If you fall ill

If you fall ill

If you fall ill, you must notify your immediate manager or another delegated person. You are personally responsible for ensuring that your sick leave is reported in Primula self-service. You can also ask someone to do it. Your employer does not have to pay you sick pay until you report sick leave in Primula. Once you are back at work, you must report that you are well again in Primula.

Link to Primula self-service.

Sick period

A sick period is the time you become ill and well again. If a new sick period begins within five calendar days after the previous sick period ended, it counts as a continuation of the previous period in regard to qualifying deductions, length of the sick pay period and sick pay amount.

Example: You take sick leave Monday–Wednesday, work Thursday and Friday but fall ill again Monday–Wednesday the following week. Accordingly: four days after your last sick day, you fall ill again. This means that there will be no qualifying deduction the second Monday you are ill.

Qualifying deductions

Qualifying deduction is a deduction of sick pay or sickness benefit made in connection with sick leave. The deduction is 20 per cent of the sick pay or sickness benefit you receive after taking sick leave an average work week. The qualifying deduction means that it does not matter when in the day you report sick leave.

Sick leave after day 7 – doctor's certificate needed

If you are ill for more than 7 calender days during a period of illness, starting from the 8th day, you are required to submit a copy of a doctor's certificate certifying that you are ill. The certificate must state how much you cannot work, part-time or full-time, and the length of the sick period.

If you fall ill again within five calendar days you must submit a doctor's certificate from the eight day of the new sickness leave. 

In order to receive sick pay, you must submit the doctor's certificate to your manager, who will forward it to a payroll administrator.

If your illness cannot be confirmed through a doctor's certificate, your absence will be deemed not valid, and sick pay will not be paid. Under specific circumstances, a doctor's certificate may be required for shorter periods of illness. Your employer can also request that you submit a doctor's certificate from a doctor chosen by the employer, such as an occupational health doctor.

Sick leave after day 14

The first 14 days that you are sick are called the sick pay period. The employer is obligated to pay sick pay during this time. During these 14 days, a deduction is made per workday.

If you are ill for more than 14 calendar days, a payroll administrator reports this to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency then sends you a sickness benefit request which you need to fill in and send back together with the original doctor's certificate. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency then assesses your ability to work in relation to your ordinary duties.

Sick leave after day 90

The Swedish Social Insurance Agency assesses your ability to work in relation to your duties and decides on sickness benefit based on the assessment.

Sick leave after day 180

The Swedish Social Insurance Agency assesses your ability to work in relation to common labour market jobs and decides on sickness benefit based on the assessment.

Personal responsibility during illness

You are obligated to take part in rehabilitation to the best of your ability. This means that you must provide your employer with the information necessary to chart your working ability and need for rehabilitation. For example, this can mean taking part in rehab meetings, writing a return-to-work plan and taking the measures you and your employer have agreed on.

Sick leave for more than 60 days

Your manager is responsible for your rehab and must, in consultation with you, write a return-to-work plan if your working ability is expected to be completely or partly reduced due to illness for at least 60 days. The plan must be completed by the time you have been on sick leave for 30 days.

If your health does not allow you to go back to work, a plan does not need to be written, with or without rehab measures. The plan is written when your health has improved.

Sick leave on more than 6 occasions during 12 months

If you have been ill more than 6 times during a 12-month period, you and your manager must discuss why and possibly write a plan to improve your health. Under specific circumstances, a doctor's certificate may be required for shorter periods of illness.

If necessary, an employee can be off work without deduction of pay to attend certain medical and dental appointments. This applies in the following situations:

• visits to doctors, occupational health services, outpatient clinics or maternity centres (pregnant women) and appointments to donate blood;
• examinations or treatments following a referral from a dentist or doctor and in the event of acute dental problems.

A visit can be a visit to a doctor or, for example, a district nurse, physiotherapist, counsellor or midwife.

Outpatient care refers to all medical care provided when the employee is not hospitalised, such as X-rays or physiotherapy.

If necessary, an employee who is about to become a parent but is not the pregnant partner may take leave without deduction of pay, on two occasions per childbirth, to accompany their pregnant partner to a maternity centre. This applies up to the 60th day before the estimated date of birth of the child. After this date, parental benefits can instead be paid under the Social Insurance Code.

Employees decide on the time for such visits in consultation with their line manager. 

If you fall ill while on holiday in Sweden or abroad, you are permitted to change your holiday leave to sick leave. In such cases, you must report your illness in Primula as soon as possible and notify your manager that you wish to change your holiday leave to sick leave. Remember that you must submit a doctor's certificate after day 7. After the 14th sick day, it is not guaranteed that holiday leave can be changed to sick leave.

