Compensation from the unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa)
When you are unemployed, you may have the option to receive compensation from the unemployment insurance fund while you are looking for work. You apply for compensation from your unemployment insurance fund. Here, you can read about how to apply, what is required in order to receive compensation, and how much money you can receive.
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- What is unemployment insurance?
- How do I apply for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund?
- What is required to be eligible for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund?
- How much compensation will I receive and for how long?
- Contact your unemployment insurance fund if something changes or if you have questions
What is unemployment insurance?
You can receive compensation from unemployment insurance while you are looking for work. To be entitled to compensation, you must meet certain conditions. You apply with an unemployment insurance fund. Information about what applies can be found on this page. Watch the video for a short summary.
Unemployment insurance in brief
A short summary of unemployment insurance and the conditions for receiving compensation (subtitles in English).
How do I apply for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund?
- Start by registering with the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) on the first day you are unemployed and state that you want to apply for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund.
- Log in to your unemployment insurance fund’s website and apply for compensation. There, you will see what information to provide in order to find out if you are entitled to compensation.
If you are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund, you can apply for membership in conjunction with becoming unemployed. You can do this on the unemployment insurance fund’s website. If do not want to be a member of an unemployment insurance fund, you can apply with Alfa-kassan.
What is required to be eligible for compensation from the unemployment insurance fund?
To receive compensation from an unemployment insurance fund, you must be registered as unemployed with the Public Employment Service. You should be able and want to accept a job immediately. There must not be anything preventing you from applying for and accepting a job. If you have children, you must have childcare arranged. Ordinarily, you should also be in Sweden and have finished any studies. Contact your unemployment insurance fund for information on what applies in your situation.
To be entitled to compensation, you must have worked before. You must fulfil one of the following conditions:
- In the past year, you must have worked for at least 6 months for at least 60 hours in each calendar month.
- In the past year, you must have worked for at least 420 hours over 6 consecutive months, with at least 40 hours in each calendar month.
Request a certificate from your employer that shows how much you have worked. Log in to your unemployment insurance fund and use the e-service Request an employer certificate (Begär arbetsgivarintyg) or ask your employer to use arbetsgivarintyg.nu.
If you have been on parental leave, sick, or studying full time, for example, you may count work further back in time.
What do I do if I am not entitled to compensation from the unemployment insurance fund?
If your unemployment insurance fund notifies you that you are not entitled to compensation, you may contact your municipality to apply for financial support.
Important to know when you have compensation
While applying for or receiving compensation from the unemployment insurance fund, you must follow the terms and conditions so that you are not at risk of having your compensation suspended for one or more days.
Conditions when you have compensation from the unemployment insurance fund
How much compensation will I receive and for how long?
How much will I receive in compensation?
How much money you receive depends on how much you have worked, your previous income, and how long you have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund. Your unemployment insurance fund decides on the compensation and calculates how much you are entitled to.
Compensation based on your income
If you have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund for at least one year, you can receive up to 80 percent of your previous pay. You can receive at most SEK 26,400 per month before taxes.
Basic compensation
If you are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund, or have been a member for less than one year, you can receive basic compensation. In that case, you can receive at most SEK 11,220 per month before taxes, depending on how much you worked before. You must also be at least 20 years old.
How long can I receive compensation?
A compensation period is 300 days. At most, you can receive compensation five days per week. If you have children under 18, the period is automatically extended by 150 days. If you have not gotten a job after 300 days of compensation, you may be invited to participate in a Job and Development Programme (jobb- och utvecklingsgarantin).
Contact your unemployment insurance fund if something changes or if you have questions
Be sure to provide correct information to the unemployment insurance fund, so that you receive the correct compensation. Remember to inform the unemployment insurance fund if something changes that may affect your compensation. If you have received compensation to which you are not entitled, you may need to pay it back.
If you have questions about how to fill in your time sheet or what changes are important to notify them about, contact your unemployment insurance fund. Also contact your unemployment insurance fund if you have questions about your payments, membership, or something else pertaining to your compensation.
Contact information for all unemployment insurance funds can be found on the website of Sweden’s unemployment insurance funds (Sveriges a-kassor).
Sweden’s unemployment insurance funds website (sverigesakassor.se)