Swedish holiday rights come from one short statute that has not changed since 2014. Here is what it guarantees, why your first summer may be partly unpaid, how holiday pay is calculated, and what the law means for anyone visiting in July.
When you need this
You’ve started a job in Sweden, or are about to, and want to know your holiday rights. Your manager has just posted the summer leave plan and you wonder whether they can simply decide that. Your first July payslip shows unpaid days. You’re leaving a job and want to know what happens to untaken leave. Or you’re planning a trip or a business meeting in July and want to know why everyone is away.
What the law guarantees
The semesterlagen (Annual Leave Act) gives every employee in Sweden three things: holiday leave, holiday pay (semesterlön) while on leave, and holiday compensation in cash (semesterersättning) when a job ends. It is a floor. A contract that gives you less is invalid on that point, while collective agreements can adjust listed details and often add days.
| Right | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Days per year | 25 holiday days per leave year |
| What counts | Weekdays only; public holidays, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are treated as Sundays |
| Result | 25 days equals five full weeks |
| Part-time or irregular hours | Leave scheduled so you get as long a break as a full-timer |
| Starting late | Start after 31 August and you get only five days that leave year |
The law doesn’t care about citizenship. It covers employees working under Swedish employment law, whether they are Swedes, EU citizens or permit holders. Employers who post staff to Sweden from abroad must apply its rules on earning paid days, holiday pay and holiday compensation, whatever law governs the contract. It doesn’t cover the self-employed.
“Thirty days” is a figure you’ll see in many English guides. It isn’t the law. Extra days come from collective agreements or your contract: Swedish state employees, for example, get 28, 31 or 35 days depending on age. Which agreement covers your workplace is explained in unions and collective agreements.
The summer block: four weeks between June and August
Unless otherwise agreed, your leave must be scheduled so you get one period of at least four weeks in June to August. The employer may move it to another time without your agreement only for special reasons.
Who picks the dates? If you and your employer can’t agree, the employer decides, after negotiating with the union or, if there isn’t one, consulting you. An employer who sets the dates must tell you at least two months before the leave starts, or with special reasons at least one month ahead if possible. That is why Swedish summer plans are fixed in spring.
The law says June to August, not July. July is simply where most people end up, partly because many preschools close then.
How holiday pay works
There are two statutory methods, and which one applies depends on how you’re paid.
| Rule | Who it applies to | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Same-salary rule (sammalöneregeln) | Monthly or weekly salary | Your current salary during leave, plus a holiday supplement (semestertillägg) of 0.43% of monthly salary (1.82% of weekly salary) per paid holiday day |
| Percentage rule (procentregeln) | Hourly pay, large variable pay, changing hours, some absences | 12% of your earnings in the earning year |
Over 25 days, the 0.43% supplement adds up to at least 10.75% of a monthly salary on top of your normal pay. Holiday pay is paid together with the leave, not as a lump sum in June, although a collective agreement may set other timing. Many agreements pay more than the statutory minimum.
Some absences count as if you’d worked when holiday pay is earned: sickness up to 180 days, parental leave up to 120 days per child (180 for a single parent), and leave to study Swedish for immigrants (SFI). See parental leave in Sweden for that system.
Your first year: why some days are unpaid
This is the rule that surprises newcomers. Swedish holiday runs on two years: paid days are earned during an earning year (intjänandeår) and taken during the following leave year (semesterår), which runs from 1 April to 31 March. Collective agreements may set a different arrangement.
You get the right to the leave days at once, but the number of paid days is 25 times the share of the earning year you were employed, rounded up. Start in January and your first summer may be mostly obetald semester, unpaid holiday. Paid days are laid out first, and you may decline the unpaid ones if you’d rather work.
Tip: Ask HR how many paid and unpaid days you have before the summer plan is set. If you’re new, budget for a thinner July payslip. See moving to Sweden for work for the rest of the first-month paperwork.
Saving days
If you have more than 20 paid holiday days in a year, you may save the extra days to a later year. With the standard 25, that’s up to five days a year. The rules:
- Saved days must be used within five years, with a sixth year only by agreement in special cases.
- You can’t save days in a year when you take out saved days.
- Tell your employer when the year’s leave is being planned; saved days taken on their own need two months’ notice, unless otherwise agreed.
Several guides describe this as “up to five days carried over by mutual agreement”. In fact it’s a right, not a favor, and it covers every paid day above 20. The flip side: days you neither take nor save are not simply paid out in cash while you’re still employed. Plan to take at least 20 paid days every year.
Sick on holiday, and leaving a job
If you fall ill during your holiday, days when you couldn’t have worked aren’t counted as holiday days, provided you ask without delay. The remaining days are then rescheduled. Employers usually ask for proof; sick leave in Sweden covers the rules on doctor’s notes.
