Your family member in Sweden must

• be able to fully support themselves and their family with their own funds, so that their basic needs for living expenses and housing are met. Your family member may also include your income as part of the family’s total income.

Your family member’s financial maintenance

Your family member needs to show that they have regular income sufficient for your financial maintenance. Income includes, for example

• salary/wages from work
• income from their own business (if they are self-employed)
• sickness benefit.

Your family member may also meet the maintenance requirement if they have sufficient assets for you to live on.

The following are not counted as income:

• income from subsidised employment
• unemployment insurance benefits
• activity grants
• other benefits related to unemployment
  

Your family member’s income

The amount of income your family member needs depends on how large your family is and how high your housing costs are.

Your family member’s income after tax must be high enough so that after the monthly rent is paid, they still have a certain amount of money left over that can cover the costs of food, clothing, personal hygiene, telephony, and insurance for everyone in the household.

In 2026, the amount your family member must have left over after tax and the rent is paid is:

• SEK 8,116 for a single adult
• SEK 13,408 for cohabiting spouses or cohabiting partners
• SEK 4,337 for children 0–6 years of age
• SEK 5,205 for children 7–10 years of age
• SEK 6,074 for children 11–14 years of age
• SEK 6,941 for children 15 years of age or older.
  

The amounts applicable to children are reduced by any child allowance and large family supplement.

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement

The maintenance requirement does not apply in the following case:

• There are special grounds for an exemption, for example because illness or a disability has permanently reduced your family member’s ability to work.