New rules for unemployment benefits
Starting October 1, new rules for unemployment insurance will take effect. The new insurance is based on your previous income and how long you have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund.
This applies if you get a decision from October 1
The new rules apply to decisions made on or after October 1. If you receive your decision about benefits from that date onward, the new rules will apply to you. However, your current period will continue under the existing regulations if you already receive benefits.
How do I qualify for unemployment benefits?
Starting October 1, you must meet an income requirement to qualify for benefits. There are two ways to meet this requirement: the main rule or the alternative rule.
The main rule
To qualify under the main rule, you must have had during the qualification period:
- A total income of at least SEK 120,000, and
- A monthly income of at least SEK 11,000 in at least four different months
How long can you receive benefits under the main rule?
If you meet the main rule, you can receive either 300, 200, or 100 benefit days. This depends on the number of months during the qualifying period that you have had a monthly salary of at least SEK 11 000.
- 300 benefit days: if you earned SEK 11,000 or more in 11–12 months
- 200 benefit days: if you earned SEK 11,000 or more in 8–10 months
- 100 benefit days: if you earned SEK 11,000 or more in 4–7 months
The alternative rule
You can also qualify by meeting the alternative rule. In that case, you must have had a monthly income of at least SEK 11,000 for at least four consecutive months. There is no minimum total income required.
How long can you receive benefits under the alternative rule?
If you meet this rule, you can receive 66 benefit days.
What income is included in the income requirement?
We collect your income information directly from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). All taxable income registered there counts.
Additionally, some benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), such as parental allowance and sickness benefits, can be included in your total income.
If you are self-employed, your income is based on what you have paid taxes on in previous years.
What does that mean?
Qualifying period
This is the time we look at to check if you meet the requirements: from the date you applied for benefits and 12 months backward. If you were not working during parts of that time – for example, due to illness, parental leave, or full-time studies, we may extend the period further back. The same applies if you run a business that ended within 60 months of being started.
It pays to be a member
How much you receive depends on how long you have been a member of an unemployment fund during the qualification period. You can receive 80%, 60%, or 50% of your previous income. We cover income up to SEK 34,000 per month, so the maximum you can receive is 80% of SEK 34,000, which is SEK 27,200.
This is how your membership affects your benefit level:
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Member for at least 12 consecutive months
You receive 80% of your previous income.
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Member for 6–11 consecutive months
You receive 60% of your previous income.
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Member for 0–5 consecutive months
You receive 50% of your previous income.
If you are not a member
If you are not a member of any unemployment fund, the most you can get is 50% of the income you had during the qualification period.
Your benefit decreases after 100 days
No matter what your initial benefit, it will decrease over time:
- After 100 days of benefits, it drops by 10 percentage points.
- After 200 days of benefits, it drops by another 5 percentage points.
Submit a monthly application and get paid once a month
Each month, you need to submit a monthly application. In it, report your income and whether there were any days when you were unable to look for work. You must submit your application within three months.
We will then use this information to calculate your payment for that month. If you are completely unemployed for the entire month, you can receive benefits for up to 22 days. If you have had any income, were sick, on parental leave, or had other reasons you couldn’t look for work, your payment will be reduced. This includes weekends as well. We deduct 1/22 of your full monthly benefit for each day you're unavailable. So, the amount you receive each month may vary based on your situation.
How often will I be paid?
Starting in October, payments are made once a month, in arrears.
Age limit for benefits
To receive benefits, you must be at least 20 years old. The upper age limit is 66, but from January 1, 2026, that will be tied to the national retirement age.
If you work abroad
From October 1, your membership in a Swedish unemployment fund will not count while working abroad. If you work in another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the UK, you are covered by that country’s laws. That affects how we count your time as a member and what benefit level you are entitled to. That is why it is important to have unemployment insurance in the country where you work, so you do not have a gap in your coverage.
Please note that Denmark and Finland have a similar unemployment fund system as Sweden. If you work there, be sure to join a fund in that country.
If you are an employer
The new unemployment insurance is based on income, not hours worked. This means income and hours will gradually be removed from employer certificates. We will instead use income data directly from the Swedish Tax Agency.
During a transition period, both the old and new rules apply. So, for cases where the benefit period started before October 1, we still need info on both income and hours worked. The information you need to provide will be reduced over time, but until then, you need to fill out the employer certificate as usual.
If you have connected your payroll system to arbetsgivarintyg.nu, continue submitting information in the same way. We will get everything we need, whether the period starts before or after October 1, 2025.
Q&A about the new insurance
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In the current insurance, the benefit is based on both income and worked hours. In the new insurance, the benefit is based on your previous income, the number of months you worked during the qualifying period, and how long you have been a member.
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Yes, if you have an ongoing period of benefits and have been granted 300 days of benefits, you will automatically receive an additional 150 days if you have children under the age of 18. However, in the new insurance (for decisions made after October 1), extra days of benefits for children under 18 will no longer be available.
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No, membership is not required to receive benefits. However, the maximum you can receive as a non-member is 50% of your previous income.
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If your 300 days of benefits end, we will first determine if you are entitled to an additional 150 days, which is possible if you have children under the age of 18. This applies regardless of whether your 300 days end before or after October 1.
If you have already received 450 days or do not have children under the age of 18 on day 300, we will assess whether you qualify for a new period of benefits. If we assess this before October 1, the current rules apply. If we assess it on or after October 1, the new rules will apply.