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Pedagogical tool · Tax burden

Where does your money go?

Enter your monthly salary and we'll show how much becomes tax — and how public spending is distributed on average. Think of it as a proportion engine, not a receipt.

kr/mån

Earned income only, no deductions beyond standard. Estimate.

Perspective
View
Gross salary
38 000 kr
per month
Income tax
9 087 kr
approx. per month
Employer fees
11 940 kr
31.42 %
Total labour cost
49 940 kr
42.1 % effective rate

Taxes are not earmarked

The amounts below do not show that your specific kronor go to each area. They show how Swedish public spending is distributed on average — so you can see your tax in the same proportions. It's a pedagogical approximation, not an audit.

  • Employer fees (31.42 %) include an old-age pension contribution (10.21 %) that is benefit-earning — it is counted as tax here because it is mandatory, but it also builds your future pension.
  • ”State grants to municipalities/regions” is an inter-governmental transfer. It appears in the state budget and is then spent by regions/municipalities — total public spending is not double-counted in GDP, but it is shown as its own slice here for transparency.

Så fördelas din skattekrona

2025 · kronor per månad · Sverige

Hur dina 9 087 kr/mån fördelas i samma proportion som hela den offentliga sektorn.

Så fördelas din skattekrona: Kronor per månad moves from 2,576 (Vård & omsorg) to 53 (Migration & integration) — down 2,523 kronor per månad. Full values are available in the data table below (2025, Sverige).

Så fördelas din skattekrona · kronor per månad · 2025 · Sverige
UtgiftsområdeKronor per månadAndel
Vård & omsorg2 576 kr28.3 %
Skola & utbildning1 358 kr14.9 %
Socialförsäkring & pensioner1 317 kr14.5 %
Övrigt812 kr8.9 %
Infrastruktur & transport604 kr6.6 %
Statsbidrag till kommun/region (transferering)553 kr6.1 %
Försvar & krisberedskap442 kr4.9 %
Arbetsmarknad293 kr3.2 %
Rättsväsende260 kr2.9 %
Förvaltning & administration237 kr2.6 %
Internationellt bistånd173 kr1.9 %
Avgift till EU168 kr1.9 %
Kultur & fritid149 kr1.6 %
Räntor på statsskulden91 kr1.0 %
Migration & integration53 kr0.6 %

Method: Din beräknade månatliga skatt fördelas i samma proportioner som den offentliga sektorns faktiska utgifter (stat, region och kommun). Beräkningen är en proportionell fördelning, inte en öronmärkning av just dina skattekronor.

Source: ESV — Statsbudgetens utfall (accessed 2026-07-27) · SCB — Offentliga sektorns utgifter (COFOG) (accessed 2026-07-27)

  • Vård & omsorg2 576 kr28.3 %
  • Skola & utbildning1 358 kr14.9 %
  • Socialförsäkring & pensioner1 317 kr14.5 %
  • Övrigt812 kr8.9 %
  • Infrastruktur & transport604 kr6.6 %
  • Statsbidrag till kommun/region (transferering)553 kr6.1 %
  • Försvar & krisberedskap442 kr4.9 %
  • Arbetsmarknad293 kr3.2 %
  • Rättsväsende260 kr2.9 %
  • Förvaltning & administration237 kr2.6 %
  • Internationellt bistånd173 kr1.9 %
  • Avgift till EU168 kr1.9 %
  • Kultur & fritid149 kr1.6 %
  • Räntor på statsskulden91 kr1.0 %
  • Migration & integration53 kr0.6 %

Sources and version

Focus

How much of your tax goes to migration & integration?

kr/mån

Migration & integration can be counted narrowly (state budget UO8 + UO13) or broadly (with a modelled municipal net cost from Ruist). We show both against your total tax burden (income tax + employer fees).

Narrow (budget)
147 kr
19 bn/yr · ≈ 0.7 % of public spending
UO8 Migration (SEK 13.5 bn) + UO13 Integration & equality (SEK 5.9 bn), Gov. Bill 2025/26:1.
Broad (Ruist)
557 kr
Range: 425 kr–696 kr · 55–90 bn/yr
Budget + modelled municipal/regional net cost per received (Ruist ESO 2018:3).
The broad figure is an illustration, not an audit. The Ruist model rests on assumptions about stock, age and employment — the 55–90 bn range shows the uncertainty.

Sources: Ruist ESO 2018:3, Prop. 2025/26:1 UO8/UO13, Migrationsverket, SKR. Read the full picture →

In depth

The tax burden — what do we get for it? →

Method

How we count →

The question this page answers

Where do the tax revenues go — and how are they split between central government, regions and municipalities?

At a glance

Key figures — the most important numbers on this page

State budget 2026

≈ SEK 1,400 bn

Budget Bill 2025/26:1 — total central-government spending across 27 expenditure areas.

Municipal operations

≈ SEK 900 bn

SKR Economy Report 2025 — net operating costs for the 290 municipalities.

Regional operations

≈ SEK 470 bn

SKR — primarily healthcare and public transport across the 21 regions.

Share → transfers

≈ 55 %

Pensions, sickness insurance, benefits — direct income to households.

Share → public consumption

≈ 27 %

Wages and operations in healthcare, schools, care, defence, justice (SCB National Accounts).

Share → public investment

≈ 5 %

Roads, rail, hospitals, school buildings, defence materiel.

Targeted grants to municipal sector

≈ SEK 250 bn

Earmarked grants on top of general grants.

Municipal share of public spending

≈ 32 %

Municipalities + regions combined ≈ 50 % of total public spending.

What does the data show?

