Sweden Normalbelopp 2026: How the Maintenance Requirement Works for PUT

Most applicants focus on the gross salary threshold — SEK 33,390 per month from June 2026 — and assume that if their salary clears that bar, the financial side of their PUT application is secure. That assumption is wrong. The permanent residency financial assessment runs on a different calculation entirely, one based on your net income after tax, your actual housing costs, and a set of fixed subsistence amounts published annually by the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden).

If you do not understand how this calculation works before you submit, you may discover mid-review that your household's finances do not meet the PUT threshold even though your salary comfortably exceeds the work permit floor.

What Is the Normalbelopp?

The normalbelopp (standard amount) is a set of figures that Kronofogden publishes each year to represent the minimum cost of basic living: food, clothing, personal hygiene, and similar everyday expenses. These amounts are used across several administrative and legal contexts in Sweden — debt enforcement, social assistance calculations, and immigration maintenance assessments.

For PUT purposes, Migrationsverket uses the normalbelopp as the baseline for what your household needs to subsist, on top of which your actual housing cost is added. The result is the minimum net income you must demonstrate.

2026 Normalbelopp Figures

These figures apply from January 1, 2026.

How Migrationsverket Calculates Your Maintenance Threshold

The formula is:

Minimum net income required = Sum of all applicable normalbelopp + Monthly housing cost

"Monthly housing cost" means your rent (if renting) or your monthly mortgage interest payments plus bostadsrättsföreningen (BRF) monthly fee (if you own a bostadsrätt). The agency does not include principal repayments in the housing cost figure.

Worked Example — Single Applicant in Stockholm

Assume you rent a one-bedroom apartment for SEK 9,500 per month and you have no dependants.

• Normalbelopp for a single adult: SEK 6,243
• Monthly rent: SEK 9,500
• Minimum net income required: SEK 15,743 per month

A salary of SEK 40,000 gross (above the work permit threshold) generates approximately SEK 29,000–31,000 in net income depending on your municipality's tax rate. That clears the threshold with significant margin.

Worked Example — Couple with Two Children in Gothenburg

Assume you and your partner earn income, you have two children (ages 4 and 9), and you pay SEK 12,000 per month in rent.

• Normalbelopp for cohabiting couple: SEK 10,314
• Child aged 4: SEK 3,336
• Child aged 9: SEK 4,004
• Monthly rent: SEK 12,000
• Minimum net income required: SEK 29,654 per month (combined household)

From June 2026, both incomes can be counted toward the household total. A couple where one partner earns SEK 40,000 gross (net ~SEK 29,500) and the other earns SEK 30,000 gross (net ~SEK 22,000) would have a combined net of approximately SEK 51,500 — well above the threshold. But if only one partner works, SEK 29,654 is a meaningful bar that a single salary must clear before housing costs are subtracted.

The 12-Month and 18-Month Requirements

Migrationsverket does not just check your income at the moment you apply. The agency requires:

1. Evidence covering the 12 months before your application — tax summaries (KU-utdrag), payslips, and bank statements showing that your net income consistently exceeded the threshold throughout this period
2. A reasonable expectation that this income will continue for at least 18 months after the decision — typically demonstrated by a permanent employment contract (tillsvidareanställning) or a fixed-term contract with sufficient remaining duration

A temporary shortfall — one or two months where net income dipped below the threshold due to unpaid leave or reduced hours — can trigger a komplettering (request for additional information) and significantly delay processing. The safest approach is to maintain a buffer of at least 20 percent above the calculated threshold consistently throughout the qualifying period.

What Counts as Net Income

For the maintenance calculation, Migrationsverket counts:

• Employment income after tax (net salary)
• Self-employment income after tax (if you have PUT and run a sole trader operation)
• Partner's income (from June 2026)
• Qualifying child benefit (barnbidrag) — in some assessments

The agency does not count:

• Social assistance (försörjningsstöd) — receiving this for more than six months actually disqualifies an applicant
• Unemployment benefit (a-kassa) for ongoing qualification purposes
• One-off bonuses that are not part of regular remuneration

The Housing Cost Documentation Trap

Applicants frequently underestimate how carefully Migrationsverket scrutinizes housing costs. You must document:

• Renters: A current, signed rental contract (hyreskontrakt) plus bank statements showing the rent payment going out each month
• BRF owners: The BRF's monthly fee notice plus bank statements showing mortgage interest deductions or direct payments to the lender
• Sublet or informal arrangements: These are the highest-risk situation. Migrationsverket expects formal documentation; a roommate arrangement with no formal contract is difficult to substantiate and may lead to the agency using a higher assumed housing cost in its calculation

If your housing situation changed during the 12-month review period — you moved, your rent was raised, you switched from renting to buying — provide documentation for each address and period.

Preparing Your Maintenance File

Before you submit your PUT application, assemble these documents in order:

1. Twelve months of payslips showing gross and net salary
2. Tax summary statements (KU-utdrag) from Skatteverket for the last tax year
3. Bank statements for the same 12-month period (highlighting salary deposits)
4. Current rental contract or BRF fee notice
5. If your household includes a partner: their payslips and tax summaries, and proof of cohabitation (same registered address in folkbokföring)
6. If you have children: personnummer confirmation that they are registered at your address

The Sweden Permanent Residency Guide includes a complete self-sufficiency worksheet pre-filled with the 2026 normalbelopp figures, so you can verify your household's qualifying position before you submit and identify any months where your income may have fallen short.

The Bottom Line

The gross salary threshold (SEK 33,390) gets your work permit. The normalbelopp calculation — net income after tax, measured against Kronofogden's subsistence figures plus your actual housing costs — determines whether you qualify for PUT. These are two different tests. Pass both. Document both. The second test is less visible but just as consequential.

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