Two additional basic needs
The reform introduced two new categories of basic need: support to prevent serious harm associated with a mental impairment, and ongoing support because of a medical condition. These categories have specific thresholds. Försäkringskassan’s current guidance says the first concerns risks of physical harm to the person, others or property. For the medical category, support must be needed continuously for more than 12 hours of the day, with a threat to life or an imminent, serious risk to physical health. [3]
Children and the parental deduction
The 2023 changes also introduced a standardised, age-based deduction intended to represent assistance that a parent would ordinarily provide. The government described greater consistency in assessments as one reason for the change. From 1 January 2025, the deduction was halved. In the current table, for example, the 7–11 age group has daily deductions of 30 minutes for basic needs and 30 minutes for other personal needs. Certain needs, including breathing support and tube feeding, are exempt. [1][4][2]
What the official review found
In January 2025, the Swedish Social Insurance Inspectorate, ISF, reported that more people had been granted assistance allowance after the 2023 changes, but fewer than expected. It also found that the standard deduction could be unreasonably large for children whose needs were partly exempt or did not include every basic-need category. Its findings concerned the 2023 reform; they should not be read as a completed evaluation of the separate reduction introduced that same January. [3]
The perspective of people seeking assistance
Riksföreningen JAG, whose advocacy challenges the exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, describes the 2023 changes as long-awaited while criticising narrow interpretations by Försäkringskassan and municipalities. Its reform information explains how qualified motivating and guiding support can matter for someone who can physically perform a task but needs help to start it or understand its sequence. JAG’s criticism is an advocacy assessment of implementation, alongside the inspectorate’s separate findings.
For families with an earlier award, the smaller parental deduction does not itself produce a revised decision. Försäkringskassan’s guidance, updated in April 2026, says a new application is needed and triggers a complete reassessment using the current deduction. The change therefore alters the calculation, while the individual assessment still determines entitlement.