VAB: Calculate Benefits and Understand Your Rights
Care of sick child (VAB - vård av barn) is something most parents encounter – your child gets sick, you need to stay home from work, and Försäkringskassan pays benefits. But how much do you actually receive? And how do you best plan for a reasonable economy when your child is at home?
With our VAB calculator you can:
- calculate daily and total benefits before and after tax
- see how different withdrawal levels (full day, half day, etc.) affect your benefits
- plan financially for periods when you need to stay home with a sick child
- understand how your salary and tax rate affect VAB benefits
Start with Correct Information
For a reasonable calculation you need to know:
- Gross monthly salary: Your salary before tax, which forms the basis for SGI
- VAB portion per day: 100% = full day, 50% = half day, 25% = quarter day
- Number of VAB days: How many days you plan to be home
- Tax rate: Expected tax rate for preliminary tax (often around 30%)
How VAB Benefits Work
VAB benefits are calculated as:
- For an employee, a full day is estimated as annual SGI × 0.97 × 80% / 260
- Adjusted by withdrawal level (100% for full day, 50% for half day)
- Tax is deducted according to your preliminary tax rate
Example: With a monthly salary of SEK 35,000 and a full-day claim, the estimate is about SEK 1,254 before tax ((35,000 × 12 × 0.97 × 0.8) / 260).
Important Limitations and Rules
Number of days: Normally, up to 120 VAB days per child and year are shared by everyone caring for that child. Special rules apply in cases such as serious illness.
Extended VAB: In cases of serious illness or disability, you may be entitled to additional days.
Medical certificate: If a child under 12 is ill for more than seven days, a doctor or nurse must provide a certificate from the eighth calendar day of the care period. Weekends and days without a VAB claim also count.
Sharing VAB: You can split the day, but normally cannot both receive VAB for the same child at the same time. Exceptions apply, for example when the child is admitted to hospital. Check the conditions with Försäkringskassan.
Flexible Withdrawal and Planning
You can take VAB part-time which provides different benefits:
- 100% (full day): Full benefits but fewer calendar days
- 50% (half day): Half benefits but twice as many calendar days
- 25% (quarter day): Quarter benefits but four times as many calendar days
This makes it possible to combine VAB with part-time work or spread out the days over a longer period.
Interpreting the Results
The calculator shows:
- Daily benefit (gross and net): What you receive per day before and after tax
- Total benefit (gross and net): Total for all days you specified
- Net amount: After preliminary tax according to your specified tax rate
Note that these are preliminary amounts. Final tax is calculated at year-end based on your total income.
Common Questions and Mistakes
"Do I get VAB if I'm on parental leave?" If you are unemployed, you may qualify for VAB when you give up unemployment benefit to care for your child. During parental leave, VAB can replace parental benefit if the child is admitted to hospital. You cannot receive these benefits for the same time.
"Can I maximize my VAB benefit?" Your benefit is based on the SGI set by Försäkringskassan. For VAB, no more than 7.5 price base amounts are counted—SEK 444,000 per year in 2026.
"Do both parents have to share VAB days equally?" No, you decide yourselves how to distribute the 120 days between you.
Tips for Planning VAB
- Calculate different scenarios (full day vs half day)
- Consider that the tax rate can significantly affect your final net amount
- Keep track of how many VAB days you have left during the year
- Communicate with your employer about how to handle VAB reporting
- Always apply through Försäkringskassan even if your employer has their own systems
Important to Know
This calculator provides a preliminary estimate based on simplified calculation. Actual benefits from Försäkringskassan may vary depending on your actual SGI assessment and other factors. Always verify terms and current information with Försäkringskassan.