Absence from work that qualifies for holiday pay
If you are off work without pay, that time does not usually contribute to your holiday pay allocation. However, some absence from work does qualify for holiday pay according to the Holiday Act, semesterlagen, (in Swedish) or according to a collective agreement, for example Villkorsavtal-T (in Swedish) for employees within the state sector. Here are the most common forms of absence that will contribute towards your holiday pay allocation.
Illness and occupational injury
If you are fully or partially on sick leave from your work, you earn full holiday during the first 180 calendar days of your period of illness during the same earning year, (normally the same as the calendar year). These 180 days also include non-working days. If you are on part-time sick leave after 180 days have passed, you accumulate holiday pay for the time you are still working.
If you have been on full or partial sick leave for an entire earning year, sick leave no longer qualifies you for holiday pay. If your absence is interrupted and you are back at work for more than 14 days, a new holiday pay qualifying period begins, but a maximum of 180 days per earning year can be used to qualify for holiday pay.
Absence due to an occupational injury qualifies you for holiday pay until you have been completely or partially absent for an entire earning year.
Parental leave
Parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child qualifies you for holiday pay for the first 120 days that you take parental benefit, (for the first 180 days for single parents). This applies regardless of whether your parental benefit is at sickness benefit level, basic level or minimum level.
The same applies if you need take leave with temporary parental benefit, for example to care for a sick child (VAB) or for the first ten days after the child's birth. Also in this case, a maximum of 120 days per earning year qualifies you for holiday pay, (180 days for single parents).
According to Villkorsavtal-T (in Swedish), you also earn holiday for the days when supplementary parental benefit is paid. Supplementary parental benefit is paid for the days you receive parental benefit from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Please note, however, that days with only one-eighth of parental benefit do not contribute to your holiday pay allocation if you are on full-time parental leave. In some cases, there are other provisions in local collective agreements which mean that a certain number of days of parental leave qualify for holiday pay, even if parental benefit has not been taken out.
If you are on part-time parental leave, you will continue to earn holiday during that time, regardless of whether you take out parental benefit or not.
If you have been granted maternity allowance during pregnancy and are off work, these days qualify you for holiday pay.
Holiday leave
Holiday leave also contributes to your holiday pay allocation. This also applies if you take unpaid holiday leave.
Other forms of absence
Other forms of leave where you earn holiday are:
- Leave when you are receiving contagious disease carrier allowance, for up to 180 days
- Leave in accordance with the Care of Relatives Act, for up to 45 days
- Leave of absence for trade union education, for up to 180 days
- Leave for reimbursable sign language training for certain parents, (TUFF), for up to 180 days
- Leave for basic training for up to 60 days or refresher training in accordance with the Compulsory Military Service Act (1994:1809) if the absence during the earning year does not exceed 60 days
- Leave in accordance with the Right to Leave for Education in Swedish for Immigrants Act.
According to Villkorsavtal-T (in Swedish), leave for central trade union assignments also qualifies for holiday pay.
Leave for short-time working also qualifies for holiday. However, public sector employers are not eligible for short-time working support.