Unemployment insurance

Everyone working in Sweden is covered by an unemployment insurance (Alfa-kassa), but if you are not a member of a voluntary unemployment fund (A-kassa), the insurance payout is low. To be eligible for compensation from the voluntary unemployment insurance (A-kassa), you must fufill the criteria.

To receive unemployment benefits from the unemployment insurance fund (a-kassan), you must have earned at least SEK 120,000 in total during the past 12 months (known as the qualification period), and during at least four of those months, your income must have been at least SEK 11,000. The length of your membership in the unemployment fund determines your compensation level, which can be 80%, 60%, or 50% of your previous income. The income ceiling is set at SEK 34,000, meaning the maximum benefit you can receive is SEK 27,200 before tax. The amount you earned before becoming unemployed also affects how many benefit days you are entitled to, ranging from a maximum of 300 days to a minimum of 66 days.

Employees on fixed term contracts who intend to stay in Sweden are strongly advised to become members of a voluntary unemployment insurance fund (A-kassa), since members receive payments based on their salary; this is called income-based benefit. If you are not a member of an A-kassa you can still be eligible for unemployment insurance but at the basic rate. More information about unemployment insurance in general is found at the Swedish Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen)