Things to remember about sick leave

Days 1–14

Your employee lets you know that they are sick. You pay sick pay to the employee for the first fourteen days that you deem them unable to work. You need to make a qualifying deduction from the sick pay. The qualifying deduction is 20 percent of the sick pay that the employee is expected to get in an average calendar week.

Day 8

The employee must submit a doctor’s certificate in order to continue to receive sick pay.

Day 14

The last day of the sick pay period.

Day 15

If the employee is still sick, you notify the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan).

Report sick leave with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (in Swedish)

Doctor’s certificate requirement after seven days

If the sick leave lasts longer than seven calendar days, the employee must submit a doctor’s certificate requirement to you. This is your basis when you assess the employee’s right to sick pay.

You can learn more about how to assess an employee’s working capacity during the sick pay period, and what applies when an employee gets sick, at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency’s website.

Sick employee days 1–90 at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency

Statement of sickness

When the employee returns to work, they always need to submit a written statement of sickness. The statement of sickness is what you use to calculate the sick pay. The statement of sickness shall state that the employee has been sick and the time of their sickness.

Repeated sickness in the same sick pay period

If your employee returns to work but becomes sick again within five calendar days, you need to know whether a full qualifying deduction was made the last time they were sick. If you made a full qualifying deduction, you should not make another. However, if a full qualifying deduction was not made, you should continue to make deductions from the sick pay until a full deduction has been made.

This applies only if your employee becomes sick again within five calendar days. If more than five calendar days have passed, a new sick pay period has started, and you should make a new qualifying deduction.

Sick for more than 14 days

When an employee has been sick for more than 14 days, you should no longer pay any sick pay. As of the 15th sick day, the employee should instead apply for sickness benefit from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.

If your employee is expected to be sick for a prolonged period of time and therefore unable to work, you should develop a plan for return to work.

Make a plan using the Swedish Social Insurance Agency’s guide (in Swedish)

As an employer, you are obligated to report any sick leave that lasts longer than 14 calendar days to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.

Report sick leave to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (in Swedish)

Remember the confidentiality obligation

Information about health insurance and doctor’s certificates is confidential.

Sick for a prolonged period of time

As an employer, you are responsible for implementing the necessary measures for the employee to be able to return to work. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency can, when necessary, coordinate the various measures required for the employee to return to work.

Sick employee as of day 91 at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (in Swedish)

If the employee is unable to return

It may be that the employee is unable to return to the workplace due to their illness, despite rehabilitation efforts and relocation attempts. If you would like your employee to leave their employment once they have been granted full sickness benefit without limitation in time, you need to notify the employee of this in writing and as soon as you become aware of the sickness benefit decision.

You can find more information about sick leave at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (in Swedish)