Objective observations — not interpretations

  • Sweden's public sector has three levels: central state (expenditure areas in the state budget), 21 regions (mainly healthcare) and 290 municipalities (schools, care, social services, technical services). About half of all public spending passes through the municipal or regional level.
  • Roughly 55 % of public spending is transfers to households (pensions, sickness insurance, income support) — the money reaches the citizen directly. The remaining ~45 % is public consumption and investment — money used to buy labour, services and capital goods.
  • The same krona can pass through multiple levels. A state grant to municipalities is counted as an expenditure in the state budget and then as revenue in the municipal budget; the net cost to the public sector is only the actual service produced. Gross figures from different budgets cannot simply be added.
  • A large expenditure area is not automatically a high cost per inhabitant. Healthcare (~SEK 475 bn) spread over 10.6 million inhabitants ≈ SEK 45,000 per person per year; migration (~SEK 15 bn, EA8 2026) ≈ SEK 1,400 per person.
  • Targeted state grants have grown sharply since 2010. SKR and the National Audit Office have repeatedly criticised the system for creating administrative overhead and making municipal budgeting harder.

Method note
The page uses three different accounting principles: (1) state budget by expenditure area, published by the Ministry of Finance each autumn (BP) and spring (VÅP); (2) municipalities and regions from SCB accounts summaries (RS/RSR) and the SKR Economy Report; (3) aggregated general government from SCB National Accounts (ESA 2010). The three sources do not give the same total — the state budget is cash-based, national accounts are accrual-based. Comparisons across years must adjust for inflation (constant prices) and for expenditure areas being moved between ministries and agencies (EA8 in 2016–17, EA25 municipal grants and others). The calculator on the page shows average proportions — individual tax kronor are not earmarked.

Definitions

How the numbers are counted — and what they do not cover

State budget
The central government's annual revenue and expenditure plan, decided by parliament in December. Split into 27 expenditure areas (EA1–EA27). Published as the Budget Bill in autumn and the Spring Budget Bill in spring.
Expenditure area
Group of appropriations under a common policy heading (e.g. EA6 Defence, EA9 Health, EA16 Education). Parliament sets the frame; government allocates within it.
Appropriation
Amount earmarked for a specific purpose within an expenditure area. Can be a framework appropriation (unused funds return), an unlimited appropriation or a proposal appropriation.
Public consumption
Value of services the public sector produces and consumes itself — mainly wages for employees in healthcare, schools, care, defence and justice. ≈ 27 % of public spending.
Public investment
Spending on durable assets: roads, rail, hospitals, school buildings, defence materiel, IT systems with a life > 1 year. ≈ 5 % of public spending.
Transfer
Payment without any service in return: pension, sickness benefit, child allowance, housing allowance, income support, establishment benefit, unemployment insurance. ≈ 55 % of public spending — the single largest item.
Municipal operations
The 290 municipalities' mandatory and voluntary tasks: preschool, compulsory school, upper-secondary school, elderly care, disability services, social services, planning and building, culture, leisure, technical services. Regulated by the Local Government Act and sector-specific laws.
Region
The 21 regions (formerly county councils). Mainly responsible for healthcare, dental care for children/youth, regional public transport and regional development. Financed via regional income tax + state grants.
State grant
Transfer from central state to municipality or region. Two main types: general (freely allocated) and targeted (earmarked).
General state grant
Grant without earmarking, part of the municipal equalisation system. Distributed via income equalisation, cost equalisation and regulation grant/charge. The municipality decides freely how to use it.
Targeted state grant
Grant that may only be used for a specific purpose (e.g. literacy initiative, elderly care investment). Often requires application and reporting. Has grown sharply since 2010.
General government
State + municipalities + regions + AP funds + public social insurance. In national accounts also publicly owned enterprises producing non-market services.
Net expenditure
Expenditure after deducting purpose-specific revenue (fees, state grants). Used in municipal accounts to show what is financed by tax.
Gross expenditure
Total expenditure before deducting revenue. Used in the state budget. Summing gross figures across levels double-counts because the same krona can be expenditure for the state and revenue for the municipality.

Primary sources

Agencies and research institutions behind this page

6

agencies/institutions

5

reports & studies

4

primary datasets

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to what is most often discussed

Three reasons: (1) state grants are counted both as state spending and municipal revenue — national accounts consolidate away the double counting; (2) the state budget is cash-based while national accounts are accrual-based; (3) publicly owned enterprises are included in national accounts but not in the state budget. The gap is roughly SEK 200–300 bn per year.

Related topics

Logical next steps if you want to understand the background

Sources for this page

The data comes from official primary sources.

Corrections for this page

  • Hreflang-dubbletter borttagna på /vart-gar-pengarna

    Sidan /vart-gar-pengarna och dess EN-spegel hade manuella hreflang-taggar i head() som dubblerades av den centrala HreflangAlternates-injektorn. De manuella raderna är borttagna så att endast den centrala källan återstår.

  • Arkivlänkar ersatta med direktlänkar

    web.archive.org-wrappade källlänkar på /vart-gar-pengarna (MigrationFokusRad), /energipriser och /integration-over-tid har bytts till raka URL:er till respektive myndighet, rapport eller databas.

  • Migration & integration — smal budgetpost justerad till 19 mdr

    Fokusraden på /vart-gar-pengarna angav tidigare 21 mdr för statsbudgetens UO8 Migration + UO13 Integration & jämställdhet. Justering mot Budgetpropositionen 2025/26:1 ger 13,5 + 5,9 = 19,4 mdr; avrundat till 19 mdr i komponenten.

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@misc{sverigefakta_2026_en_whereyourmoneygoes,
  author       = {Sverigefakta.com},
  title        = {Sverigefakta},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://sverigefakta.com/en/where-your-money-goes}},
  note         = {Dataset v2026.2, accessed 2026-08-14}
}
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