Parental leave as an employee
This guide covers you as an employee, whether you're on a permanent contract (tillsvidare) or a fixed-term one (visstid). Your SGI is based on your salary, and Försäkringskassan pays out 77.6 % of it up to the cap of 592,000 SEK/year (2026). On a monthly salary of 35,000 SEK before tax, that works out to roughly 26,800 SEK/month in parental benefit when claiming every calendar day.
For most employees the calculation is straightforward: monthly salary × 12 gives the annual basis, and Försäkringskassan checks that it's stable going forward. If you have shift pay (OB-tillägg), bonuses, or other variable income, those count too, but the rules around them are a bit more detailed.
Collective-agreement top-up on top of Försäkringskassan
Many employees have a collective agreement (kollektivavtal) that pays a top-up on top of Försäkringskassan's benefit, typically around 10 % of salary below the SGI cap and up to 90 % of salary above it. Claiming every calendar day (seven days a week), your total compensation during parental leave can reach roughly 88 % of salary. Claiming only five days a week lowers the total — the calculator uses your exact days. For high earners the top-up often makes the biggest difference. Check what your agreement specifically offers before planning your leave.
The 240-day rule and vacation accrual
For the first 180 days to be paid at the full sickness benefit level, you need to have been employed at least 240 consecutive days before the child's expected birth date. The remaining days pay out at the sickness benefit level as long as you have SGI. Also worth knowing: you only accrue vacation days during the first 120 days of leave per year (180 for single parents). Something to factor in if you're planning a long leave.
On a fixed-term contract?
Your SGI is based on the income you're expected to have going forward. If the contract ends during your leave or shortly before, your SGI can drop or disappear, since there's no future income to base it on. Long gaps between fixed-term contracts can also break the 240-day rule. Tip: register as a jobseeker (arbetssökande) at Arbetsförmedlingen the same day your contract ends. That's usually enough to keep your SGI alive until the next job. If your contract is close to expiring, talk to Försäkringskassan well before starting your leave.
Frequently asked questions
Försäkringskassan bases SGI on the annual income you'll actually have going forward. Fixed allowances like OB count, and bonuses can count if they're recurring. If income is uneven, the last 12 months of actual earnings is often sufficient, but a short period of unusually high bonus pay isn't enough to raise SGI.
SGI tracks your expected income. When the contract ends and no new employment is in place, SGI can fall, worst case all the way down to grundnivå. Parental leave protects SGI during the approved leave period, but not automatically afterwards. If the contract end is close, call Försäkringskassan before starting your leave to get clarity.
It depends on whether your employer is covered by a collective agreement. Most larger employers are, and a parental-leave top-up is usually part of it: typically around 10 % of salary below the SGI cap and up to 90 % of salary above. Check with HR or read your agreement. The top-up can make a meaningful difference to your total compensation.
Yes. You can claim parental benefit at 75 %, 50 %, 25 % or 12.5 % and work the rest of the time. Declare the level to Försäkringskassan when applying. Your employer will also need to agree to a part-time schedule.
The 240-day rule only gates the first 180 days of your leave. Those are paid at the sickness benefit level if you've been employed 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.