Child maintenance helps pay for your child’s everyday needs. In Sweden, the amount depends on the child’s costs and what each parent can afford, rather than a fixed percentage of salary.
Sweden · Checked 17 September 2026
Underhållsbidrag is maintenance paid by a parent towards the child’s costs. A parent also contributes through the care and expenses they provide directly.
If the child lives mainly with one parent, the other may need to pay maintenance. A payment can also be relevant with shared residence when the parents’ resources differ significantly.
Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, provides guidance and a calculation tool for the situations it covers. Its standard tool does not calculate alternating-residence cases.
Parents can agree an amount, or the district court can decide a dispute. A regular monthly agreement does not need municipal approval simply because it lasts several years. Special rules apply to lump sums and longer payment periods.
Maintenance is normally paid monthly in advance. Changes in needs or income can make a review necessary. Index adjustments and deductions for longer stays have specific conditions, so they should not be assumed to apply automatically.
For direct enforcement, a written maintenance undertaking witnessed by two people can be used under the relevant rules. A judgment can also be enforced.
The duty normally ends at 18, but can continue during compulsory or upper-secondary education, or comparable basic education, up to 21. University studies alone do not extend it.
After 18, the child normally makes their own agreement or claim and receives the payment. Försäkringskassan’s separate maintenance-support benefit has different rules.
This guide explains general rules and services. It does not assess your individual case.
Information checked on 17 September 2026.
Based on the original article by Elisabeth Scholander.
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