Country fileSESEKVerified 2026-09-20
SE
Employer of Record in Sweden: what one employee really costs
Sweden, Europe. One software engineer at $70,000 gross per year, priced through 12 providers with a published fee, on the ECB reference rates of 18 Sept 2026. Change the salary and headcount below.
- Employer on-cost
- +32.3%
- statutory charges on top of gross
- All-in per month
- $7,918 – $8,418
- salary + charges + published fee, cheapest to dearest listed provider
- Onboarding through an EOR
- 10–15 days
- per Playroll - Employer of Record Sweden, time to hire first employee
Hiring one software engineer in Sweden at $70,000 gross a year costs about $1,885 a month in statutory employer charges (+32.3%), plus an EOR fee of $199 to $699 per month depending on the provider: $7,918 to $8,418 all-in, before deposits, FX margins and add-ons. Prices checked 2–24 Sept 2026.
Disclosure Some provider links on this page are affiliate links: if you become a customer after clicking, the provider may pay us a referral fee. It never changes the price you pay, and it never changes the numbers on this page, which come from official sources and are dated. How we are paid
Cost engine · preset to Sweden
Price your own hire, line by line.
employee inatgross / year
≈ SEK 689,708 gross / year · SEK at ECB reference rate, 18 Sept 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $5,833 | |
| Old-age pension contribution (ålderspensionsavgift) | 10.21% | $596 |
| Sickness insurance contribution (sjukförsäkringsavgift) | 3.55% | $207 |
| Parental insurance contribution (föräldraförsäkringsavgift) | 2% | $117 |
| Labour market contribution (arbetsmarknadsavgift) | 2.64% | $154 |
| Survivors' pension contribution (efterlevandepensionsavgift) | 0.30% | $18 |
| Work injury contribution (arbetsskadeavgift) | 0.10% | $6 |
| General payroll tax (allmän löneavgift) | 12.62% | $736 |
| Holiday supplement (semestertillägg) | 0.90% | $53 |
| Employer on-cost | +32.3% | $1,885 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $7,719 |
RemoFirstLowest total
$7,918/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $199
- Per year
- $95,012
- Fee share
- 2.5%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a RemoFirst quotePapaya Global
$8,218/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $499
- Per year
- $98,612
- Fee share
- 6.1%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Papaya quoteDeel
$8,318/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $599
- Per year
- $99,812
- Fee share
- 7.2%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Deel quoteEmployer charges from official sources; provider fees are list prices on the dates shown; deposits, FX margins and add-ons are not included. Not legal or tax advice. Methodology
14 providers, one scenario, all-in totals.
| Provider | EOR fee / employee / mo | All-in / mo, 1 hire | Deposit | Countries | Checked | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RemoFirst EOR in 185+ countries from $199 per employee per month, no annual contract. | from $199 | $7,918 | Not stated on the pricing page | 185+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $7,918/mo |
| Rivermate EOR in 180+ countries from $319 to $639 per employee per month. | from $319 | $8,038 | Not stated on the pricing page | 180+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Rivermate· $8,038/mo |
| Pebl Velocity Global, renamed Pebl in 2026. Prints $399 per employee per month. | from $399 | $8,118 | Not stated on the pricing page | 185+ | 22 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Pebl· $8,118/mo |
| Playroll EOR in 180+ countries from $399 per employee per month; deposit of one month's salary. | from $399 | $8,118 | Fully refundable security deposit equivalent to one month's salary when onboarding an employee (pricing page). | 180+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Playroll· $8,118/mo |
| Multiplier EOR from $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) per employee, plus mandated add-ons. | from $499 $459 billed annually | $8,218 | Refundable security deposit required per employee by the EOR terms (effective 1 June 2026), sized by Multiplier; not on the pricing page. | 150+ | 24 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Multiplier· $8,218/mo |
| Papaya Global EOR starting from $499 per employee per month, quote-based, 160+ countries. | from $499 | $8,218 | Not stated for EOR on the pricing page (the contractor block states 'No deposit required'). | 160+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $8,218/mo |
| Borderless AI EOR at $579 per employee per month, no deposit or pre-funding, 170+ countries. | $579 | $8,298 | No deposit: 'No upfront deposits or pre-funding required' (pricing page). | 170+ | 24 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Borderless AI· $8,298/mo |
| Atlas HXM EOR from $599 through its own entities, plus an Agent of Record at $199. | from $599 | $8,318 | Not stated on the pricing page | 160+ | 21 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Atlas HXM· $8,318/mo |
| Deel EOR in 130+ countries, starting at $599 per employee per month. | from $599 | $8,318 | Not stated on the pricing page | 130+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Deel· $8,318/mo |
| G-P EOR in 180+ countries from $599, with no minimum contract length. | from $599 | $8,318 | Not stated on the pricing page | 180+ | 24 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from G-P· $8,318/mo |
| Oyster EOR in 120+ countries at USD 699 per employee per month; refundable deposit. | $699 | $8,418 | Refundable deposit required for EOR team members 'to initiate the engagement and to ensure on-time payments' (pricing FAQ). | 120+ | 24 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Oyster· $8,418/mo |
| Remote EOR in 90+ countries at $699 per employee per month, no deposit. | $699 | $8,418 | No deposit: 'We collect reserve payments in rare, high risk circumstances' (pricing FAQ). | 90+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Remote· $8,418/mo |
| Rippling EOR bundled with the Rippling platform; custom quote only. | Quote only | — | Not stated on the pricing page | — | 24 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Rippling |
| Safeguard Global EOR sold alongside entity setup and payroll; no price published. | Quote only | — | Not stated | 187+ | 21 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Safeguard Global |
Same salary and statutory charges in every row; only the fee segment changes.
