Sweden - Housing allowance

This chapter describes the benefit you can get to pay for your accommodation if you have a low income. It explains the difference between different types of housing assistance, the conditions for obtaining them and how to apply.

The chapter includes:

housing allowance for young people (bostadsbidrag till unga)
housing allowance for families with children (bostadsbidrag till barnfamiljer)
housing supplement (bostadstillägg)

In what situation can I claim?

Housing allowance (bostadsbidrag) is an allowance for those who need assistance to pay their rent or monthly fees for their accommodation. The benefit consists of four parts. The first part is an allowance towards housing costs for families with children and for persons between the age of 18 and 28 who do not have children. The second part is a special allowance for families with children who live the majority of the time in the household. The third part is a special allowance for households with children with alternating residences and the last one is an access allowance if a child lives with the parents only sometimes. If you receive or have received sickness or activity compensation, you can also receive housing supplement. If you are a pensioner, you can get similar support in the form of housing supplement, which is administered by the Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten). It does not matter whether you own or rent your accommodation in order to get these benefits. The conditions vary slightly depending on what kind of housing you are looking for, but the basic rule is that you should have a low income.

What conditions do I need to meet?

Housing allowance for young people

If you are between 18 and 28, you can get housing allowance for housing costs exceeding SEK 1,800 and for a maximum surface area of 60 m2 of dwelling space. The most you can receive is SEK 1,300. You must live and be registered at the address where you are applying for the allowance. There are some exceptions to this requirement.

If you live alone, you must earn less than SEK 86,720 in the year in which you apply for the allowance. If you are married or cohabiting, your combined income must be less than SEK 103,720. Income may in this case be salary, but it also includes other remuneration such as scholarships and study grants.

Housing allowance for families with children

If you have children under the age of 18 who live with you, you can get housing allowance for housing costs and an allowance because children live or stay to various extents in the household. The amount of the allowance depends on housing costs, the size of the home, household income and number of children. Children older than 18 can be counted if they are in receipt of study help or extended child allowance. There is no upper age limit for receiving extended child allowance.

Housing supplement

Pensioners can receive housing supplement. You can read more about this in the chapter on Survivor's protection and other benefits for pensioners.

If you are receiving sickness or activity compensation you may also receive housing supplement if you are resident in Sweden. If you can no longer get activity compensation because you have turned 30, you can get housing supplement if you are resident in Sweden. This is in addition to your sickness benefit, rehabilitation allowance or activity grant if you are on an introduction to working life.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

How much you receive can vary depending on your income and assets, your housing costs, the size of your home and how many children you have. If you are married or cohabiting, an overall assessment of your joint finances will be made. If you are seeking housing allowance or housing supplement, you can get an estimate of how much money you will receive on the Swedish Social Insurance Agency website.

Housing allowance is based on the income you think you will receive during the year. If you earn more or less than that amount, you can pay back or get more retrospectively.

Housing supplement is based on the income you think you will receive in the upcoming 12 months.