Sick leave as a job seeker
If you're unemployed when you fall ill, different rules apply than for employees. There's no employer to pay sick pay, so you report sick directly to Försäkringskassan from day one instead of waiting until day 15.
Sickness benefit is based on the SGI from your previous job, but it's capped at SEK 543 per day for as long as you're unemployed. And the SGI only holds if you're registered with Arbetsförmedlingen and actively looking for work.
Report sick to Försäkringskassan from day 1
With no employer there's no 14-day sick-pay period. You report to Försäkringskassan yourself on the first sick day, and you submit the doctor's certificate straight there from day 8. The first day is a waiting day with no payment, then sickness benefit is paid from the second day. Benefit can be paid for up to seven days before your report, but don't wait without reason.
At most SEK 543 per day
When unemployed, sickness benefit is at most SEK 543 per day, regardless of how high your SGI is. The cap applies at both the standard level and the continuation level. If your previous salary was above roughly SEK 255,000 per year (a little over SEK 21,000 a month), the cap kicks in and you land at SEK 543. Below that, you get 77.6% of your SGI as usual. There's no collective-agreement top-up, since you have no employer.
Your SGI only holds while you're registered
Your SGI is based on the income you had before becoming unemployed, and it's protected as long as you're registered with Arbetsförmedlingen and actively job-seeking. Lose the registration and the SGI is reset, leaving no sickness benefit at all. Your work capacity is also assessed against the whole labour market from the start, not against a previous job.
Frequently asked questions
At most SEK 543 per day, regardless of how high your SGI is. If your previous salary was below roughly SEK 255,000 per year, you get 77.6% of your SGI instead, which then comes in under the cap. Sickness benefit is paid for every calendar day you're on sick leave.
Straight to Försäkringskassan on the first sick day, not to any employer. The first day is a waiting day with no payment. You submit the doctor's certificate to Försäkringskassan from day 8.
Yes. The registration is what keeps your SGI alive. If you're not registered as a job seeker, your SGI has likely been reset, and then no sickness benefit is paid. Register as soon as a job ends so you never sit in a gap.
No. Sick pay is paid by an employer during the first 14 days, and a collective agreement's top-up also comes from the employer or its insurances. As a job seeker you have neither, so Försäkringskassan's sickness benefit is your entire compensation.