Wellness allowance

Linnaeus University wishes to promote wellness and good health among all its employees. In this context, the university subsidises certain wellness activities, aiming to increase well-being, create a pleasant workplace, decrease absence due to illness, prevent work-related injuries, and increase the preconditions for being in good health in a lifelong perspective.

Each employee is entitled to receive a subsidy of up to 3,000 SEK per year for wellness activities. Linnaeus University complies with the recommendations from Swedish Tax Agency and, therefore, it does not provide subsidisation for taxable exercise activities.

The subsidy for wellness activities applies to those who have a permanent employment position or a fixed-term employment position for a minimum of 6 months. If the employment is for half a year, one is entitled to receive half of the allowance, i.e. SEK 1,500. If the employment lasts more than 6 months, but less than 12 months, the subsidy will be for the number of months times SEK 250 per month. The wellness allowance is available for the duration of the employment but it cannot, however, be awarded retroactively.

In order to receive full subsidy, the percentage of employment must be at least 20% of full time. If the percentage of employment is lower than 20%, the employee cannot receive a wellness activities subsidy. Those who are on partial leave of absence with a remaining working time that corresponds to at least 20% of full-time are entitled to the wellness allowance.

In order for a single treatment or activity to be considered to be of a simpler nature and of lesser value, the cost cannot exceed SEK 1,000 per occasion or activity, according to the Swedish Tax Agency's regulations. This means, for example, that a massage treatment that costs more than SEK 1,000 isn’t covered by tax-free subsidisation and thus not reimbursed at all.

Those who are receiving a sickness benefit or parental allowance are entitled to the wellness allowance during that time period.

The wellness allowance does not apply to those who are financed by a scholarship (stipendiat) or being paid on an invoiced fee basis.

Applying for the wellness allowance

You register a case in Primula under reimbursement/comp leave and choose
keep-fit comp. (friskvård subv.). Print out the form for expenses (which can be found at the bottom of the page on Primula) before submitting your application for the subsidy.

Submit the form for expenses, along with the original receipt(s), to the designated administrator at your faculty office. The receipt(s) must always show your name, price/amount paid, period of validity and specific activity.

If you pay via autogiro/direct debit, you must state what amount you paid during the year, attach a copy of the bank statement and a dated receipt from the wellness company where your name, price/amount paid and period of use are stated. If you purchased fitness activities via an app, you will need to provide proof for the purchase via receipts and bank statements.

The wellness allowance cannot be paid retroactively, only the current year’s allowance can be paid upon submission of receipts. In order to receive the wellness allowance, you must have registered the case and sent all supporting documents by 10 December of the year to which the wellness activity refers. If the reimbursement relates to wellness activities after 10 December, the reimbursement for those wellness activities may be paid in January of the following year.

Linnaeus University sends out requests to various fitness facilities in Kalmar and Växjö at regular intervals. The fitness centres mentioned below have some kind of discount available for employees at Linnaeus University. Ask for that discount when you buy a fitness card. If the gym is not represented here, you can ask whether they would like to offer special discounts for employees at Linnaeus University. If they express an interest, suggest they contact our HR Office.