Occupational pension (tjänstepension)
Tjänstepension is the occupational pension your employer pays in on top of your salary, usually through a collective agreement. For many Swedes it grows into a large share of their final pension, sometimes rivalling the state pension itself, yet it is the layer people most often forget they have.
The main plans
Which plan you have depends on your sector. ITP covers most white-collar private-sector employees, SAF-LO covers blue-collar, and the public sector has its own (AKAP-KR for municipalities and regions, PA16 for the state). Each sets how much your employer contributes and how the money is managed.
The part you can influence
Tjänstepension is often the pension you can shape most: you usually choose the fund and the provider, and whether to add survivor’s cover (återbetalningsskydd). Fees and fund choice compound over decades, so a small change here can matter more than it looks. Above 7.5 times the income base amount (625 500 kr for 2026), the ITP1 contribution rate jumps from 4.5% to 30%, which makes it especially valuable for higher earners.
Where it shows up
- Pension
- Benchmark
- Salary sacrifice
First, that you actually have one, about nine in ten employees do, but if you are self-employed you must arrange it yourself. Second, make an active fund choice: unlike premiepension’s strong AP7 Såfa default, a tjänstepension left unchosen can sit in a mediocre option.