PRACTICALITIES
Contact the deceased’s bank about bills and direct debits
Review any joint accounts and credit cards and find out what bills need to be paid and how they should be paid; for example, by direct debit or e-invoice. There are certain bills that you must continue to pay. Others can wait until later. You will need your släktutredning so that the bank knows that you have the right to represent the estate.
Other things to keep in mind when administering the estate
Contact with the bank in the event of death, konsumenternas.se (in Swedish)
External link.
Cancel or transfer subscriptions
You will need to decide whether subscriptions in the deceased’s name should be cancelled or transferred to someone else. This also applies to contracts such as electricity, refuse collection, telephony, TV and streaming services, home insurance, etc. You should also review any memberships.
More about cancelling and transferring subscriptions
Save and sort any documents related to the estate inventory
Open the post as it arrives and sort the documents that you will need later. This may feel like a bit of a muddle but try to separate them into separate folders.
Some documents should be included in the estate inventory, for example, bills you have paid or will need to deal with later and receipts for your own expenses that the estate may need to repay you.
Other things to keep in mind when dealing with the estate
Länka till Checklist of things you need to do
Power of attorney to represent the estate
If there are several parties to the estate, it may be practical to allow one person to represent the estate, in which case that person will need a written power of attorney from each of the parties to the estate and be able to present these in the original.
The Guide for Survivors of a Deceased Person includes a template for a power of attorney for the estate in PDF format that you can download and print out.
Länka till: Power of attorney from individual grantors
PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
Financial support to spouses and children from the Swedish Pensions Agency
A spouse or child who is entitled to receive a survivor’s pension will receive the pension without having to apply for it if they live in Sweden. If you live outside of Sweden you will have to submit an application.
Spouses under 66 years of age are entitled to a survivor’s pension. Widows may also be entitled to a widow’s pension if the widow was married to the deceased on the 31st of december 1989.
You can learn more about survivor’s pensions to which you may be entitled at pensionsmyndigheten.se.
Adjustment pension to those under 66 years of age (in Swedish) External link.
Child pension (in Swedish) External link.
Widow’s pension (in Swedish) External link.
Death due to occupational injury (in Swedish) External link.
Survivor’s pension for those living abroad (in Swedish) External link.
Parental benefit from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency when a child dies
Parents that has lost a child can obtain parental benefit and temporary parental benefit. A special unit at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) will contact parents and help them to apply for compensation. When a parent is in no fit state to work, they may be entitled to sickness benefit.
When a child dies, försäkringskassan.se (in Swedish) External link.
Deaths are registered with the Swedish Tax Agency
Government agencies and municipalities are automatically informed of deaths via the population register. Whenever someone dies in Sweden, a doctor must submit a death a certificate to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). If the death occurs abroad, you will need to contact the Swedish Embassy, which will then inform the Swedish Tax Agency.
How deaths are registered, skatteverket.se (in Swedish) External link.
Contact details for Swedish Embassies, swedenabroad.se (in Swedish) External link.
Payments from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Pensions Agency stops
In most cases, if the deceased has been receiving compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agancy (Försäkringskassan), these payments will stop. Pensions and compensation from the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten) is paid for the entire month in which the death occurred. In the month following the death, there is no longer any right to compensation from the pension system.
At Försäkringskassan.se, you can find more information about compensation you are entitled to if you have lost a loved one or someone you have children with.
For those who have lost a loved one, försäkringskassan.se (in Swedish) External link.
OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Important dates in the event of death
- A funeral should be held as soon as possible but no later than one month after the death.
- The estate should be declared in the next calendar year.
- An estate inventory should be submitted within four months.
Take time off from work if you need to
The grieving process, not to mention the practical issues, can take time. Contact your employer or school if you need time off. As a close relative, in certain cases you may be entitled to receive sick pay or sickness benefit.
