In January 2024, there were 2.3 million people who received a general pension from The Pensions Authority. In July of the same year, this landed, before tax, at SEK 16,700 per month for men and SEK 14,500 per month for women.
Those who live in Sweden may also be entitled to a so-called guaranteed pension, which is a basic protection for those who have had low or no income.
“At most, the guaranteed pension can be SEK 11,603 for single people and SEK 10,505 a month for married people. Depending on how long you have lived in Sweden, how much income-based pension you have earned and from what age you first draw your public pension can the guaranteed pension be lower,” writes the Swedish Pensions Authority on their website.
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Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TTPhoto: Oscar Olsson/TT
But not everyone can get a guaranteed pension. For example, people who live outside of Sweden – with the exception of Canada – cannot take part in this basic protection, but instead have to make do with the general pension.
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271,000 people abroad receive a Swedish pension
When News24 contacts the Pensions Authority, they state that, in 2024, they sent 162,414 so-called life certificates to people living abroad. This is so that they will continue to receive pension payments.
“Then we have digital exchange with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Spain and Germany. Digital impulses have gone to these countries for 109,021 people,” the authority states.
There are thus just over 271,000 pensioners, who live outside Swedish borders, who receive a pension paid from Sweden.
Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT
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Pensioner abroad? You have to think about that
But for those who live abroad and receive a Swedish pension, there are certain things that are important to keep an eye on if you still want the money paid out.
Namely, you must, in several cases, report changes in your life situation to the Pensions Authority.
“You yourself are responsible for notifying us if there has been a change that could affect your pension. If you receive too much money, you may be obliged to pay it back,” can be read at the authority.
Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
According to the authority, you must notify if any of the following occurs:
Most of the changes can be reported via the Pensions Authority’s website, but it is also possible to send in changed information by letter for those who do not have Swedish e-identification.
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So many refund claims have been sent
According to documents from the Pensions Authority, between January and June this year, 105 repayment claims have been sent to people living abroad.
During this period, the total sum for the repayment claims – which includes the benefits general pension, survivor’s pension, support for the elderly and housing allowance – amounts to SEK 3,648,563.
Photo: Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT
Since January 2020 up to and including June 2024, the largest number of refund claims have been sent to people living in Finland: 198 claims. The USA and Germany follow with 84 and 50 sent refund claims, respectively.
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