Maternity Leave in Sweden: Expat Guide

Sweden is one of the European countries high on the list for expats. With a welcoming mix of history, culture, food, and beauty, it soon becomes easy to see why it is rated so highly. Add in the incredible healthcare, a relatively affordable cost of living, and diverse job opportunities, and Sweden stands tall among other European nations popular with expats. So, with all this good stuff, what about maternity leave in Sweden for expats? Well, it’s pretty good too, and as we show you in this blog, it is among the best maternity leave programmes in the world.

Yes. In fact, if you work in Sweden, are insured in Sweden, and your child will live in Sweden, you’ll be eligible for maternity leave. For the past 50 years, however, it has been known as parental leave. This is because, in 1974, Sweden became the first country in the world to replace gender-specific maternity leave with an all-encompassing parental leave that allows both parents to stay at home with their child.

Maternity leave in Sweden is incredibly generous and is seen as one of the best maternity schemes in the world. The leave is split into two parts: maternity leave and parental leave. The maternity part is purely for the mother and cannot be transferred. The parental part is for both parents and can be split or shared if need be. In summary:

• Maternity Leave: At least 7 weeks before birth and 7 weeks after
• Parental Leave: 480 days of paid leave (240 days per parent)

It should be noted that two seven-week periods are deducted from the 480-day allowance, leaving a balance that can be used flexibly between either parent. However, for a little additional confusion, 90 days per parent of this remaining allowance is protected and cannot be swapped between parents.

Leave can be extended even further if an employee decides to go unpaid for a while. Under the Parental Leave Act, a parent can take up to 18 months unpaid, with full job protection, before even tapping into the 480-day allowance! This means a single parent could take almost three years off work if they wanted, albeit with 18 months unpaid.

Once on maternity leave in Sweden, you can seek financial support via parental benefits. As long as you pay social insurance in the country and the child lives in Sweden, the EU/EEA, or Switzerland, you’ll be eligible for the assistance.

Paid maternity leave in Sweden lasts 480 days when you have one child, split equally if there are two parents. Should you have multiple children, the paid leave is extended by 180 days per child.

Of this allowance, up to 45 days per parent can be transferred to a grandparent or other carer. You can also transfer up to 150 days between parents if you wish. However, 90 days of leave are protected and are not eligible for any full or partial transfer.

How much paid maternity leave you get paid in Sweden depends on your income. During the standard 480-day period, 390 days will be paid at what is known as sickness benefit level, with the remaining 90 days paid at the minimum level.

The sickness benefit level paid for 390 days is capped and paid at a percentage of your wage. The daily maximum, as of March 2025 is approximately 1,223 SEK per day.

The minimum level payments for the remaining 90 days are paid at 180 SEK per day. Some employers may offer a top-up that brings you up to your full wage, but check your contract, as this isn’t a given.

Yes. Sweden has an incredible parental leave scheme that ensures both the mother and the father are involved in raising the child right from the start. The 480-day parental allowance will be split, with 240 days allocated to each parent, 90 days for each being protected and non-transferable.
That leaves 150 days per parent that can be transferred if desired. 105 of these will be at the sickness benefit level (the benefit based on your income). The remaining 45 will be at the minimum level of 180 SEK per day.

What should be noted, though, is that for every day both parents take off, two are deducted from the parental benefit allowance. If, for example, both parents take the same month off (30 days), 60 days will be deducted from the transferable total.
Days taken like this are known as double days. There are a maximum of 30 double days that can be taken, translating to 60 days of the total transferable allowance.

The 480 days of parental leave may sound like a blessing, and it would be common to see many parents take them all in one hit. After all, these formative years are among the most enjoyable and demanding. However, life can throw a host of curveballs, and sometimes it might be better to take things in portions.
With parental leave in Sweden, you can, in theory, take your leave anytime up until the child’s 12th birthday. However, 80% of your allocation must be taken by the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 4.

• Birth to age 4: You can take all 480 days or split them into chunks where you work some and are off others.
• Age 4-12: You have 96 days to use, regardless of how many of the 480 you used up to this point. These can be spread how you see fit up until the 12th birthday.

Yes. The Parental Leave Act allows employees with children under the age of 8 to legally reduce their working hours without needing to use the 480-day allowance or the 18-month unpaid leave we mentioned earlier.
Parents can cut hours down to 75% of their full-time work schedule until the child turns 8 or finishes their first year of school. No employer can refuse this, and your job remains protected. You can pair this with the parental benefit and be paid a benefit based on the hours you are not working. Taking this route sees days deducted from your parental benefit allowance.
Alternatively, you can take this leave without benefit and simply see your salary drop to match the proportion of hours you work.

Maternity leave is your legal right in Sweden, so you do not need to apply for it. You do, however, need to inform your employer of your wish to go on parental leave. For the parental benefit, you’ll need to apply, which we’ll cover in the section below.

When you wish to go on maternity leave, you must inform your employer no later than two months before the leave that you wish to take it. You will need to let them know how long you wish the leave to be for and when it should start. This should be done in writing.
Some employers have specific rules and even benefits around maternity leave, so it would be best to research these before submitting your maternity leave notice.

For a single parent or a couple, applying for the parental benefit in Sweden is simple. Our steps below should make it a quick and easy process for you.

It is really that simple; the easy form can be completed in minutes, and you’ll soon be set up to receive your parental benefit. A word of advice from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency is to apply for as long a period of benefit as possible to ensure regular disbursements.
Should you wish to return to work in a limited capacity or even full-time, you’ll need to make a new application to adjust the benefit accordingly. Do this before the 15th of the month to ensure your payment is correct for the next payment date. Leaving it until after this date could result in an over or underpayment, which would then need adjusting the following month.

As you can see, in Sweden, parents are well looked after, which in turn leads to a great start to life for the child. Expats love life in Sweden—perhaps you could be next? If so, reach out to our team to secure your expat health insurance. That way, you can get the best possible healthcare in Sweden. With fully comprehensive packages, parents and children can remain covered against all medical expenses. Contact us today to find out more.