The housing allowance for old-age pensioners over the age of 65 and the sick or disabled is for those who have the worst disadvantage in society. The Office of the Auditor General has now examined the housing allowance and finds that as many as 129,000 pensioners and 40,000 sick or persons with sick or activity compensation are entitled to the housing supplement, but do not apply for the money.

As a project manager, Tina Malmberg is responsible for the audit at the OAG.

- Many do not know that you are justified or they are unable to put together an application. It can be ignorance, too complicated a regulatory framework and too complicated an application process, she tells SVT News.

Billions could be paid out

The report is valid for 2016 (the last year with available complete data), but the OAG believes that they do not see any major changes for the years 2017 or 2018. In total, the OAG expects that as much as SEK 3 billion could be paid out each year. According to the survey, this means about another SEK 1,300 per month per person, which is a lot of money for a person with a low income.

- If you are an old-age pensioner, you can call the Pension Authority which can help the person to make a preliminary calculation. If the person has sick or activity compensation, you can call Försäkringskassan, Tina Malmberg tells SVT Nyheter.

The Office of the Auditor General proposes that the Government calls for better cooperation between the Pensions Authority and the Social Insurance Agency. Another suggestion is that the Swedish Social Insurance Agency analyzes in more detail which are included in the dark figure and makes targeted efforts towards those who lose out on the housing allowance.