“Jag vabbar idag” is one of the most common messages in Swedish working life. Here is what it means, who pays, the rules a resident parent has to follow, what changed in 2026, and why so many desks stand empty every February.
When you need this
A Swedish colleague, landlord or tour contact cancels with “jag vabbar” or simply “VAB”. Your February project keeps losing people at short notice. You’ve just started a job in Sweden and the preschool phones to say your child has a fever. A grandparent is visiting and you wonder whether they could stay home instead. Or you forgot to apply for a vab day and want to know if it’s too late.
What vab is
Vab is short for vård av barn, “care of a child”. The legal name of the benefit is tillfällig föräldrapenning (temporary parental benefit), and it is paid by Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. A parent who has to stay away from work because a child under 12 is ill or infected is entitled to it, and so is a parent whose child’s ordinary carer falls ill. The word has become a verb, vabba, and nobody asks for details when a colleague uses it.
It is income replacement, not a flat allowance. Vab is calculated like sickness benefit, at a little under 80% of your usual income, up to a ceiling. Unlike adult sick leave, there is no karensavdrag (the deduction for the first sick day; see sick leave in Sweden).
Two legal pillars hold the system up:
- The money comes from chapter 13 of the Social Insurance Code (Socialförsäkringsbalken).
- The time off comes from the Parental Leave Act, which gives every employee the right to leave while receiving the benefit and forbids the employer to treat them worse for it. A dismissal made solely because of such leave is declared invalid if the employee asks.
Who can claim it, and who can’t
Vab is social insurance, so the question is whether you are insured in Sweden, and whether you have paid work to give up.
| You are… | Can you get vab? |
|---|---|
| A tourist or short-term visitor | No. You are not insured in Sweden, and nothing is paid for lost time |
| A resident who works in Sweden | Yes, if the child lives in Sweden, the EU/EEA or Switzerland |
| An EU citizen who lives abroad but works in Sweden | Normally yes: within the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK you are insured where you work |
| Waiting for a residence permit | Usually no benefits while you wait |
| A student without a job | Normally no: studies count as work only if you keep full pay while studying |
| A grandparent or neighbor | Yes, if insured in Sweden, with a Swedish income basis (SGI), and staying home from their own job |
The last row is the one visiting families ask about most. A parent may hand the vab right to another insured person who stays home from work instead. But a grandparent who flew in from abroad, or who is retired, has no Swedish work income to replace, so they can help but receive nothing. The first time a substitute takes over, they phone Försäkringskassan to register the child.
The rules in one table
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Age | From 240 days (about 8 months) until the day before the child turns 12 |
| Under 240 days | Only if childcare is permanently arranged, or the child is cared for in hospital or equivalent care at home |
| During parental leave | Not paid for time when parental benefit would otherwise be paid, unless the child is in hospital |
| Days per child per year | 120: the first 60 for any qualifying reason, the last 60 only when the child itself is ill or infected (or for BVC and doctor-visit reasons), not when the ordinary carer is ill |
| Part days | Whole, three-quarter, half, quarter or one-eighth days |
| Certificate | From day 8 of illness, from a doctor or nurse; unclaimed days still count towards the seven |
| Age 12 to 16 | Only with a proven need for extra care because of illness or disability; doctor’s certificate from day 1 |
| Seriously ill child under 18 | Unlimited days, with a doctor’s statement |
Qualifying reasons for a child under 12 also include visits to BVC, the child health clinics, and staying home with one child while the other parent takes a sibling to the doctor. Since 1 January 2026 the list includes meetings at preschool or school caused by a child’s illness or disability, introducing staff to a child’s self-care needs, and social-services investigations. From 2 January 2027 it will also cover taking part in certain social-services interventions.
How a resident parent takes vab
- Tell your employer that morning. For illness or infection, the Parental Leave Act sets no notice period at all.
- Keep the child home until 1177’s return guidance is met: fever-free for at least a day without fever-reducing medicine, and two full days after vomiting or diarrhea before going back to preschool (one day for school).
- Count the days. If the illness lasts more than seven days, get a certificate from a doctor or nurse for day 8 onward.
- Apply afterwards on Försäkringskassan’s Mina sidor, in the app or on a paper form, within 30 days of the first day at home.
- Wait for payment, which comes in arrears on the 25th of the month.
Unemployed parents tick the box for it in the application and report the vab in their time report if they receive a-kassa. Two common mistakes: never work for pay on a day you claim vab, and don’t assume parental leave and vab can run on the same day. Försäkringskassan says the classic error is being paid salary for the same time, and in April 2026 it proposed checking every application against employer absence data. That is a proposal, not yet law.
Parents can split the 120 days between them or take alternate days, and part-day vab lets one of you work a morning and take over in the afternoon. Planning a holiday? Vab during a holiday works only in Sweden, another EU/EEA country, Switzerland or the UK, and you must first contact your employer and interrupt the holiday.
New in 2026: the 30-day deadline
This is the change most English-language explainers have missed. For vab days from 1 April 2026, Försäkringskassan pays no further back than 30 days before your application arrives. It used to be 90.
