1975–76 was the first season that Division 1 operated as the second tier of ice hockey in Sweden, this due to the creation of Elitserien (now the SHL) as a new flight of the Swedish hockey system.
Division 1 was divided into four starting groups, based on geography.
The top four teams in the group would continue to the playoffs to determine which clubs would participate in the qualifier for promotion to Elitserien.
The 16 teams (top 4 in the standings from each regular season group) that qualified for the playoffs all played two playoff rounds, leaving four surviving teams that continued to the 1976 Elitserien qualifier.
Björklöven, Mora, Örebro and Nacka won in the second round to continue to the 1976 Elitserien qualifier.