You may not be able to keep your full pension, depending on which parts of your pension you have and which country you live in. In order to keep your Swedish pension when you live outside Sweden, you must send us a life certificate every year.
You will keep your income-based pension regardless of where you move
You will keep your income pension, premium pension and supplementary pension regardless of the country you move to or live in.
Guarantee pension when you move
From 2023, you are not entitled to a guarantee pension when you live within the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Also, if you live in the UK or move to another country outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, you are not entitled to a guarantee pension.
If you have a guarantee pension for adjustment pension, the same rules apply as for the guarantee pension for the national public pension.
Income pension complement when you move
The income pension complement is paid as a supplement to the national public pension. The income pension complement can be paid if you live in Sweden or within the EEA or Switzerland (EEA is the EU countries as well as Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) or a country which Sweden has signed social security agreements with. Income pension complement
Housing supplement and financial support for the elderly will end if you move abroad
If you move abroad you are no longer entitled to housing supplement and financial support for the elderly. You are only entitled to these benefits if you reside in Sweden. The housing supplement and financial support for the elderly
Longer or regular stays in other countries may affect your right to a pension, housing supplement and financial support for the elderly
Even if you do not plan to move from Sweden, longer and/or regular stays outside Sweden may affect where you are considered a resident according to the Swedish Pensions Agency. As a result, your rights to a pension and other benefits may be affected. Please contact customer service for more information.
Change address when residing in other countries
You must report if you move to a new address in countries outside Sweden. It is important that the Swedish Pensions Agency has your current address in order for us to be able to send payment statements and a life certificate. Please send your address and Swedish personal identity number or co-ordination number in a signed letter to:
Pensionsmyndigheten
SE-839 77 Östersund
SWEDEN
You can also report a change of address by email. Please send a signed letter with your Swedish personal identity number or co-ordination number and your current address to: international@pensionsmyndigheten.se
Tax for those living outside Sweden
A pension from Sweden is taxable. If you live in another country and have a pension from Sweden, you must normally pay special income tax for non-residents (SINK). Decisions on tax deductions are made by the Swedish Tax Agency and you must apply for special income tax for non-residents at the Swedish Tax Agency. We recommend that you apply for special income tax when you apply for your Swedish pension, that is, about six months before you wish to start withdrawing your pension.
If you have several pension payers in Sweden, they are taxed independently with individual tax decisions. You are responsible for ensuring that enough tax is deducted on your total income.
The special income tax is calculated on your monthly amount after the deduction of a free amount. The free amount corresponds to the basic deduction that you can receive if you are taxed with preliminary tax. You therefore only pay tax on the part of the pension that exceeds the free amount, which usually is 25 percent. Your pension is taxed only to the extent that it exceeds 1/12 of the 0.77 price base amounts each month. The free amount is set each year by the government. For 2022, the free amount is estimated at 48,300 x 0.77 = SEK 37,191/year (SEK 3,099/month).
Example
For a pensioner who has SEK 10,000 in a Swedish national public pension per month before tax, SEK 3,099 is deducted, which constitutes the free amount. From the remaining portion (SEK 6,901), 25 percent is deducted (a total of SEK 1,725), which constitutes the tax deduction. This gives SEK 8,275 in paid national public pension per month after tax in this example.
Avoid paying double tax
Sweden has agreements with many countries that regulate where to pay taxes for your Swedish pension. This means that you should not have to pay tax on your Swedish pension both in Sweden and in the country where you live. If you have questions about tax deductions on pension when residing outside Sweden, please contact the Swedish Tax Agency.
Life certificate
If you live outside Sweden and receive payments from the Swedish Pensions Agency or the Swedish Social Insurance Agency you need to submit a life certificate every year. The reason for this is that we need to get the right information about you so that we can ensure that you receive the compensation you are entitled to. Life certificate
Payment of your pension to another country
You can choose to have your pension paid to your Swedish bank account or to a bank account in another country. The money is sent on the same day as payments are made to Swedish accounts, on the 18th and 19th of each month. If you have an account in a country other than Sweden, please expect a delay of three to five business days before the money is available in your account from the official Swedish date of payment.
A recipient fee may be charged from the recipient bank before the money is deposited into your account. If your desired currency does not work, the Swedish Pensions Agency will determine the currency. If you choose Swedish kronor, it is important to check with your bank that they can receive Swedish kronor.
If you want the payments to be deposited into a different bank account and live in Sweden, the easiest way to report a changed bank account is on the website with the use of an e-ID that is approved in Sweden. If you are not able to log in, you can order a form online or through customer service.
If you live outside Sweden and want to change your bank account, you need to order a form by contacting our customer services.
Foreign-related questions
If you have any other questions, please contact us.
Phone: +46 498-200 700
Email: international@pensionsmyndigheten.se