Late applications are paid only for exceptional reasons, such as being too ill yourself to apply. The limit does not apply while a child is seriously ill, or to days after a child’s death. If you are reading a guide that says “you have three months”, it was written before the law changed. The practical fix is simple: apply for each episode as soon as the child is well again.
Vabruari: why offices empty in February
Almost every small child in Sweden goes to förskola (preschool), and both parents usually work. Preschools send feverish children home and follow 1177’s return rules, so one winter virus can take a parent out for days, and the next one starts as soon as the child is back.
Försäkringskassan’s statistics show February and March as the most vab-intensive months of the year, hence the joke vabruari. In many municipalities the sportlov winter break falls in the same weeks (see Swedish school holidays), so offices thin out for two reasons at once.
| 2025 figure from Försäkringskassan | Value |
|---|---|
| Vab days paid out | About 6.5 million, around 10% fewer than in 2024 |
| People who received vab | Nearly 846,000 |
| Share of days paid to women | Almost 63% |
| Age with the most vab | Two-year-olds, about 9 days per child |
Vab has fallen every year since 2022, back to roughly pre-pandemic levels. The gender gap has not closed: mothers still take most of the days, just as they take most parental leave.
For a visitor working with Swedes, the lesson is cultural as much as legal. A colleague who vanishes at 8 a.m. with a one-line message isn’t being unreliable: they are using a statutory right that needs no notice (see Swedish work culture). Book February and March meetings with a backup attendee or a video option.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who pays | Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency |
| Pay level | A little under 80% of usual income |
| Income ceiling | 7.5 price base amounts = SEK 444,000 a year in 2026 (price base amount SEK 59,200; checked 2026-10-14) |
| Maximum per vab day | About SEK 1,325 in 2026, as calculated by the insurer Länsförsäkringar (checked 2026-10-14) |
| Karensavdrag | None |
| Days | 120 per child per year (60 + 60) |
| Certificate | From day 8; for ages 12 to 16 from day 1 |
| Deadline | Apply within 30 days of the first day home (days from 1 April 2026) |
| Cost to apply | Free |
| Where | Mina sidor, the Försäkringskassan app, or a paper form |
FAQ
What does VAB mean in Sweden?
Vab stands for vård av barn, care of a child. It is the everyday name for temporary parental benefit, which pays a parent just under 80% of their income to stay home from work with a sick child. Swedes use it as a verb, vabba. When a colleague writes “jag vabbar”, they are home with a sick child and paid by Försäkringskassan.
How many VAB days do you get in Sweden?
Up to 120 days per child per year for a child under 12. The first 60 can be used for any qualifying reason, including the child’s ordinary carer being ill; the last 60 only when the child itself is ill or infected. A seriously ill child under 18 gives an unlimited number of days. Parents share the days.
Can a tourist or visitor get VAB in Sweden?
No. Vab is part of Swedish social insurance, so you must be insured in Sweden, which usually means living or working here, and you must be giving up paid work. A visiting family pays for any care under visitor rules and receives nothing for lost time. EU citizens working in Sweden are normally insured here.
How long do I have to apply for VAB?
Thirty days. For days from 1 April 2026, Försäkringskassan pays no further back than 30 days before your application arrived, down from 90 days. Exceptions need exceptional reasons, such as being too ill to apply yourself. Applications for a seriously ill child have no time limit. Apply on Mina sidor, in the app or on paper.
When do I need a doctor’s note for VAB?
If your child is sick for more than seven days, you need a certificate from a doctor or nurse from day 8. Days you do not claim still count towards those seven. For a child aged 12 to 16, a doctor’s certificate is needed from the first day, and a seriously ill child needs a doctor’s statement.
Why are Swedish offices empty in February?
Because February and March are the peak months for vab. Preschools send children home with fever, and 1177 advises keeping them home until fever-free for a day without medicine. Winter viruses spread through preschools, and both parents usually work. In many municipalities the sportlov winter break falls in the same weeks, so absence doubles. Swedes call it vabruari.
Can a grandparent take VAB instead of the parent?
Yes, if the grandparent is insured in Sweden, has a Swedish income basis (SGI) and stays home from their own work. The parent gives up the vab right and transfers it. The first time, the grandparent phones Försäkringskassan to register the child. A grandparent visiting from abroad or retired has no income to replace.
Related guides
- Parental leave in Sweden — the 480 days that sit beside vab, and why Sweden is full of strollers
- Swedish work culture — why short-notice absence is accepted at work
- Swedish schools for newcomer families — preschool, the place where most vab days begin
- Healthcare as a new resident — where to take a sick child once you live here
- Swedish school holidays — sportlov, the other reason February offices empty
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Socialförsäkringsbalken chapter 13, Föräldraledighetslagen), Försäkringskassan, 1177 and Länsförsäkringar — full register in this topic’s source file. This page explains the system; it is not legal advice, and Försäkringskassan decides each case. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.