How do you hire a Swedish employee in 2026?
Sweden's Employment Protection Act (LAS) caps probation at 6 months. No collective agreement or individual contract can extend it. LAS protection also applies from day one of employment, so the hire and onboarding steps must be right from the start.
· Sweden guide
Illustration · Stockholm, Sweden
The Sweden hire process has five steps. Offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment contract, onboarding registration, first payday.
Probation is capped at 6 months by law. No contract or collective agreement can go beyond that. Either side can end the employment during probation with 14 days notice.
LAS employment protection applies from day one. There is no qualifying period before an employee gains rights. Getting the contract and onboarding right from the start is not optional.
What does the end-to-end Sweden hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Offer letter, work-authorisation check, written contract, onboarding registration, first payday.
The key constraint is probation. It is hard-capped at 6 months and LAS protection runs from day one.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, and key terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Verify right to work in Sweden: EU/EEA citizen, or valid Swedish residence and work permit for non-EU nationals | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Signed employment contract covering all required terms; collective agreement reference where applicable | Teamed (legal employer) | Before or on day one |
| 4. Onboarding registration | Register with Skatteverket (tax agency), collect personnummer (personal identity number), set up social-insurance records | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, Arbetsgivardeklaration filed with Skatteverket | Teamed | End of first calendar month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, probation of up to 6 months, probation notice of 14 days, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or collective agreement coverage.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Check identity documents for EU and EEA nationals, or verify the Swedish residence permit for non-EU nationals, before the employee starts. Record the document details and retain a copy.
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Issue the written employment contract
The signed employment contract must be issued before or on day one. It must cover pay, hours, leave of 25 days, notice periods, probation cap of 6 months, and any collective agreement reference. Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete onboarding registration
Collect the personnummer, confirm collective agreement coverage, register with Skatteverket, enrol in the occupational pension scheme, and collect bank details. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file tax return
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. File the Arbetsgivardeklaration with Skatteverket by the 12th of the following month. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Swedish offer letter include?
An offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Standard inclusions: role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working hours, location, probation period of up to 6 months, notice during probation of 14 days, and any conditions such as work-authorisation.
Three traps to avoid in Swedish offer letters:
- Omitting the collective agreement reference. Sweden has around 700 sector-level collective agreements (kollektivavtal) covering roughly 90% of the workforce. If the employee falls under one, the offer letter must not undercut its minimum terms. Teamed checks coverage before drafting.
- Setting probation beyond six months. The LAS cap is absolute. A clause extending probation past 6 months is simply not valid. Including it creates confusion without adding protection.
- Quoting benefits as guaranteed entitlements. Discretionary bonuses or benefits that are described as fixed can become contractual entitlements. Keep discretionary items clearly labelled as such.
Teamed's standard Swedish offer letter covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed holds the legal-employer position and checks collective agreement coverage before the letter goes out.
Sweden work-authorisation checks
Every employer must check that a new hire has the right to work in Sweden before the start date.
EU and EEA nationals can work freely in Sweden without a separate permit. Non-EU nationals must hold a valid Swedish residence permit that explicitly authorises work.
EU and EEA nationals
Citizens of EU and EEA member states have the right to live and work in Sweden without a work permit. The employer checks and retains a copy of the passport or national identity card before the employee starts. No government portal or online system is required for this check.
Non-EU nationals
Third-country nationals must hold a Swedish residence permit (uppehallstillstand) with an explicit authorisation to work before they begin employment. The employer checks the permit, records the permit type and expiry date, and retains a copy. Employment without a valid permit is an offence under Swedish law.
Work permit applications for non-EU nationals are submitted via the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). Processing times vary by permit category. Common categories include the work permit (arbetstillstand) and the EU Blue Card for highly qualified workers. The employer typically initiates the permit process alongside extending the job offer.
A person who is not a citizen of an EU or EEA country and wants to work in Sweden must have a work permit before travelling to Sweden. The employer must also meet certain conditions relating to the terms of employment and salary offered.
Ongoing checks for time-limited permits
For employees on work permits with an expiry date, the employer must track the permit renewal. Teamed monitors permit expiry dates and alerts the employee ahead of each renewal window so no permit lapses unnoticed.
The Swedish written contract: what must it contain?
