldrapenning is the money Försäkringskassan pays out. The Parental Leave Act (Föräldraledighetslagen) guarantees you can stay home full-time until the child is 18 months old regardless of how many benefit days you have left. You can be on leave longer than you get paid for.

Vacation accrual. You accrue vacation days during the first 120 days of parental leave per year per child (180 if you're a single parent). After that, accrual stops, so a long leave can mean fewer accrued vacation days for the year.

Tax. Parental benefit is taxed as ordinary income. Försäkringskassan deducts a 30 % preliminary tax by default on each payment, but the final tax is settled at your annual declaration. Your actual net may differ from what Lotsa shows by a few percent.

Pension. Parental benefit contributes to your pension, but at a lower rate than salary. During your child's first four years the state adds a so-called pension entitlement for child years, based on your prior income. Leave therefore affects your pension less than it might seem, but there is some impact.

Time limits. You can use parental benefit until your child turns 12 (or the end of grade 5 if your child is still in grade 5 at age 12). After your child's fourth birthday, only 96 days remain available, so it's worth taking more leave before then.

Double days. During your child's first 15 months, you and your partner can claim up to 60 dubbeldagar together. Each dubbeldag deducts one day from each parent's pool. They can't come from the 90 reserved days.

How Lotsa helps you

• Gross and net benefits per month and per day

• How long your parental leave days last

• How your total compensation compares to your regular salary

• Whether you qualify for the sickness benefit level or the basic level

• Employer top-up and part-time work during leave

• Public holidays where you can save parental leave days