Do I get paid when I am sick in Sweden?
Yes — the employer pays sick pay when you are ill, but a waiting deduction is taken first. Sick pay is 80% of the pay you lose, days 1–14. At the start a waiting deduction of 20% of an average week's sick pay is taken, so the first sick day is effectively unpaid — the deduction is a fixed share of the week, not a whole waiting day. A doctor's note is required from day 8 to the employer. From day 15 the Social Insurance Agency takes over with sickness benefit at about 80%, up to a ceiling of 10 price base amounts = 592,000 kr a year in 2026; earn more and you will not get 80% of your whole salary. Collective agreements can top this up, and the self-employed go straight to sickness benefit.
📋 The rules
- The employer pays sick pay 80% days 1–14
- Waiting deduction: 20% of an average week's sick pay
- Doctor's note from day 8 to the employer
- From day 15: sickness benefit ~80% from the Agency
- 2026 ceiling: 10 price base amounts = 592,000 kr/year
🔓 Exceptions
- The self-employed get no sick pay — own waiting period, then benefit
- Collective agreements can top up above 80%
- High-risk protection can avoid repeated deductions for chronic illness
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If sick pay is not paid it is not a fine but a claim: you can demand the amount plus damages, and the claim is enforceable. The waiting deduction of 20% of an average week's sick pay makes a single sick day effectively unpaid. If no doctor's note is provided from day 8, you risk losing sick pay for the rest of the period. And from day 15 the ceiling of 10 price base amounts (592,000 kr a year in 2026) bites, so a high salary is not fully replaced. Fraud with sick notes or benefit leads to repayment demands and criminal suspicion.
📎 Official sources
- Social Insurance Agency · Sick pay →
- Social Insurance Agency · Waiting deduction →
- Sick Pay Act (1991:1047) · Riksdagen →
❓ Frequently asked
How much sick pay do I get?
80% of the pay you lose, days 1–14, and it is the employer who pays. A waiting deduction is taken at the start, so what you actually receive in the first sick week is less than 80% of your salary.
What is the waiting deduction?
A deduction of 20% of an average week's sick pay, taken at the start of the sick period. In practice the first sick day is unpaid, whichever day of the week you fall ill and however long the shift.
When must I provide a doctor's note?
From day 8 of the sick period you must give a doctor's note to the employer. If no note arrives, you risk losing sick pay for the remainder of the sick period, even if you really are ill.
What happens after day 14?
The Social Insurance Agency takes over with sickness benefit at about 80%. It is capped at 10 price base amounts, 592,000 kr a year in 2026, so high incomes are not fully replaced.
Do the self-employed get sick pay?
No. The self-employed have their own waiting period and then receive sickness benefit directly from the Agency, without the 14 days of employer-paid sick pay. Employees may also have a collective agreement topping up the 80%.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “do I get paid when sick sweden”
- “sick pay 80 percent days 1-14”
- “waiting deduction how much sweden”
- “doctors note day 8 sweden”
- “sickness benefit ceiling 2026”
- “self-employed sick pay sweden”