Information from Frskringskassan 19.10.

2008

Housing allowance [Bostadsbidrag] for families with children [Bostadsbidrag till barnfamiljer]
Families with children with a low income can receive housing allowance. The amount you receive depends on your income, your housing costs, the size of your home and how many children you have. You apply for the allowance on the basis of the income you believe you will have during the year. If your income is higher than expected, you may have to reimburse money. If your income is lower than expected, you can receive more allowance retrospectively.

This fact sheet starts by describing the rules for housing allowance. This is followed by tables to help you calculate whether you are entitled to housing allowance, and, if so, how much. You can go directly to the tables for preliminary housing allowance to find out approximately how much allowance you can receive. However, you should bear in mind that the housing cost on which the allowance is based, the housing cost that you can take up when you apply for the allowance, is not always the same as your actual housing cost.

Which families with children can obtain housing allowance? [Vilka barnfamiljer kan f bostadsbidrag?]
You must live and be registered in the population register at the address for which you apply for housing allowance. However, in certain cases, an exception is made from the population register requirement. You can obtain housing allowance regardless of whether you own your home or rent it. You are considered to be a family with children if you have a child which lives with you or lives with you some of the time. Your child may be included in the household until he or she attains the age of 18, or is over 18 and receives study assistance for upper secondary school students or extended child allowance. Children who study at upper secondary school level receive study assistance and children over the age of 16 who study at compulsory school level or at special school receive extended child allowance.

The amount of allowance you can receive may depend on: the number of people who live in the household, the housing cost, the size of your home, income and assets whether the child lives most of the time with you, alternately with you and the other parent, or most of the time with the other parent where the child is registered in the population register who has custody of the child.

Some important limits [Ngra viktiga grnser]

You cannot receive housing allowance if you pay less than SEK 2 000 per month for your home. You cannot receive housing allowance if you or your husband, wife or partner, have an income exceeding SEK 354 000 per year. The allowance decreases if you live alone and have an annual income exceeding SEK 117 000. The limit for married persons and partners is SEK 58 500 each. You are not entitled to allowance if we calculate your housing allowance at less than SEK 100 per month.

Preliminary and final allowance [Preliminrt och slutligt bidrag]

The housing allowance you receive is a preliminary allowance. This means that we calculate it with the aid of the information provided by you, although your final allowance is established retrospectively when the tax assessment has been made for the calendar year for which you received the allowance. If you then have a lower income than you expected, you can receive allowance retrospectively in the form of a supplementary payment. If, on the contrary, you had a higher income than you expected, you can be liable to reimburse the money. The lowest amount that we pay retrospectively or that you must pay back is SEK 1 200.
Example End of 2005: You have been granted housing allowance from January to December 2006 inclusive. End of 2007: Frskringskassan [the Swedish Social Insurance Agency] receives information from the Swedish Tax Agency [Skatteverket] on your income during 2006. January 2008: If you have to reimburse money, you will receive an information letter from Frskringskassan notifying you about the information provided by the Tax Agency and the calculated final allowance. February 2008: You will receive notification of the final housing allowance if you have received the correct preliminary housing allowance or are to receive a supplementary payment. March 2008: You will receive notification of the final housing allowance if you are to reimburse allowance.

If you have received more than SEK 2 500 too much in preliminary allowance during a calendar year, you must pay a fee. The size of the fee depends on how much you must reimburse and current interest rates. Housing allowance is calculated per calendar year, not per month. This means that all income which you have during a calendar year affects the housing allowance, and that the income is considered to be equally apportioned to each month. This is the case regardless of whether you receive housing allowance every month or only a few months during the year.

You can pay in advance to avoid a fee [Du kan betala i frskott fr att slippa avgift]
If you notice yourself or are informed by Frskringskassan that you have received too much preliminary housing allowance, you can repay it before the final allowance is established. In this case, contact Frskringskassan. You need not pay any fee if you reimburse the excess amount paid at the latest by 30 September the year after you have received the allowance.

Always notify changes! [Anml alltid frndringar!]

Since you can be obliged to reimburse money if you have received too much housing allowance, it is important that you immediately notify all changes that can lead to your receiving a lower housing allowance. This may be the case if your income or assets increase you sell a house or apartment or security and receive a capital gain a childs assets increase or the child receives a capital gain you move home a child leaves home a child over the age of 18 no longer receives study assistance for secondary school students or extended child allowance [barnbidrag] someone moves in with you someone else moves into your home.

How do I notify changes? [Hur anmler jag frndringar?]

