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Swedish pension system

The Swedish Pensions Agency administers and pays out the national public pension, as well as provides pensions-related information. The longer you choose to work, the higher your monthly pension will be for the rest of your life.

Pensionsmyndigheten - Swedish Pensions Agency

It is the Swedish Pensions Agency "Pensionsmyndigheten" that administers and pays out the national public pension. The longer you choose to work, the higher your monthly pension will be for the rest of your life.

The pension system is based on a three-tier system:

  • A guaranteed pension — National public pension
  • An income-related pension — Occupational pension
  • A premium fund — Private savings pension

The national public pension is based on your total income in Sweden throughout your working life. Every year that you work and pay taxes, you earn towards your national public pension.

The Swedish Pensions Agency provides general and specific pensions-related information.

Pensionsmyndigheten

You can also get information at the event: Swedish Pension System

The guaranteed pension

The guaranteed pension offers a minimum pension for persons with low pension entitlements or no income. To receive it you must have lived in Sweden for a minimum of three years, while to qualify for the full guaranteed pension you require at least 40 years of residence. It is payable from the age of 65.

Income-related pension

The income-related pension is drawn from all your earnings during your lifetime from the age of 16. You can start receiving the income-related pension from the age of 61, but the more you contribute, the higher your pension will be. Social insurance benefits, such as sick leave or unemployment benefits, are counted as contributions. Years dedicated to raising children, military service and studies also confer pension entitlements. This pension is indexed to the average wage growth. If you only have one or two years of pension entitlements in Sweden, you can transfer your pension points from another EU/EEA country or from countries with which Sweden has a convention.

The Premium fund

During your working life 2.5% of your contributions go into a premium fund of your choice. There are about 500 different funds with different returns. If you do not choose a premium fund, the money will go into the Premium Savings Fund within the National Swedish Fund, which is managed by the Seventh Fund Board. Married couples can transfer their entitlements to each other.

Supplementary insurance schemes

Because public pensions have a limit, many high-income earners receive less than they could, as contributions are also capped. Many people therefore take out a supplementary occupational pension. In some companies, these are even agreed by a collective agreement, with the employer contributing 3.5% of each individual’s earnings towards their supplementary occupational pension. It is advisable to join such a scheme. 90% of Swedish workers are covered by either a group or an individual scheme. When joining a company, ask your labor union if a general occupational pension scheme exists in your company.

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