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How much does a special needs teacher earn in Sweden?

Special teachers and special needs teachers. 15,200 people employed in Sweden.

47,800SEK

per month is the median salary for a special needs teacher in Sweden in 2025. That is 25% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+3.7% since 2024

≈ €4,250 / $4,950 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 37,049 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 276 SEK an hour · 573,600 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

The mean monthly salary for a special needs teacher in Sweden is 47,600 SEK (2025). The median salary is 47,800 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 41,800 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 53,200 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
47,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
41,800 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
53,200 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
15,200
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among special teachers and special needs teachers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

41,800 SEKLowest 10%47,800 SEKMedian53,200 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 44,900–50,500 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Special needs teacher starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 25–34, earn 42,100 SEK a month on average — roughly 33,200 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 25–34 42,100 SEK 33,211 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 41,800 SEK 33,009 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 44,900 SEK 35,097 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Special needs teacher pay in the private and public sector

What special teachers and special needs teachers earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 47,600 SEK 47,800 SEK 47,200 SEK 47,900 SEK
Private sector 45,700 SEK 45,900 SEK – 46,100 SEK
Public sector 47,900 SEK 48,000 SEK 47,600 SEK 48,000 SEK
Central government 48,000 SEK 48,600 SEK 48,100 SEK 48,800 SEK
Municipalities 48,100 SEK 48,100 SEK 47,800 SEK 48,100 SEK
Regions (health care) 42,700 SEK 42,700 SEK 40,000 SEK 42,800 SEK

Special needs teacher salary after tax in Sweden

What special teachers and special needs teachers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 47,800 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 37,049 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

47,800 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 37,049 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 37,753 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 36,976 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 37,036 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 38,183 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 35,974 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 42,100 SEK before tax — roughly 33,211 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 53,200 SEK, which is roughly 40,685 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a special needs teacher

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a special needs teacher

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 40,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 47,200 SEK 1,400
Women 47,900 SEK 13,800

Women's average salary is 102% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Special needs teacher salary by age

Pay for special teachers and special needs teachers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 40,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 42,100 SEK – 42,100 SEK 470
35–44 years 45,800 SEK 46,100 SEK 45,700 SEK 3,000
45–54 years 48,000 SEK 46,800 SEK 48,200 SEK 6,100
55–64 years 48,600 SEK 48,400 SEK 48,600 SEK 5,000

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 40,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 42,900 SEK – 43,300 SEK 420
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 47,800 SEK 47,400 SEK 47,900 SEK 14,500

Special needs teacher salary by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 40,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 50,300 SEK 50,300 SEK 50,300 SEK 2,800
East-Central Sweden 46,600 SEK 44,700 SEK 46,800 SEK 2,700
Småland and islands 46,200 SEK 44,600 SEK 46,400 SEK 1,500
South Sweden 47,500 SEK 46,300 SEK 47,700 SEK 2,700
West Sweden 48,100 SEK 47,800 SEK 48,100 SEK 3,100
North-Central Sweden 45,700 SEK – 45,800 SEK 1,100
Central Norrland 45,700 SEK – 45,800 SEK 570
Upper Norrland 45,900 SEK – 45,900 SEK 850

Special needs teacher pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 32,800 SEK in 2014 to 47,800 SEK in 2025, +46% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 2351, “speciallärare och specialpedagoger m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Anpassningslärare
  • Bildningskonsulent
  • Dövlärare
  • Fortbildningskonsulent
  • Fortbildningsledare
  • Förskolekonsulent
  • Förstadielärare
  • Gymnastikkonsulent
  • Hjälpundervisningskonsulent
  • Hörselpedagog
  • Hörselvårdskonsulent
  • Klasslärare, speciallärare
  • Konsulent, skola
  • Läkepedagog
  • Lärare, anpassad skola
  • Lärare, special-
  • Lärare, särskola
  • Läromedelsintendent
  • Musikkonsulent
  • Pedagogista
  • Planeringschef, skola
  • Reselärare
  • Skolinspektör
  • Skolkonsulent
  • Speciallärare, anpassad grundskola
  • Speciallärare, anpassad gymnasieskola
  • Speciallärare, döva
  • Speciallärare, grundskola
  • Speciallärare, grundsärskola
  • Speciallärare, gymnasieskola
  • Speciallärare, gymnasiesärskola
  • Speciallärare, hörsel
  • Speciallärare, hörselskadade
  • Speciallärare, synskadade
  • Speciallärare, träningsskola
  • Specialpedagog, hörsel
  • Specialpedagog, lekotek
  • Specialpedagog, lekterapi
  • Specialpedagog, skola
  • Specialpedagog, synskadade
  • Specialpedagog, tal och språk
  • Studieinstruktör
  • Synpedagog
  • Särskollärare
  • Tal- o. språkpedagog
  • Tal- och språkpedagog
  • Talpedagog
  • Utbildningsinspektör
  • Utbildningskonsulent, övrig
  • Yrkesutbildningskonsulent

Frequently asked questions

How much does a special needs teacher earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 47,800 SEK a month before tax, against 46,100 SEK the year before (2024) — +3.7%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for a special needs teacher in Sweden?

The median salary for a special needs teacher in Sweden is 47,800 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so special teachers and special needs teachers sit 25% higher than the typical job.

How much does a special needs teacher earn after tax?

The median salary for a special needs teacher is 47,800 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 37,000 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for special teachers and special needs teachers?

The average (47,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (47,800 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what special teachers and special needs teachers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a special needs teacher in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: special teachers and special needs teachers aged 25–34 years earn 42,100 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 41,800 SEK. More in the section “Special needs teacher starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for special teachers and special needs teachers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 53,200 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among special teachers and special needs teachers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 102% of men's in this job. The median salary is 47,200 SEK for men and 47,900 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a special needs teacher earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where special teachers and special needs teachers earn 50,300 SEK per month on average.

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