When a job ends, earned holiday pay you haven’t received becomes semesterersättning. It’s calculated like holiday pay and must be paid no later than one month after the employment ends. For jobs meant to last three months or less, you can agree to take no leave at all and get the compensation instead, which is common in seasonal jobs.
Warning: Claims for unpaid holiday pay, compensation or damages must be filed within two years after the end of the relevant leave year. After that the right is lost. An employer who breaks the act owes damages too, which can reflect the lost rest, not just the money.
What it means for visitors
Put millions of employees on a rule that defaults to four summer weeks, add preschools that close in July, and the country goes on holiday together. Isof, the state language and folklore institute, describes industrisemester as the period when most people take their holiday. SCB counted about 2.1 million people away for a whole week in July 2026, out of roughly 5.5 million employed, and 1.39 million in August.
For a visitor that means:
- Open: shops, public transport and attractions.
- Thinner: offices, paperwork and some restaurants. Small businesses may hang a semesterstängt (closed for summer holiday) sign, and some shut for the whole month.
- Plan ahead: meetings, paperwork and handovers belong in June or August, and Swedes fix their own July plans by spring, so book early.
The full picture is in industrisemester: why Sweden slows down in July, and the work-culture side in Swedish work culture.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory leave | 25 days a year; weekends and public holidays don’t count | 2026-10-14 |
| Summer block | At least four consecutive weeks in June–August, unless agreed otherwise | 2026-10-14 |
| Holiday supplement (same-salary rule) | At least 0.43% of monthly salary per paid holiday day | 2026-10-14 |
| Holiday pay (percentage rule) | 12% of earnings in the earning year | 2026-10-14 |
| Leave year | 1 April to 31 March, unless an agreement says otherwise | 2026-10-14 |
| Saving | Days above 20; use within five years | 2026-10-14 |
| Final payout | Within one month after the job ends | 2026-10-14 |
| Claim deadline | Two years after the end of the leave year | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
How many vacation days do you get in Sweden?
By law, 25 days a year, which is five weeks because weekends, public holidays, Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve don’t count as holiday days. Part-timers get an equally long break. Many collective agreements give more: Swedish state employees, for example, get 28 to 35 days depending on age. A contract offering less than the law is invalid on that point.
Can my employer decide when I take my holiday in Sweden?
Partly. If you can’t agree, the employer decides, after negotiating with the union or consulting you. But unless otherwise agreed, you must get at least four consecutive weeks between June and August, and the employer must tell you the dates at least two months ahead, or one month if there are special reasons. If you fall ill on holiday, ask straight away to have those days rescheduled.
How is Swedish holiday pay calculated?
Monthly-paid staff usually keep their normal salary during leave plus a holiday supplement of at least 0.43% of monthly salary for each paid holiday day: the same-salary rule. Hourly and variable earners get 12% of the previous earning year’s pay instead: the percentage rule. Holiday pay is paid together with the leave. Collective agreements often pay more than the statutory minimum.
Can I save vacation days in Sweden?
Yes. If you have more than 20 paid holiday days in a year, you may save the extra days, which means up to five a year with the standard 25. Saved days must be used within five years. You cannot save in a year when you take out saved days, and you tell your employer when the year’s leave is being planned.
Do new employees get paid vacation in their first year in Sweden?
You get the days, but not all the pay. Paid days are earned during the April-to-March earning year before, in proportion to the time you were employed, so a newcomer’s first summer is often partly unpaid leave. You may decline unpaid days. Someone starting after 31 August gets only five days that leave year. Collective agreements may use a different leave year.
What happens to unused vacation days when I leave a job in Sweden?
Earned holiday pay you haven’t received is paid out as holiday compensation, semesterersättning, calculated like holiday pay and due no later than one month after the job ends. For jobs meant to last at most three months, you can agree to take no leave and get the compensation instead. Claims must be brought within two years after the end of the relevant leave year.
Why is Sweden so quiet in July?
Because the law’s default puts four consecutive weeks of everyone’s leave in June to August, and many preschools close in July, much of the country goes on holiday at the same time. SCB counted about 2.1 million people away for a whole week in July 2026. Shops, transport and attractions stay open; offices, some restaurants and small businesses thin out or close.
Related guides
- Industrisemester: why Sweden slows down in July — what the July effect means when you travel
- Swedish work culture — hours, fika and the empty office at five
- Seasonal jobs in Sweden — holiday compensation on short contracts
- Moving to Sweden for work — the rest of your first month
- Swedish public holidays — the days that never count as leave
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Semesterlag 1977:480, Lag 1999:678), Unionen, Lund University, Isof, SCB and sweden.se — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.