There is a special Swedish form to notify changes called Bostadsbidrag ndrade uppgifter [Housing allowance changed information]. You can use this form if, for example, your rent increases or your income changes.
Example You have been granted housing allowance for the period January to December inclusive. Your landlord notifies you that your rent will be increased by SEK 350 from 1 July. You submit notification of change to Frskringskassan on 25 June with information about the rent increase from 1 July. Frskringskassan changes your housing allowance for the period JulyDecember. You must then submit a new application form for housing allowance.

Your preliminary allowance can decrease [Ditt preliminra bidrag kan minskas]
If your income increases, you can notify this to Frskringskassan by telephone. An income increase means that the allowance will be decreased for the remaining months of the calendar year. The increase in income may also lead to the allowance disappearing completely.
Example You have received SEK 700 per month in housing allowance since January. You notify a higher income to Frskringskassan at the beginning of August. The higher income means that you should only have received SEK 400 per month in allowance. However, you have received SEK 700 for seven months = SEK 4 900. You allowance has been recalculated at SEK 400 x 12 months = SEK 4 800. Since you have already received SEK 4 900, the allowance is reduced to SEK 0 for the months August December.

When can I obtain housing allowance? [Nr kan jag f bostadsbidrag?]

Housing allowance can be granted at the earliest from and including the month that your application has been received by Frskringskassan and is paid for at most twelve months at a time. After that a new application must be submitted.
You can receive housing allowance

from and including the month after the month when your entitlement to housing allowance begins to and including the month when your entitlement ceases. This means that if your entitlement to allowance begins on the second or later in the month, you will receive housing allowance from the following month. If you are entitled to housing allowance on the first of a month, you will, however, receive housing allowance the same month. If your entitlement to housing allowance ceases on the first of a month, you will no longer receive housing allowance for this month.
Example You have your first child on 16 July. You submit an application on housing allowance to Frskringskassan the same month. You can then receive allowance from and including August. You then move home on 1 December. You will then not receive housing allowance in December.

When is housing allowance paid out? [Nr betalas bostadsbidraget ut?]

You receive housing allowance on the 27th of the month for the same month. If, for example, you receive allowance on 27 April, this is for the month of April. If the payment date is a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or Midsummer Eve [midsommarafton], the allowance will be paid out on the immediately preceding weekday.

How do I apply for housing allowance? [Hur sker jag bostadsbidrag?]

You apply for housing allowance on a form that you can download from our website www.forsakringskassan.se. You can also order forms by phone on 020-524 524. There are four different forms. Which form to use depends on whether you are married or single and whether you rent your home or live in a tenant-owned apartment or house. Bear in mind that it can take longer to receive allowance if the form is not correctly completed.

Tables and examples [Tabeller och exempel]

Accordingly, it is your income, your housing costs, the size of your home, how many children you have and where the children live that determines whether you are entitled to housing allowance and, if so, how much you receive.

Maximum housing allowance qualifying income [Hgsta bidragsgrundande inkomst]

These two tables show the maximum income that you or your husband, wife or partner may have to be entitled to housing allowance. The income that Frskringskassan takes into consideration when we

calculate the allowance is called housing allowance qualifying income. It is normally quite simply the amount that you earn before tax, although there are some special rules concerning, for example, the deductions you may make. Table 1 applies for single and married couples or partners who both have an income higher than SEK 58 500 per year. It includes your total income and other housing allowance qualifying income.
Table 1.
If you have the highest housing allowance qualifying income per year is

one child

SEK 267 000

two children

SEK 307 500

three children

SEK 354 000

Table 2 applies for married couples and partners where both or one of you have an income of at most SEK 58 500 per year. In this case, you should only count the income for the person with the highest income.
Table 2.
If you have the highest housing allowance qualifying income is

one child

SEK 208 500

two children

SEK 249 000

three children

SEK 295 500

How the allowance is decreased when you earn more than the limit [S minskas bidraget nr du tjnar ver grnsen]
If you earn below the limits in Table 1 or 2 but more than SEK 117 000 per year (for couples SEK 58 500 each), the allowance will be reduced by 20 per cent of what you earn above SEK 117 000 and SEK 58 500 respectively.
Example single person
You earn SEK 135 000 per year 135 000 117 000 = 18 000 20 % x 18 000 = 3 600 Divide 3 600 by 12 = 300 You will receive SEK 300 less per month in allowance

Allowance qualifying housing cost [Bidragsgrundande bostadskostnad]

The housing costs you are entitled to allowance for are called allowance qualifying housing cost. The maximum allowance qualifying housing cost depends on how many children you have. You cannot obtain housing allowance for housing costs up to SEK 2 000. However, there is an exception if you are under the age of 29 and only have child(ren) who only live with you at times. The limit is then SEK 1 800. There is a ceiling for the amount of housing costs that can qualify for allowance. There is also a ceiling for the size of home that you can obtain allowance for. However, there is also a guarantee level that means that you always receive allowance for housing costs up to a certain amount.

