In the year 2023, there were a total of 2.3 million pensioners in Sweden and in January this year the average public pension landed at SEK 16,200 a month before tax.
– The general pension includes both income and basic protection. Income protection consists of income and premium pension that you earn when you work. There is also an income pension supplement for those who have a long working life but a low pension, explains Dan Adolphson Björckpension economist at minPension, for News24.
Basic protection, in turn, includes guaranteed pension, housing allowance, special housing allowance and support for the elderly.
– Guarantee pension is the most common benefit for those with a short working life in Sweden, but there are also many people with low incomes who receive a little guarantee pension as a supplement to their income-based pension, says Adolphson Björck and continues:
– Many also receive housing allowance, but it depends on housing costs, income, wealth and whether you live with someone.
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Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT
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Elderly support an option for some
The old-age support includes roughly 24,000 pensioners at the moment and is a benefit that is tested if it is the case that you do not reach a reasonable standard of living.
– If you are 66 years of age or older and have not worked at all, live alone with high housing costs and no assets, you can be covered by full elderly support of approximately SEK 12,800 after tax, notes Dan Adolphson Björck.
– For those who have accumulated 40 years of residence in Sweden and who receive a full guaranteed pension and housing allowance, they can receive a total of approximately SEK 16,200 after tax. Here, too, the prerequisites are that you live alone, have no assets or other income. Otherwise, the amounts will be lower.
Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT
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According to Adolphson Björck, the most common thing is that you basically have an income-based pension, but that different parts of the basic protection can give a little extra bang in the coffers.
– And for everyone who has a working life, the occupational pension from work is a very important part of the total pension, he says.
Alternatives for those without work income
Can one, if one has lacked work income during one’s life, somehow increase one’s pension?
– Anyone who has turned 66 and has a low total income, below SEK 19,000 a month, and who lives alone should check the right to housing allowance with the Pensions Agency. During the application, the right to support for the elderly is also tested, says Dan Adolphson Björck and continues further:
– If you are unsure whether you are affected, you can test your right to housing allowance by filling in a few questions on the Pension Authority’s website. Unfortunately, there are some elderly people, not infrequently women, who find it stigmatizing to apply for housing allowance. You don’t want to be a burden on society.
Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
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Then you may be without a pension
In which situations can you become completely without a pension in Sweden?
– You can get rid of the basic protection if you provide incorrect information. If, for example, you have a pension from another country that you do not inform the Pensions Authority about, says Dan Adolphson Björck.
If you do not have an income-based pension or occupational pension, you are without a pension.
Dan Adolphson Björck further emphasizes that those with a low pension and who are covered by a guaranteed pension, housing supplement or support for the elderly should be aware that these are benefits that one cannot take part in in connection with a move abroad.
– Here it is wise to instead seek means-tested support in the country in which you settle.
Another situation in which you can be left without a pension is if you work illegally for large parts of your working life.
– Then you earn neither income pension nor premium pension. In addition, you don’t get an occupational pension, says Adolphson Björck to Nyheter24.
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