If you are over 65

Last updated: 12/5-2023

If you are over 65 years old and no longer want to work, or are unable to work, you can apply for financial support from the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten). This is known as going into retirement.

Financial support from the Swedish Pensions Agency

What type of financial support you can get from the Pensions Agency depends on:

  • How long you have been living in Sweden. This is known as duration of residence (bosättningstid).
  • If you have been granted a residence permit as a refugee.
  • If you have earned any money working during the time you've been living in Sweden.

The length of time you've been living in Sweden and the amount of money you've earned from work are what determine whether you are eligible for a pension.

If you are not eligible for a pension

If your pension will be very small, or if you aren't eligible for any pension at all, you may be entitled to other forms of support from the Pensions Agency:

  • supplementary housing benefit
  • financial support for the elderly

How to apply for financial support from the Swedish Pensions Agency

You apply for a pension by filling in a special form, and you apply for supplementary housing benefit and financial support for the elderly by filling in another. You should submit both application forms to the Pensions Agency at the same time.

The easiest way to do it is to apply for a pension, supplementary housing benefit and financial support for the elderly on the Pension Agency's website.

The Pensions Agency will examine your application and determine whether you are eligible for any financial support. Once the matter of your pension has been decided, and you've been informed of the decision, the Pensions Agency will determine whether you are eligible for supplementary housing benefit and financial support for the elderly or not. These forms of support are based partly on your income and housing costs.

You have to apply for financial support for the elderly every year

Financial support for the elderly is granted for a maximum of twelve months at a time. This means that you have to apply for financial support for the elderly every year. You only need to apply once for a pension and supplementary housing benefit.

Pension from another country

The Pensions Agency will help you apply for a pension, if you are eligible for it, from other countries in the European Union (EU) as well as from certain other countries that Sweden has agreements with. Tell the Pensions Agency which countries you have lived and worked in.