Glossary

The words in Swedish loan agreements and representative examples, explained briefly in English, with the Swedish term in brackets.

Terms in Swedish loans and credit

Amortisation (amortering)
The part of the monthly payment that reduces the debt. The rest is interest and fees.
Annuity loan (annuitetslån)
A loan where you pay the same amount every month. The interest part falls and the amortisation part grows over time.
Co-applicant (medsökande)
A person who applies for the loan with you. Two incomes can lead to a yes or a lower rate, and both become liable for the whole debt.
Consolidation loan (samlingslån)
A new loan that clears several more expensive credits, so you have one payment and one rate.
Cost cap (kostnadstak)
The rule that credit costs may never exceed the original amount borrowed.
Credit check (kreditupplysning)
A check of your finances with a credit bureau, such as UC, Creditsafe or Dun & Bradstreet. Many checks in a short time lower your creditworthiness.
Debt relief (skuldsanering)
A decision by Kronofogden under which you pay what you can for a few years, after which the rest is written off.
Effective interest rate (effektiv ränta)
The total cost of the loan as a yearly percentage, including all fees. The figure to compare.
High-cost credit (högkostnadskredit)
Credit with an effective rate at least 30 percentage points above the reference rate, so 32% today. It is subject to special requirements for credit assessment and warnings.
Interest rate cap (räntetak)
The maximum nominal rate on consumer credit: the reference rate plus 20 percentage points, so 22.00% in the second half of 2026.
KALP (kvar att leva på)
Money left to live on. The bank’s calculation of what you have left after housing, loans and living costs.
Kronofogden
The Swedish Enforcement Authority, which collects unpaid debts. A debt there is a public or a private claim (allmänt mål or enskilt mål).
Nominal interest rate (nominell ränta)
The interest rate itself, without fees. Never higher than the effective rate.
Payment remark (betalningsanmärkning)
A note at the credit bureaus that an unpaid debt has gone to Kronofogden, for example a ruling on an order to pay (betalningsföreläggande). It stays for three years for private individuals.
Reference rate (referensränta)
The rate set by the Riksbank every six months that the interest rate cap is based on. 2.00% in the second half of 2026.
Right of withdrawal (ångerrätt)
Your right to withdraw from a credit agreement within 14 days. You pay interest only for the days you had the money.
Setup fee (uppläggningsavgift)
A one-off fee when the loan is paid out. It is included in the effective rate and weighs most on small loans.
Straight amortisation (rak amortering)
You pay the same amount of amortisation every month. High payments at first, lower towards the end.
UC
Upplysningscentralen, a credit bureau many Swedish banks use. You can get your own report free.
Unsecured loan (blancolån)
A loan for which you pledge nothing, such as a home or a car. The same thing as a personal loan.