1982–83 was the eighth season that Division 1 operated as the second tier of ice hockey in Sweden, below the top-flight Elitserien (now the SHL).
Division 1 was divided into four starting groups of 10 teams each.
The top two teams in each group qualified for the Allsvenskan, while the remaining eight teams had to compete in a qualifying round in which the results carried over from the first round.
Of the eight teams in the Allsvenskan, the top two teams qualified for the Allsvenskan final, with the winner being promoted directly to the Elitserien (now the SHL), while the loser qualified for the Kvalserien, which offered another opportunity to be promoted.
The third to sixth ranked teams in the Allsvenskan qualified for the second round of the playoffs.