What Sweden adds on top of the salary, and where each rate comes from.
Rates apply to the base named in each line; capped lines stop growing above the ceiling.
| Line | Employer rate | Base & ceiling | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old-age pension contribution (ålderspensionsavgift)All employees; the only contribution still due for an employee who has turned 67 at the start of the year | 10.21% | Gross salary Largest of the six statutory social contributions listed in chapter 2, section 26 of the Social Contributions Act, as amended by Lag (2025:1362). Section 27 of the same act limits the charge to this line alone once the employee has turned 67 at the start of the year, which is the rule behind the 10.21% band Skatteverket publishes for people born 1938-1958. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| Sickness insurance contribution (sjukförsäkringsavgift)All employees under 67 at the start of the year | 3.55% | Gross salary Funds the state sickness benefit. Separate from the employer's own duty to pay sick pay at 80% of salary for the first 14 days of an absence. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26 point 1, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| Parental insurance contribution (föräldraförsäkringsavgift)All employees under 67 at the start of the year | 2% | Gross salary Funds the 480 days of parental leave shared between parents; the employer pays the contribution, not the leave itself. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26 point 2, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| Labour market contribution (arbetsmarknadsavgift)All employees under 67 at the start of the year | 2.64% | Gross salary Funds unemployment insurance and active labour market measures. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26 point 5, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| Survivors' pension contribution (efterlevandepensionsavgift)All employees under 67 at the start of the year | 0.30% | Gross salary Smallest of the pension lines; funds survivors' benefits. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26 point 4, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| Work injury contribution (arbetsskadeavgift)All employees under 67 at the start of the year | 0.10% | Gross salary Flat national rate. Unlike Japan, Italy or Australia, Sweden does not vary the work injury contribution by industry risk class, so an office role and a construction role carry the same 0.10%. | Socialavgiftslag (2000:980), chapter 2 section 26 point 6, as amended by Lag (2025:1362)2026-09-20 |
| General payroll tax (allmän löneavgift)Employers with a permanent establishment in Sweden | 12.62% | Gross salary Set by a separate act from the six social contributions and paid to the state rather than to any insurance branch, which is why Sweden's headline 31.42% is 18.80% of social contributions plus this 12.62%. A foreign employer with no permanent establishment in Sweden pays only the 18.80%; an EOR hire runs through an established Swedish entity, so the full rate applies. From 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027 a temporary measure (Lag 2026:100) halves this tax and the non-pension contributions for employees who had turned 18 but not 23 at the start of the year, on the part of pay up to SEK 25,000 a month, giving a blended 20.81%. | Lag (1994:1920) om allmän löneavgift, section 3, as amended by Lag (2025:1360)2026-09-20 |
| Holiday supplement (semestertillägg) | 0.90% | Added to the annual costFor a monthly-paid employee the salary keeps running during annual leave and a supplement of 0.43% of the monthly salary is added for each paid leave day taken. Over the statutory 25 days that is 10.75% of one month's salary, which is about 0.90% of annual pay - the figure carried here. Employees on weekly pay take 1.82% of the weekly salary per day instead, and employees with irregular pay can be settled under the alternative 12%-of-annual-earnings rule in section 16 b. | Semesterlag (1977:480), section 16 a, as amended by Lag (2009:1439)2026-09-20 |
| Occupational pension (tjänstepension) - contractual, not statutory not in total | — | Carried at zero on purpose. Sweden has no statutory employer duty to fund an occupational pension: the Swedish Pensions Agency states that it is set in a collective agreement between an employer or employers' organisation and a union, or directly with the employee, and that it is not a given at private employers. Provider pages that add roughly 4.5% to Sweden's employer cost are quoting the ITP1 collective-agreement rate, which is a contractual commitment an EOR takes on, not a legal charge. Ask any provider in writing which collective agreement it applies before comparing quotes. | Pensionsmyndigheten2026-09-20 |
| Employer on-cost at $70,000 | +32.3% | $22,624 a year, $1,885 a month |
EOR or your own entity
Fees scale with headcount. An entity does not.