Housing cost [Bostadskostnad]

Table 3. Highest allowance qualifying housing cost
If you have the highest allowance qualifying housing cost per month is

one child

SEK 5 300

two children

SEK 5 900

three children

SEK 6 600

Housing area [Bostadsyta]

Table 4. Largest housing area entitling to allowance
If you have you can obtain allowance for a housing area of (no. of square metres)

one child

80

two children

100

three children

120

four children

140

five or more children

160

If you have

you can obtain allowance for a housing area of (no. of square metres)

Guarantee level [Garantiniv]

The guarantee level means that you can always include costs up to a certain level when you apply for allowance, even if the rule that limits your housing area gives you a lower calculated housing cost than this. However, you cannot, or course, include a higher housing cost than you actually have.
Table 5. Guarantee level housing cost which you receive allowance for regardless of housing area
If you have the guarantee level is

one child

SEK 3 000

two children

SEK 3 300

three children

SEK 3 600

four children

SEK 3 900

five or more children

SEK 4 200

Example of how you can calculate the allowance qualifying housing cost Karin and Lasse have two children. They rent a 140 square metre apartment. The monthly rent is SEK 4 000. Since they can only receive housing allowance for 100 square metres, their housing cost is calculated as follows:
100 x 4 000 = SEK 2 857 140

However, since the guarantee level for a family with two children is SEK 3 300, Karin and Lasse have an allowance qualifying housing cost of SEK 3 300 per month.

Maximum allowance [Maximalt bidrag]

The maximum amount you can receive in allowance depends on whether you have custody of the child, how many children you have and how much they live with you.
Table 6. Maximum housing allowance when you have custody of the child, and the child lives most of the time with you and is registered in the population register at your address
If you have you can receive at most

one child

SEK 2 600

two children

SEK 3 200

three or more children

SEK 4 000

Table 7. Maximum housing allowance when the child or children live with you some of the time or are not registered in the population register with you (periodic residence)
If you have you can receive at most

one child

SEK 1 900

two children

SEK 2 300

three or more children

SEK 2 700

If you are a lodger [Om du r inneboende]

Other rules apply if you live with someone else as a lodger. You must have custody of the child and you can at most receive:
Table 8. Maximum housing allowance if you are a lodger
If you are a lodger and have you can receive at most

one child

SEK 950

If you are a lodger and have

you can receive at most

two children

SEK 1 325

three or more children

SEK 1 750

Tables for preliminary housing allowance [Tabeller fr preliminrt bostadsbidrag]

These tables show examples of the amount of preliminary housing allowance for various families. Tables 9A, B and C apply for single persons and for spouses or partners who both have an income that exceeds SEK 58 500 per year. Take up your combined income when you use the table. Tables 10A, B and C apply for spouses or partners where both or one member of a family has a housing allowance qualifying income which is at most SEK 58 500 per year. Take up only with the spouses or partners housing allowance qualifying income which is highest when you use the table.

Single persons and spouses or partners which both have an income which exceeds SEK 58 500 per year [Ensamstende och makar eller sambor som bda har en inkomst som r hgre n 58 500 kronor per r] Families with one child [Familjer med ett barn]
If the child only lives with you periodically, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 700. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction will be SEK 600 instead.
9A. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with one child
Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 300

0117 000

900

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

2 400

2 600

125 000

800

1 000

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 000

2 300

2 400

150 000

400

600

900

1 100

1 400

1 600

1 900

2 000

175 000

200

400

700

900

1 200

1 400

1 600

200 000

300

500

800

1 000

1 200

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 300

225 000

100

400

600

800

250 000

200

300

Families with two children [Familjer med tv barn]

If one of the children only lives with you periodically, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 300. If both children live with you periodically, the allowance will be reduced by SEK 1 000. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction is SEK 900 instead.
9B. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with two children
Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

5 900

0117 000

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 000

2 300

2 500

2 800

3 000

3 200

125 000

1 100

1 400

1 600

1 900

2 100

2 400

2 600

2 900

3 100

150 000

700

1 000

1 200

1 500

1 700

2 000

2 200

2 500

2 700

175 000

300

600

800

1 100

1 300

1 600

1 800

2 100

2 300

200 000

100

400

600

900

1 100

1 400

1 600

1 800

225 000

200

500

700

1 000

1 200

1 400

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

5 900

250 000

100

300

600

800

1 000

275 000

100

400

600

300 000

200

Families with three or more children [Familjer med tre eller flera barn]
If two of the children live with you, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 400. The rounding-off rule may mean that the reduction will be SEK 300 instead. If one of the children lives at home with you, the allowance will be reduced by SEK 700. The rounding-off rule may mean that the reduction will be SEK 600 instead. If all the children live with you periodically, the allowance will be reduced by SEK 1 300.

