What changes in September 2025

Parliament reopens after summer recess 

Sweden’s parliament, or Riksdag, reopens after the summer recess on September 9th. The formal ceremony (Riksmötets öppnande) is led by Sweden’s Carl XVI Gustaf and broadcast live on the parliament’s website. 

2026 budget presented

Sweden’s government is expected to present the main 2026 Budget Bill (the “autumn budget”) to the Swedish parliament, or Riksdag, in mid-September 2025.

As this is the last annual budget before the 2026 general election, it is likely to be expansive and the finance minister is likely to want to give additional tax breaks to the core supporters of her Moderate Party, for whom lower taxation tends to be the most important issue. 

September 23rd: Interest rate announcement

The Riksbank central bank is expected to announce a new interest rate decision on September 23rd. If the bank does not decide to cut rates by a 0.25 percentage points at its meeting on August 19th (announced August 20th), some economists expect it to make a cut at the September meeting, although one, Danske Bank’s Susanne Spector, does not expect another cut until next year. 

Crayfish season continues

Unfortunately there are no public holidays in September (the next one isn’t until Christmas), but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to celebrate.

The crayfish season, which started at the beginning of August, will continue until the end of September, so be prepared to keep seeing crayfish-themed decorations in the supermarkets for a few weeks yet.

If you haven’t already done so, why not find some friends (preferably with access to a summer house) to hold your very own kräftskiva (crayfish party)?

As with most Swedish celebrations, expect drinking songs, lots of snaps, crispbread, cheese, and most likely some sort of västerbottenpaj – a quiche featuring Sweden’s favourite cheese, västerbottensost. Here’s our guide to six essential Swedish drinking songs for crayfish party season.

Aurora Borealis season begins

With increased solar activity forecast, September marks the beginning of prime northern‑lights viewing in Lapland (northern Sweden). Expect vibrant displays—pink, green, purple streaks—as early as September 2025.

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Mushroom picking season peaks

While some enthusiasts have been picking chanterelles in parts of Sweden since July, September is the month that Sweden’s mushroom picking hits its full swing. Read our beginner’s guide to the mushrooms to pick here, and to the ones you should definitely leave behind here.  

New national professional programme for teachers

On September 1st, Sweden will launch a new national professional development programme to strengthen the quality of teaching and raise the status of the teaching profession. The programme will consist of two parts: the national framework for professional development for principals, teachers, and preschool teachers, and the national qualification system for certified teachers and certified preschool teachers.

The professional development shall be relevant, reinforce the professions’ scientific foundation, and contribute to improving the quality of teaching.

The national qualification system will include four different qualification levels. Following an application, the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) will decide that a certified teacher or certified preschool teacher has reached a given qualification level if they meet the requirements for that level.

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Klarna IPO possible 

Financial news media reported at the end of July that the Swedish fin-tech company Klarna planned to list in the US as early as September. When the company last planned to list in April, it aimed to raise $1bn, potentially valuing the company at around $15bn. 

Deadline to pay outstanding tax

If you were unlucky enough to be issued with kvarskatt (residual tax) on your tax return back in June, you have until September 12th to repay it.

You risk paying up to 20 percent interest on the outstanding amount if you don’t manage to pay your tax back before the deadline, as well as a potential black mark on your record, which could make it harder for you to borrow money in the future.

If your outstanding tax is under 100 kronor you don’t need to pay it back until it reaches 100 kronor or over, and if you received your final tax declaration later than June, your deadline will also be later.

You can find out all the relevant details on the Tax Agency’s tax repayment page.

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Inquiry into public service and the internet to deliver conclusions

A government inquiry is due to deliver its conclusions on September 30th into how public service broadcasters such as SVT and SR should be allowed to deliver content online and over social media. The inquiry, titled distribution of radio and TV programs in a new media landscape, will look at how public broadcasters can fulfil their mandate of reaching 98 percent of the population over the internet, and how they can ensure they can still communicate to the public at times of crisis. 

New law on asylum housing comes into force 

From September 1st, asylum seekers will not be allowed to keep their daily allowance (currently 71 kronor a day) and additional “special payment” unless they move into one of the Migration Agency’s asylum centres no later than August 31st. This new law began to apply to new asylum seekers from March 1st, and will now be extended to people who claimed asylum before that. People from Ukraine who have protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive are not affected.

New offence of ‘exporting stolen goods’ created

A new offence, exporting stolen goods (utförselhäleri), comes into existence on September 1st, with a maximum penalty of imprisonment of up to two years for standard cases and six years for aggravated cases.