Setting up a Swedish Aktiebolag rather than using an EOR is a question of timing and standing obligations, not of the charges above: the 31.42% is the same either way. Playroll's own comparison puts an EOR hire at 10 to 15 business days against 8 to 12 weeks plus payroll setup for an Aktiebolag. The point that usually decides it is the collective agreement: an EOR already applies one, with the occupational pension and insurance that come with it, while a new entity has to decide whether to sign one and then fund whatever it commits to. For one or two hires the entity rarely pays for itself; past a small local team, owning the employment relationship and the collective-agreement choice usually does.
Fees grow with every hire; the charges line is owed under an entity too.
| Headcount | RemoFirst fees / yr | Borderless AI fees / yr | Statutory charges / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,388 | $6,948 | $22,624 |
| 3 | $7,164 | $20,844 | $67,872 |
| 5 | $11,940 | $34,740 | $113,120 |
| 10 | $23,880 | $69,480 | $226,240 |
| 20 | $47,760 | $138,960 | $452,480 |
Statutory charges are owed either way; the provider fee is the only line an entity removes, against the cost of incorporating and running local payroll.
Employment terms that move the cost
- Paid leave
- 25 days
- Public holidays
- 13
- 13th month
- Not mandatory
- Probation
- up to 6 months
- Notice
- Statutory minimum one month for both sides; the employee's entitlement rises with service to two months (2-4 years), three months (4-6), four months (6-8), five months (8-10) and six months from ten years (Employment Protection Act, section 11).
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-20
Get a quote for Sweden.
The lowest published total here, next to the two providers searched for most often (the rule). Totals for 1 hire at $70,000. Ask each provider about deposits, FX margins and mandatory add-ons for Sweden: those are the lines that move.
Get a RemoFirst quote· $7,918/mo Get a Papaya quote· $8,218/mo Get a Deel quote· $8,318/mo
Disclosure Some provider links are affiliate links; they never change the numbers on this page. Details
Questions people ask before booking a demo
- How much does an employer of record cost in Sweden?
- Statutory employer contributions are 31.42% of gross pay with no ceiling, made up of 18.80% of social contributions and a 12.62% general payroll tax, plus about 0.9% of annual pay for the holiday supplement. On a US$70,000 salary that is roughly US$1,900 a month on top of salary. Published EOR fees then run from about $199 to $699 per employee per month, so the all-in cost lands near $7,900 to $8,400 a month depending on the provider.
- Is the Swedish employer contribution capped at high salaries?
- No. Unlike Germany, Japan or Singapore, Sweden applies the full 31.42% to the whole of gross pay with no upper ceiling, so the employer on-cost stays flat in percentage terms whether you pay SEK 40,000 or SEK 200,000 a month. That makes Sweden comparatively cheap for junior hires and comparatively expensive for senior ones against capped countries.
- Does a Swedish employer have to pay into an occupational pension?
- Not by law. The Swedish Pensions Agency is explicit that occupational pension is set in a collective agreement or directly with the employee, and that it is not automatic at private employers. Most EOR providers in Sweden do apply a collective agreement, which brings a real pension cost of its own on top of the 31.42%. Ask which agreement a provider applies and what it funds before you compare two Swedish quotes.
- What is the six-month rule for probation in Sweden?
- The Employment Protection Act allows a fixed-term trial employment of at most six months. If neither side gives notice by the time it ends, it automatically becomes a permanent contract, and unless the contract says otherwise either side may end it before the term without the grounds normally required for dismissal.
- How many public holidays does Sweden have?
- Thirteen named days under the Public Holidays Act: New Year's Day, Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, May Day, Ascension Day, National Day, Whit Sunday, Midsummer Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Provider pages often quote sixteen because they add the half-days many collective agreements grant on Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which are customary rather than statutory.