VAB Calculator – Child Care Leave

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: You are entitled to 120 VAB days per year per child up to 12 years of age. These days are shared between parents.

Extended VAB: In cases of serious illness or disability, you may be entitled to additional days.

Medical certificate: Normally no medical certificate is required, but Försäkringskassan may request one if needed.

One parent per day: Only one parent can receive VAB per day (with exceptions for special cases).

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?" No, VAB cannot be combined with parental benefit or unemployment benefit.

"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.

"What happens if the child gets sick during vacation?" You cannot receive VAB during your vacation days. VAB is intended for working days.

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.