Financial support and benefits - Efterlevandeguiden

Survivor's pension and survivor's support are intended to replace part of the household income lost when a spouse, registered partner or parent dies. Government agencies, municipalities and insurance companies are automatically informed of the death if it occurs in Sweden.

If you are entitled to financial support

If you live in Sweden, your entitlement to a survivor's pension and survivor's support is assessed automatically and you will receive a decision. The decision will state how much you will receive each month and how long the payments will continue.

If you live abroad, or if the deceased never lived in Sweden, you need to contact the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten) yourself.

Benefits and pensions after a death

If the deceased was receiving benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) or the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten), the payments will stop automatically.

If you receive a national retirement pension, it will be recalculated automatically if you were living with the deceased at the time of death. If you also receive housing supplement or income support for the elderly, these will also be recalculated.

On the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's website, you can read about benefits that may be available if you have lost someone close to you or someone with whom you have children.

If you have lost a close relative (forsakringskassan.se, in Swedish) External link.

You may be entitled to financial support

There may be financial support that you are entitled to as a survivor. What may be available depends on the insurance policies and pension protection the deceased had, including whether the deceased:

had survivor's protection for their pensions
had an occupational or collective pension through their employer, in which case you may be entitled to a survivor's pension from the occupational pension provider
had a private pension insurance policy, in which case you may be entitled to financial support from the insurance company if you are the beneficiary
lived or worked in other countries, in which case you may be entitled to a survivor's pension from one or more of those countries
died as a result of an occupational injury, in which case a survivor may be entitled to an annuity and the estate may be entitled to funeral assistance from the Swedish Pensions Agency

Payments from insurance companies

The deceased's insurance companies are required to notify the estate if the person was insured with them and what insurance policies they had. Older policies with insurance companies that are no longer operating may have been transferred to another insurer. There is no central register of individual insurance policies, so you may also need to investigate whether the deceased had any insurance.

Insurance in an estate (konsumenternas.se, in Swedish) External link.

Financial support from the Swedish Pensions Agency

A spouse or child who is entitled to a survivor's pension or survivor's support will usually receive the benefit automatically without having to apply. In some cases, however, an application is required.

Pensioners may be entitled to housing supplement

As a surviving pensioner, you may be entitled to housing supplement and income support for the elderly from the Swedish Pensions Agency. Your income, assets, debts and housing costs affect how much housing supplement you may receive.

For single pensioners, the maximum housing supplement is SEK 7,290 per month.

If you already receive housing supplement, it will be recalculated automatically when someone you live with dies.

You need to report changes, for example if you inherit money or receive a lump-sum payment from a life insurance policy.

Survivor’s pensions from other countries

If the deceased lived or worked in other countries, you may be entitled to a survivor's pension from one or more of those countries. Contact the Swedish Pensions Agency to find out what applies and how to apply.

Contact details for the Swedish Pensions Agency (pensionsmyndigheten.se, in Swedish) External link.

Benefits through an employer

Most people who have worked have had some form of occupational insurance through their employment that may provide benefits in the event of death. What may be payable depends on the agreements entered into by the employer. Most employers have insurance known as TGL, occupational group life insurance. Contact the deceased's employer and trade union to find out what applies in your case.

Life insurance (konsumenternas.se, in Swedish) External link.

Check whether there are any insurance policies

When someone dies, there may be insurance policies that provide financial support to survivors. These may include life insurance, occupational group life insurance through an employer or insurance linked to trade union membership. To avoid missing any benefits, it is a good idea to systematically check which insurance policies the deceased may have had.

Look for insurance policy documents
Check bank statements for payments to insurance companies
Contact the deceased's employer and trade union
Contact the major insurance companies
Check whether there are pension insurance policies that provide benefits to survivors
Contact Trygg Hansa or SEB TryggLiv if you find any policies taken out with a company that has ceased trading.

Life insurance and beneficiaries

Life insurance can provide a payout to survivors upon a person's death. If a life insurance policy does not have a named beneficiary, the funds are paid to the estate and subsequently distributed among the heirs. Most people who have worked have had some form of collectively agreed insurance through their employer that can provide a payout in the event of death.

Different types of life insurance, group insurance and beneficiaries (konsumenternas.se) External link.