9C. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with three or more children

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

6 000

6 600

0117 000

1 700

2 000

2 200

2 500

2 700

3 000

3 200

3 500

3 700

4 000

125 000

1 600

1 800

2 100

2 300

2 600

2 800

3 100

3 300

3 600

3 900

150 000

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

2 400

2 700

2 900

3 200

3 500

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

6 000

6 600

175 000

700

1 000

1 200

1 500

1 700

2 000

2 200

2 500

2 700

3 000

200 000

300

600

800

1 100

1 300

1 600

1 800

2 100

2 300

2 600

225 000

200

400

700

900

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

250 000

200

500

700

1 000

1 200

1 500

1 800

275 000

100

300

600

800

1 100

1 400

300 000

200

400

700

1 000

325 000

200

500

Spouses or partners where both or one member of the family have a housing allowance qualifying income which is at most SEK 58 500 per year [Makar eller sambor dr bda eller en i familjen har en bidragsgrundande inkomst som r hgst 58 500 kronor per r] Families with one child [Familjer med ett barn]
If the child only periodically lives with you, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 700. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction will be SEK 600 instead.
10A. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with one child
Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 300

058 500

900

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

2 400

2 600

75 000

600

900

1 100

1 400

1 600

1 900

2 100

2 300

100 000

200

500

700

1 000

1 200

1 500

1 700

1 900

125 000

300

500

800

1 000

1 300

1 400

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 300

150 000

100

400

600

900

1 000

175 000

200

500

600

200 000

200

Families with two children [Familjer med tv barn]

If one of the children lives with your periodically, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 300. If both children live with you periodically, the allowance will be decreased by SEK 1 000. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction is SEK 900 instead.

10B. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with two children
Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

5 900

058 500

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 000

2 300

2 500

2 800

3 000

3 200

75 000

1 000

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 000

2 300

2 500

2 800

3 000

100 000

600

800

1 100

1 300

1 600

1 800

2 100

2 300

2 500

125 000

200

400

700

900

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 100

150 000

300

500

800

1 000

1 300

1 500

1 700

175 000

100

300

600

800

1 100

1 300

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

5 900

200 000

200

400

700

900

225 000

300

500

Families with three or more children [Familjer med tre eller flera barn]
If one of the children lives with you only periodically, the specified housing allowance will be reduced by SEK 400. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction will instead be SEK 300. If two of the children only live with you periodically, the allowance will be reduced by SEK 700. The rounding-off rules may mean that the reduction will instead be SEK 600. If all of the children live with you at times, the allowance will be reduced by SEK 1 300.
10C. Housing allowance in SEK per month families with three or more children
Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

6 000

6 600

058 500

1 700

2 000

2 200

2 500

2 700

3 000

3 200

3 500

3 700

4 000

75 000

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

2 400

2 700

2 900

3 200

3 400

3 700

100 000

1 000

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 000

2 300

2 500

2 800

3 000

3 300

125 000

600

800

1 100

1 300

1 600

1 800

2 100

2 300

2 600

2 900

150 000

200

400

700

900

1 200

1 400

1 700

1 900

2 200

2 500

Housing allowance qualifying income, SEK/year

Allowance qualifying housing cost, SEK per month

2 000

2 500

3 000

3 500

4 000

4 500

5 000

5 500

6 000

6 600

175 000

300

500

800

1 000

1 300

1 500

1 800

2 100

200 000

100

300

600

800

1 100

1 300

1 600

225 000

200

400

700

900

1 200

250 000

300

500

800

275 000

100

400

Frskringskassan checks [Frskringskassan kontrollerar]

Frskringskassan checks the information you provide such as income, absence from work, civil status or where you live. We exchange information with other authorities and match data from, among others, the National Board of Student Aid [CSN], the unemployment funds and the Tax Agency. It may be a criminal offence to deliberately provide incorrect information or fail to notify changes which may affect your entitlement to compensation. Frskringskassan reports all suspected cases of benefit fraud to the police.