Changes to terms and conditions 2026
Changes to terms and conditions of employment for government employees.
During the autumn of 2025, the Swedish Agency for Government Employers (Arbetsgivarverket) and the central trade union organisations Saco-S, OFR/S, P, O and Seko concluded agreements that affect the terms and conditions of employment for government employees. The changes apply, among other things, to the General Conditions Agreements (Villkorsavtalen) and the occupational pension agreement PA16, and entered into force on 1 January 2026. In addition, the state Job Transition Agreement (Omställningsavtalet) has undergone certain changes effective as of 1 October 2025.
New compensation and limit for additional hours (mertid)
There are new provisions regarding compensation for additional hours under the central General Conditions Agreements (including several changes in Chapter 4). The change aims to align the regulations with EU law and ensure that employees working part-time receive compensation equivalent to overtime work. This means that, as of 1 January 2026, additional hours are compensated in the same way as overtime. The difference in compensation levels between additional hours and overtime is thus eliminated.
- The maximum number of additional hours is increased to 200 hours per year.
- As a part-time worker, you may work a total of no more than 200 hours per year in additional hours and overtime combined.
Revised definition of immediate family for leave related to so called family matters
The General Conditions Agreements (Chapter 9, Section 2) now include a new definition of immediate family, which forms the basis for granting leave. The family relationships covered are:
- spouse, registered partner, or cohabiting partner in a marriage-like relationship
- parents, grandparents, foster parents, parents-in-law
- children, grandchildren and siblings
In cases of funerals, estate inventories or inheritance distributions, the following are also included: uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
The terms parent, child and sibling also include adults and children who have a corresponding close family relationship within an actual family community, regardless of legal or biological ties.
Exchange of holiday allowance for three additional days of leave
The option to exchange the holiday allowance for three additional days of leave has now also been introduced in the General Conditions Agreements with OFR/S, P, O and Seko. This option has previously existed in the agreement with Saco-S, but now applies to all employees at the university.
Holiday exchange means that, under certain conditions, an employee may enter into an individual agreement with the university to waive the holiday allowance in exchange for three additional days of leave. This requires, among other things, that the following conditions are met:
- The employer assesses that, for operational reasons or needs, it is possible to schedule such leave during the relevant holiday year.
- The employee has no more than five saved holiday days at the start of the holiday year to which the exchange applies.
- The employee has no planned longer period of absence during the holiday year.
Application to exchange the vacation allowance for three days off must be submitted no later than December 1 to apply for the coming year.
Increased contributions to flexible retirement (flexpension)
The changes to the pension agreement PA16 mean that the contribution to flexible retirement will gradually be increased to 2.0 percent in the long term. Over the next two years, the contribution will be increased stepwise by two-tenths of a percentage point.
- As of 1 January 2026, the contribution to flexible old-age pension increases to 1.6 percent.
- As of 1 October 2026, the contribution increases further to 1.7 percent.
For employees born before 1966 who are currently covered by transitional provisions and have a contribution to flexible old-age pension of 0.5 percent, the contribution will instead be 0.6 percent from 1 January 2026 and 0.7 percent from 1 October 2026.
Extended protection under the Transition Agreement (Omställningsavtalet)
Within the framework of the Transition Agreement, extended protection is introduced and clarified:
- A dismissed employee may again be covered by the Transition Agreement if the individual obtains a new permanent position without a transition agreement (or only with basic support) and subsequently faces redundancy again within a specified time frame.
- Extended protection may also apply if a business started with support from the Job Security Foundation (Trygghetsstiftelsen) ceases operations.
- The employer may apply the Transition Agreement even when employment ends following a negative security clearance. In such cases, the employer must notify the Job Security Foundation.
Parental insurance for accompanying partners of posted employees or employees living abroad
As of 1 January 2026, a new application of certain rules within the parental insurance system applies to employees who accompany a posted employee and who themselves are government employees fully on leave from their position, as well as to employees living in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
Those affected must take parental benefit in a specific way in order to remain insured in Sweden. The rules apply to children born on 1 January 2026 or later.
Please contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) for further information and individual planning.
Holiday pay guarantee – new amounts
In the General Conditions Agreements, Chapter 5, Section 14, the holiday pay guarantee – i.e. the minimum compensation per holiday day – is increased as follows:
- SEK 1,709 per holiday day as of 1 January 2026
- SEK 1,759 per holiday day as of 1 January 2027.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding these changes, you are welcome to contact your advisor at the Human Resources Office.