Additional leave compliance rules and complexities

Working patterns

A standard working week is 40 hours, with an upper limit of 48 hours per week averaged over a four-month period. Employees cannot work for more than 5 consecutive hours without taking a break. They’re also entitled to an 11-hour break in every 24 hour period, and a minimum of 36 hours continuous rest each week.

Overtime is limited to 50 hours a month or 200 hours a year. Overtime pay differs depending on when the employer works the overtime hours. If it’s before 8 pm on weekdays, for every hour of overtime they get their monthly salary divided by 94. If it’s after 8 pm on weekdays, or any time on weekends, for every hour of overtime they get their monthly salary divided by 72.

Annual leave

Full-time employees receive 25 days of paid annual leave each year, and must complete one year of employment to receive full vacation pay. If an employee joins mid-way through the vacation year (which runs from 1st April to 31st March in any given year), they are entitled to some paid leave, but some annual leave days will be unpaid. If an employee enters into new employment after 31st August in any given year, they are entitled to only 5 days of annual leave until 1st April the following year.

Employees can accrue up to 5 days of annual leave each year, to be carried over into the next year. They can also hold on to each day of paid leave for up to five years once they’ve accrued it.

Employees are also entitled to take 4 consecutive weeks off work between June and August, though this doesn’t apply in certain industries and some individual contracts of employment may also be exempt from this rule.

In terms of sick leave, it’s up to the employer to pay 80% of the employee’s salary for the first 14 days of absence, after which Sweden’s Social Insurance Agency takes care of payment. It is the employer’s responsibility to report instances of sickness absence of more than 14 days to the Social Insurance Agency.

For long-term sickness, it is up to the employers to implement necessary adjustments to help the employee return to work. The Social Insurance Agency can, when necessary, get involved to provide assistance during this process.

Parental leave

In 1974, Sweden became the first country in the world to replace gender-specific maternity and paternity leave with parental leave.

Parents in Sweden are entitled to 480 days of leave when a child is born or adopted. For couples, this is split into 240 days for each parent, with the pregnant parent able to start their leave up to 60 days prior to the expected due date. A single parent is entitled to the full 480 days.

In terms of compensation, 390 days of parental leave are based upon the individual’s income, with the remaining 90 days set at SEK 180 per day.

In the case of multiple births (twins, triplets and quadruplets), the parental leave allowance increases to 660, 840 and 1,020 days respectively.

During the child’s first year, both parents can take the same days off work up to a maximum of 30 days.

Bereavement leave

Swedish employees are entitled to 10 days of paid bereavement leave.