Welcome to Unionens unemployment insurance fund!
Losing your employment is always stressful, but it is easier if you have an unemployment insurance. In Sweden unemployment insurance is called arbetslöshetskassa, or simply a-kassa.
Membership
If you have a knowledge-based job, you can become a member. We have members in many different professional groups. Entrepreneurs are also welcome.
All you have to do to become a member is fill out an application for membership. If we receive your application before midnight on the last day of the month, you can become a member from the first day of the same month.
You cannot become a member of an unemployment insurance fund once you turn 66, and if you are a member the membership will automatically end the month before you turn 66.
It's easy to become a member
Use our on line application to become a member. You need an e-identification to be able to send your application here.
If you don´t have an e-identification, you can call us and we will help you.
Payment of membership fee
Our fee is SEK 140 per month. You can pay the fee with direct debit, e-invoice or regular invoice.
Autogiro (direct debit)
With autogiro, you do not need to keep track of due dates or fill in long OCR numbers. The money is automatically deducted from your account and is credited to our account on the correct day. Autogiro is free of charge.
To sign up for autogiro, log into your internet bank and register us as a payment recipient. Until the autogiro is registred you need to pay with the invoices that we send to you.
E-faktura (e-invoice)
Log into your internet bank and register that you want to receive e-invoices from us. Until you have signed up you need to pay with the invoices that we send to you.
Invoice
We will send an invoice to your post address every month.
If you do not pay the fee your membership will end
If you do not pay the fee your membership ends after three months. For example, if you do not pay the fee for January, February and March, your membership ends from April 1.
However, the membership fee for the three months must always be paid, even if the membership is terminated.
Rules and regulations
It is the Riksdag that decides on the rules and all unemployment funds follow the same rules.
The insurance applies to everyone who works in Sweden, but to receive compensation from us, you need to meet certain conditions.
Basic conditions
To be entitled to unemployment insurance you need to:
- be partially or completely unemployed,
- be able to work at least 3 hours every working day and at least 17 hours per week,
- be prepared to accept suitable work when so offered,
- be registered at the public employment service (Arbetsförmedlingen) and actively seek suitable work.
In addition, you need to cooperate with Arbetsförmedlingen in the drafting of an individual plan of action for employment.
Work requirement
The work requirement means that you must have worked to a certain extent before you became unemployed. You must also be registered at Arbetsförmedlingen.
You fulfill the work requirement if you:
- worked 60 hours per month during 6 of the 12 latest calendar months, or
- worked 40 hours per month, in total 420 hours during 6 consecutive calendar months.
A maximum of 2 months of full military service and/or parental benefits can count as employment.
Membership requirement
In order to be eligible for income based benefit you need to fulfill the membership requirement. That means that you must have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund for at least 12 months.
The compensation
As a member of an unemployment insurance fund you can be entitled to up to 80 percent of your former salary for the first 200 days of unemployment. The following 100 days you receive 70 percent of previous income. Payments are capped at SEK 1 200 per day the first 100 days, and at SEK 1 000 per day after that. The benefit period is 300 days and you can get benefit five days per week.
To be entitled to full unemployment insurance payouts you must have been a member and in regular work for at least a year before becoming unemployed.
If you have not been a member for 12 months, you can receive basic compensation. How much you receive in basic benefits depends on how much you have worked on average per week before unemployment. To receive the highest basic benefit, you must have worked full time for 12 months before unemployment. The maximum basic benefit is SEK 510 per day.
You can receive basic compensation at the earliest from the day you turn 20.
Waiting period
A compensation period always starts with two waiting days.
More information
Sveriges a-kassor, the federation of unemployment insurance funds in Sweden, have more information in English about the Unemployment Insurance and EU/EES-information:
Arbetsförmedlingen, the Public Employment Service, also have information in English and in other languages: