Home equipment loan
If you have come to Sweden as a refugee, you can borrow money to buy furniture and other equipment for your new home. Here you can read about the conditions, how much you can borrow, and how to apply. You will also find films about the loan in different languages, such as English and Arabic.
Information in English and other languages
We provide information about our various forms of grants and loans in different languages. Quite a lot of information has been translated into English. The most important information has been translated into other languages, such as Arabic, Spanish, etc.
What is a home equipment loan?
The home equipment loan is intended for furniture and other equipment in your new home. This can for example be a sofa, a TV, a child’s bed, or things for the kitchen. You cannot use the money for things such as food, a mobile phone, or rent. You must then repay the loan. You also have to pay interest on the loan. To get a home equipment loan, you must meet certain requirements.
How much you can borrow
How much you can borrow depends on:
- the size of your family
- if the apartment you rent comes with furniture or not
- how much money you have.
The table shows how much you can borrow You can apply for less if you do not want to borrow the full amount.
| Number of people in the family | Unfurnished accommodation, SEK | Furnished accommodation or lodgings, SEK |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 000 | 5 000 |
| 2 (without children) | 15 000 | 5 000 |
| 2 (one person is a child) | 20 000 | 5 000 |
| 3 | 25 000 | 5 000 |
| 4 | 30 000 | 5 000 |
| 5 | 35 000 | 5 000 |
It costs SEK 300 to take out a loan. CSN deducts the fee directly from your loan. This is called an opening fee.
Supplementary loan
You can apply to borrow more money, even if you have already received a home equipment loan. You can do this if you have borrowed less than the maximum amount, or if your family grows. You can never borrow more than SEK 35 000.
It costs SEK 100 to take out a supplementary loan. CSN deducts the fee directly from your loan.
Conditions for a home equipment loan
To apply for a home equipment loan you need to meet the following requirements:
- You are a foreign citizen and have arrived in Sweden as a refugee, or eligible for subsidiary protection/meet the legal criteria for protected living, or as a relative of such a person.
- You have received a residence permit from The Swedish Migration Agency.
- You have moved to a municipality.
- It was no more than 2 years since you moved to a municipality for the first time. These rules also apply if you are looking for a supplementary loan.
- You were at least 18 years old when you first moved to a municipality.
Special rules apply if you are an unaccompanied minor. Contact CSN for more information.
You cannot apply for a home equipment loan while you are waiting for a residence permit decision.
If you are married or living with a partner
If you are married or living with a partner who also qualifies for a home equipment loan, you must apply together. You also repay the loan together, even if you move apart or get a divorce. This is known as being jointly and severally responsible for repaying.
By living with a partner we mean that you live with someone as a couple. Living with friends or siblings is not the same thing as living with a partner.
Interest on the loan
CSN charges interest on the money you borrow. In 2020, the interest rate is 1.74 per cent. The interest is calculated from the day you receive the loan until you have repaid the whole debt. This means that when you repay the loan you both need to repay the money you got and the interest. The interest cannot be removed.
Application and payment
Below are instructions for applying and what you need to do to have your money paid out:
1. In most cases the municipality or employment office (Arbetsförmedlingen) can help you apply for a home equipment loan and inform you of the conditions. You can order a paper copy of the form from CSN if you want to apply yourself.
2. Once you have filled in and signed your application, you or the person helping you sends it to CSN. We will contact you or the person helping you if something is unclear or missing in your application.
3. CSN makes a decision about your application. If you have been helped by the municipality or employment office, we will send the decision there. If you applied yourself, we will send the decision directly to you.
4. If you are approved for a loan, you will also receive an acknowledgement of debt that you must sign and return to CSN. By signing it, you approve the terms and conditions of the loan.
5. When we have received your signed acknowledgement, we will pay out the money to you.
6. For us to pay the money to your account, you must have reported the account number to Swedbank’s account register. If you have not done this, you will instead receive a money order.
When do I get the money?
The payment is made no more than a week before you move into your apartment. You must have a decision from CSN stating that your home equipment loan is approved. You also need to have signed the acknowledgement of debt and returned it to CSN.
Register your bank account with Swedbank
Swedbank pays out all the money on behalf of CSN. It is good if you report your account number to Swedbank before it is paid out. If you do not do this, you will instead receive a money order in the post. The money order states where you can redeem it for the money.
Repaying the home equipment loan
You start paying back the loan 2 years after first receiving the money. It takes between 1 and 7 years to repay the loan, depending on how much you borrowed. We will automatically send you paying-in slips when it is time to start making repayments.
We will send 3 paying-in slips at a time. Every time we send the paying-in slips, we will charge a notice fee of SEK 30. This amounts to a total of SEK 120 per year. If you fail to pay your invoices on time, you will also have to pay a reminder fee of SEK 60.
If you want to start making repayments earlier or to make overpayments on the loan
You can start making repayments before two years have passed, if you want. In this case, order the paying-in slips after logging into Mina sidor Hemutrustningslån (My Pages Home equipment loan) here at csn.se.
You can also choose to make overpayments on your loan. In this case, change the amount stated on the paying-in slip. If you want to repay the entire loan in a single payment, please contact us.
If you are having difficulty making repayments
If you are having difficulty making repayments on your loan, you can apply to pay less or to pay nothing at all for a calendar year. CSN will charge interest, even though you are not making payments on the loan. As a result, the debt will be growing when you are not paying.
If you fail to repay your loan
If you fail to make payments in accordance with your payment plan, the following occurs:
- We will send you a reminder. You will then have to pay the SEK 60 reminder fee.
- If you fail to pay despite receiving the reminder, we will send a new reminder the following month, stating that we can terminate the loan for immediate payment.
- If you fail to pay, we will terminate the loan for immediate payment. You will then receive a paying-in slip for the entire debt. Once the loan has been terminated, you will no longer be able to apply for deferred payment.
- If you fail to pay a loan that has been terminated, we may forward the claim to the Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden).
Risk of record of non-payment
If your case is handed to the Enforcement Authority, you risk receiving a record of non-payment. Credit report companies issue records of non-payment after they have obtained data from the Enforcement Authority. UC and Kreditfakta are examples of credit report companies.
Films about home equipment loan
Appealing against a decision by CSN
If you believe that CSN has reached an incorrect decision, you can appeal against it. CSN must be in receipt of your appeal within three weeks from the date on which you were notified the decision.
Updated: 2020-03-30