If you have an employment which lasts more than one month, or if you have worked continuously for at least 14 days, you have the right to receive sick pay from your employer the first 14 days of your sick period.

Secrecy applies to information regarding individuals' health.

Who can be reimbursed for healthcare expenses?

All SLU employees are entitled to reimbursements.

Employees who are on unpaid leave are also eligible during the first 30 days of their leave. Reimbursements are also available to employees who are on parental leave and in receipt of the parental benefit supplement or salary supplement, temporary parental benefit, and for employees on sick leave.

Electronic receipt processing

SLU now processes electronic receipts and documents in the travel expenses function in Primula. Submitting physical receipts is no longer necessary; instead, you can upload scanned or electronic receipts with your expenses claim. The uploaded receipts/documents must meet certain requirements.

Requirements for electronic receipts

You must ensure that the receipts you upload are:

Complete and readable:

• The image must contain the entire receipt, including the amount, VAT, date of issue and issuing company’s name.
• High resolution images only. Blurred or incomplete copies will not be accepted.
• Ensure that the receipts do not overlap, for example, credit card receipts must not obscure the cash register receipt.

The correct file format:

• The following formats are accepted: PDF, JPG, or PNG.

Unaltered original receipts:

• Do not edit or manipulate the electronic receipt in any way.

Preparing and submitting your receipts:

1. Scan or take a high-resolution photograph of your receipt.
2. Upload the image in Primula. See instructions in the Primula help text.
3. Check that all information on the receipt is correct and clear before submitting.

Existing electronic receipts or documents can be uploaded directly to the expenses claim.

Please note:

Save your original receipt until your expenses claim has been approved and you have received your reimbursement payment with your salary.

Taxation

Reimbursements for medical care and prescriptions are taxable benefits.

Medical care

You can be reimbursed for up to SEK 95 per medical appointment with a doctor. The receipt must show that the payment refers to medical care. You may need to include the appointment specification if the type of medical care is not indicated on the receipt. Reimbursement for universal healthcare costs is a taxable benefit, meaning tax will be deducted from the amount you receive.

Reimbursement claims must be submitted within two years of the appointment. Claims submitted after this time will be rejected.

SLU will not reimburse medical care provided by a nurse or vocational nurse (undersköterska). In addition, costs for preventive measures such as medical examinations, smear tests and prostate checks are not eligible for reimbursement.

Dental care

SLU does not usually reimburse dental care, however surgical treatments at hospitals or odonatological clinics are exempt. These treatments are reimbursed in the same way as doctor's appointments.

Physiotherapy/occupational therapy

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy appointments can be reimbursed up to SEK 55 per appointment. Please note that you will not be reimbursed for appointments with a naprapath, chiropractor or similar.

Psychologists

Psychologist appointments can be reimbursed for up to SEK 95 per visit. You can also be reimbursed for appointments with a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Inpatient care

You can be reimbursed for up to SEK 70 per day of inpatient treatment. You must pay the invoice and then submit your reimbursement claim.

Prescriptions

You can only apply for reimbursement for prescription costs once per calendar year. 

Supplement your claim with an extract from the high cost database available from the Swedish eHealth Agency. The document requires a manual summation of the costs. Applications must be registered, reviewed and approved by 31 January of the calendar year after the costs were incurred.

Example: Costs for 2024 must be registered, reviewed and approved in Primula by 31 January 2025. You may only submit one claim per year.

X-rays

X-rays (excluding mammograms) will be reimbursed for up to a maximum of SEK 95 per appointment.

Travel costs

You may be entitled to reimbursement for some of your travel expenses incurred to and from hospitals and clinics. These regulations vary depending on the region and details can be obtained from your clinic. Your region will reimburse you.

Uppsala: Free bus travel (UL) to pre-booked healthcare appointments

Registered residents of Uppsala County are entitled to a free 24-hour ticket via the UL app in conjunction with a healthcare appointment. This applies for travel within the UL network for you and one accompanying person on the appointment date.

Read more on the UL website.

Occupational health services are an external expert function for issues related to work environment and rehabilitation. In order to prevent work-related ill health and enable employees to return to work as soon as possible after long-term sick leave, SLU has an agreement regarding occupational healthcare for all employees. Managers and employees can make appointments in Swedish and in English. Basic services are paid for by the Division of Human Resources and additional services are paid for by the department/equivalent.

If you have any questions, please contact your HR-specialist.