Swedish law requires the employer to give the employee a written notice of employment terms (anstallningsbevis).
This must be issued within one month of the employee starting work. Best practice is to sign the contract before day one. The contract is the binding document, not the offer letter.
What the Swedish employment contract or written notice must include:
- Names and addresses of both employer and employee
- Start date of employment and, if fixed term, the end date or the conditions for termination
- Place of work
- Job title or a brief description of the work
- Gross salary and any additional benefits or allowances, together with pay intervals
- Agreed working hours per week (40 hours is the standard)
- Annual paid leave entitlement (at least 25 days per year under the Semesterlagen)
- Notice periods: 4 weeks minimum employer notice for under two years of service, and 30 days minimum employee notice
- Probationary period if agreed, which cannot exceed 6 months
- Reference to any applicable collective agreement (kollektivavtal)
- Pension arrangement, if any, beyond the statutory employer contribution
Sweden does not have a formal statutory written-particulars act equivalent to the UK Employment Rights Act. The obligation to provide written employment terms comes from the Work Environment Act and longstanding labour market practice, reinforced by the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive (implemented in Sweden from 2022). Collective agreements may impose additional disclosure requirements.
Key source: Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljoverket) and the Employment Protection Act (LAS).
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: contract signed, personnummer collected, Skatteverket registration completed, collective agreement obligations checked, and bank details collected.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| Personnummer (Swedish personal identity number) collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Skatteverket employer registration confirmed | Teamed | Days 1 to 3 |
| Collective agreement coverage check | Teamed | Day 1 |
| Occupational pension scheme enrolment (ITP or equivalent) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank details collected for payroll transfer | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Swedish employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Sweden for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll, collective agreement checks, the written employment contract, and the full Swedish employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Swedish hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly Arbetsgivardeklaration. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Swedish contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Swedish hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Sweden hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of Swedish employment law.
Key sources: Employment Protection Act (LAS), Skatteverket employer guidance, and Migrationsverket work permits.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a probation period last in Sweden?
The maximum probationary period in Sweden is 6 months under the Employment Protection Act (LAS). This cap is absolute. No employment contract or collective agreement can extend it. During probation, either side can end the employment with 14 days notice. After probation ends, the minimum employer notice for under two years of service rises to 4 weeks.
Does Sweden have a right-to-work check like the UK?
Sweden does not have a formal right-to-work check system equivalent to the UK Home Office online service. EU and EEA nationals can work freely in Sweden without a permit; the employer checks and copies their passport or identity card. Non-EU nationals must hold a valid Swedish residence permit that authorises work, issued by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), before starting employment. The employer checks and records the permit details.
What is the minimum annual leave entitlement for a Swedish employee?
The minimum paid annual leave entitlement under the Semesterlagen (Annual Leave Act) is 25 days per year. Sweden also has 13 public holidays. Annual leave accrues during the leave year and can be transferred to the next year under specific conditions. Collective agreements in many sectors provide for additional leave beyond the statutory minimum.
When does LAS employment protection apply in Sweden?
The Employment Protection Act (LAS) applies from the first day of employment in Sweden. There is no qualifying period before an employee gains basic protection. This means you cannot dismiss an employee without a valid reason at any point in the employment, including during the first days after probation ends. Dismissal for personal reasons or redundancy must follow the LAS procedure and notice requirements from day one of the post-probation period.
Does Sweden have a statutory minimum wage?
Sweden has no statutory national minimum wage. Pay floors are set entirely by collective agreements (kollektivavtal) across approximately 700 sector-specific agreements. These cover roughly 90% of the Swedish workforce. If your employee is covered by a collective agreement, the agreed minimum for their role and seniority level applies. Teamed checks collective agreement coverage before drafting any employment contract.
The LAS probation cap is one of the clearest rules in Swedish employment law and one of the most misunderstood by international clients. Six months is the hard ceiling. No addendum, no collective agreement override, nothing extends it. We build the contract around what the law actually allows, not what the client initially asks for.
Sweden gives you 6 months of probation. Not a day more, by law.
LAS protection applies from day one. The onboarding has to be right from the start.
The collective agreement check is not optional. Nearly nine in ten Swedish workers are covered by one.
