What Happens When an Employee Leaves – Payroll Offboarding in Sweden.
When an employee leaves your company — whether by resignation, termination, or the end of a contract — the payroll process doesn’t stop. In Sweden, offboarding has clear rules to follow to ensure proper payment, reporting, and closure.
Here’s what employers need to handle when an employee’s final day is approaching.
Final Salary Payment
The final salary typically includes:
Salary up to the last working day
Any unused vacation days paid out in cash
Other outstanding compensation, such as bonuses or overtime
This payment must be made by the normal payday, unless otherwise agreed.
Vacation Pay on Termination
Any vacation days the employee has earned but not used must be:
Calculated based on current salary
Paid out in the final payslip
Subject to standard tax and employer contributions
If the employee has taken more vacation than earned (so-called advance days), the excess can be deducted if allowed under the agreement.
Notice Period and Benefits
During the notice period:
The employee usually continues to earn salary, vacation, and benefits
Time off for job searching may be allowed depending on agreement or law
Sick leave and parental leave can still apply
All of this affects the final payslip and must be included in the payroll data.
Employer Declarations and Reporting
The final payment and offboarding must be reported in:
The monthly employer declaration to Skatteverket
The year-end income summary (kontrolluppgift if applicable)
Even after the employee leaves, the employer may receive queries from Skatteverket, so documentation must be kept.
Certificate of Employment
In Sweden, an employee has the right to request a certificate (arbetsgivarintyg) detailing:
Employment dates
Position
Salary
Reason for leaving (optional)
This document is often needed for unemployment benefits and must be accurate.
Access and System Cleanup
It’s also good practice to:
Revoke access to portals, systems, and email
Archive payroll data and contract documents
Remove the employee from time reporting tools
We guide you through a secure and structured offboarding to avoid data risks and confusion.
How We Help
We handle:
Calculation of final salary and vacation pay
Adjustment of employer contributions
Reporting to Skatteverket
Delivery of payslip and termination certificate
Secure documentation via our Stay-in-touch-Portal
Conclusion: A Clean Exit Matters
Payroll offboarding in Sweden is more than just a final paycheck — it’s a legal and financial wrap-up that affects taxes, benefits, and compliance.
We make sure everything is closed out correctly — with no loose ends.
Before you start reading the next article, let me first tell you a bit about the photo featured.
This is Astrid Lindgren’s World in Vimmerby, Småland – a theme park where the stories of Sweden’s most beloved author come to life.
Astrid Lindgren, born in 1907, created characters like Pippi Longstocking, Emil, and Ronja that shaped generations of readers around the world. Her storytelling often centered around independence, transitions, and bold departures — just like Pippi’s father, a sea captain who left Sweden and became king of a distant island.
Just as her stories explore what happens when someone leaves home, offboarding an employee in Sweden requires care, timing, and attention to details like final pay, unused vacation, and employer declarations.
👉 Whether you’re sailing off to a South Sea island or starting a new chapter, how someone leaves matters just as much as how they began.
