Sweden allows corporations to offer a number of various fitness wellness programs, and employee benefits tax free! In order to receive this tax benefit, the skattefri friskvård program must be offered to all employees in the company. Home equipment and rewards for fitness programs reimbursements do not apply.
Offer fitness activities that your employees will love
Here are some of our favorite fitness activities listed on Skatterverket, the official website for the Swedish Tax Agency, that can be supported as a part of your corporate wellness program tax free:
- Wellness or Fitness Apps – Exercise apps typically help people become more active. Incentfit can sync with a lot of fitness apps for easy tracking and rewarding.
- Corporate Team Sports – These include different types of ball sports such as basketball, football, handball, hockey, etc. This is a great way to boost the company’s team spirit!
- Crossfit – First rule of CrossFit: Always talk about CrossFit! Just kidding. CrossFit is a fan favorite because people see changes in their body fast, and community is tight knit.
- Exercise Dance – different types of dance such bug, jazz dance, zumba. However, entrance fees to nightclubs to still taxable 😉
- Indoor Rock Climbing – A lot of people don’t even consider this full body workout exercise!
- Jogging – They call it runner’s high for a reason. Jogging on a treadmill or outside has been known to reduce anxiety and the risk of breast cancer.
- Martial arts or any combat sport – Such as boxing, judo, kendo, and kung fu. This is one of our favorite ways to release healthy stress!
- Pilates – Great for building core strength. There are tons of different pilates classes, so employees are sure to find one they like.
- Racquetball – such as badminton, table tennis, squash, tennis. Squash players can burn up to 800 calories an hour! We didn’t even notice.
- Swimming – Swimming is not only a great workout that’s easy on the joints, but also an important life skill.
- Spinning – Spinning classes such as SoulCycle are intense cardio sessions that also have a strong sense of community.
- Weight Training – Weight training is usually the exercise of choice for those who want to build muscle quickly.
- Tai chi – Tai Chi is for more than just centering your mind. Research suggests that tai chi increases flexibility and balance, and helps prevent heart disease!
- Yoga – Yoga is another popular exercise that’s great for posture, flexibility, and balance.
Swedish law also allows many other health programs such as massages and smoking cessation programs tax free. You can view the complete list here.
Other Caveats
The law requires that all submissions be reviewed and only granted if they are in an approved category. Also all documents must be retained for several years for auditing purposes. Incentfit allows you to take advantage of these tax benefits easily. Employees can take photos on their phone for easy reimbursement. We keep it all in a safe place for you that’s easy to track and file. Contact us today for more information on how to use Incentfit to take advantage of Sweden’s amazing tax benefits!
