In order to claim unemployment insurance benefits, you must be able to fulfill these conditions:
- You need to have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund for at least a year
- If full-time insured your total income must be at least 263.232 DKK (as of 2024) within the last three years
- When looking at your income as a full-time insured member we may only count max 21.936 DKK (as of 2024) a month. This means it will take at least a year to earn the unemployment insurance benefits.
- Only the income you have earned while being a member of an unemployment insurance fund can be used/counted.
If you are newly graduated your time of education counts as work if the education is set to last 18 months/three semesters.
You will be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits for a total of 962 hours within a period of 2 years, provided you change your status from student to graduate within 14 days after you have graduated.
The earliest you can be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits while under education is 18 months after you have started.
If you are not already a member, you have to become a member within 14 days of graduation.
We pay the unemployment insurance benefits a calendar month at a time equalling 160,33 work hours regardless of the number of days and weeks in the month.
If unemployed you can claim the unemployment insurance benefits for a total of 3.848 hours within a period of 3 years. This translates into two years of unemployment insurance benefits with an expiration date of three years. The 3 years are also referred to as the period of reference. When the period of reference has expired you must have earned enough work hours or income to qualify for a new period of unemployment insurance benefits if you have not found employment.
We calculate your unemployment insurance rate by looking at your income in the 12 highest paid months within the last 24 months.
You can only receive a maximum of 20.359 DKK a month before taxes in unemployment insurance benefits (2024 rates).
If you have earned 24.588 DKK on average a month before taxes for a year for the last two years you will receive the highest unemployment insurance rate.If you have not earned enough to claim the highest rate, we will calculate your rate as such:
(Your total income the last 12 months) x 0,92 / 12 x 0,90 = rate per month. With a monthly income of i.e. 20.600 DKK, the calculation will look like this: 247.200 x 0,92 / 12 x 0,90 = 17.057 DKK a month.
You can find your unemployment insurance rate per hour by dividing your monthly rate by 160,33. In the above example that comes to a total of (17.057 / 160,33) = 106,39 DKK / an hour.
There is no minimum rate. Your unemployment insurance rate completely depends on your salary in the 12 highest paid months. However, the maximum rate is 20.359 DKK a month (2024 rates).
The “Dagpengekort” – the uenemployment benefits card must be filled in by you each month.
You can do this as from the 6th last banking day of the month. You will be notified by Din Faglige A-kasse when your “Dagpengekort” is available on Min side (www.fa-k.dk).
You will be paid for a full calendar month at a time. This means 160,33 hours unless you have had activities that needs to be subtracted.
You will have to guess about the last days of the month when you complete the “Dagpengekort”. You will receive benefit for these days on an on-account basis, and we will make the necessary adjustment at the end of the next month, when we have the details from the Danish tax authorities (SKAT - eIndkomst).
You must complete and submit the card by no later than 23.59 on the business day after it becomes available. You will then receive your unemployment benefit on the last banking day of the month, paid into your “Nemkonto”.
- You must be registered as unemployed at jobnet.dk and have uploaded an approved CV to this site within 2 weeks.
- You must be actively looking for work – also when you are in an activation placement. You must register your job searches in the joblog on jobnet.dk.
- With 1 day’s notice you must be able to start work/activation, or attend a job interview or meeting with the Jobcentre or Din Faglige A-kasse. You must attend when required to do so.
- You must stay in Denmark and check your mail on a daily basis, including digital messages, invitations, etc.
- You must follow My Plan (“Min plan”) on jobnet.dk.
- You must be available for employment, and there must not be anything to prevent you from working.
- Only Din Faglige A-kasse - not the Jobcentre – can approve your availability (rådighed).
- You must be available for employment in order to fulfil one of the central insurance conditions in the system, and thereby be entitled to receive unemployment benefit.
- Your job searches must be realistic and serious.
- You must apply for several jobs during each week that you are unemployed.
- You must apply for advertised positions. You must look for employment in the way that is customary for the relevant sector/occupation category.
- If there are not enough jobs to apply for within your professional area, you must also apply for jobs in other professional areas.
- You must continuously expand the breadth or change the direction/strategy of your job searches.
- You must apply for jobs as stated in the Job search requirements.
- Since you hold unemployment insurance on a full-time basis, you must apply for full-time positions every week, even if you have part-time work.
- You must primarily look for jobs in the Danish labour market.
- Written applications for advertised full-time positions. Is always included. In principle, you must submit written applications for at least 2 advertised full-time positions every week, when you are looking for work.
- Verbal job applications. May be included. This is subject to the condition that it is normal procedure to apply for this type of job by attending in person, and that the person you are in contact with has the authority to make new appointments.
- Job applications by telephone. May be included as a supplement, if the person you are in contact with has the authority to make new appointments.
- Networking activities. May be included as a supplement. As a rule of thumb, this will be included if the person you are in contact with has the authority to make new appointments, can grant project funds, or offer you paid assignments, etc. If they can “only” give you information, this is not included.
- Job interviews. Included as a supplement.
- Unsolicited job applications. Included as a supplement.
What is not included?
Applications for wage subsidy jobs (løntilskudsjob) and company internships (virksomhedspraktik), meetings/courses at Din Faglige A-kasse and/or the Jobcentre, or attendance of networking events for the unemployed, etc. do not count as looking for work. Even though research is important, it is not included in terms of fulfilling the availability requirements.
In general terms, we look at the results! If your job search strategy results in interviews, paid assignments, etc., it will make sense to continue this strategy.
If you do not have any success, however, you will be asked to try a different strategy. This does not mean that you may not apply for jobs within the area or in the way that you prefer. But it does mean that you must supplement this with other professional areas, methods, etc.
If you have a part-time job or for any other reason do not work full-time, you can apply for supplementary benefits. But please, always wait for our written approval and information before you start your part-time job.
- You can obtain the right to receive supplementary unemployment benefit for 30 weeks within a period of 104 weeks (2 years).
- You can receive supplementary unemployment benefit for weeks in which you work less than 37 hours, provided you are entitled to unemployment benefit for the month.
- You must still be actively job-seeking and be fully available for work.
How to qualify for supplementary benefits
When you receive supplementary benefits, you have to be available for the labour market in the same way as when you receive full unemployment insurance benefits. Besides this, you have to be able to accept a full-time job with a day’s notice. Remember to always send a copy of your contract or the form, ”Information regarding part time work” to us at Tast Selv no later than five weeks after starting the part-time job.
Since you have to be able to take on a full-time job with a day’s notice, you cannot be tied by a resignation period. Therefore, you must have a discharge certificate.
Don't forget that:
Every week in which you work and receive unemployment insurance benefits counts as a week with supplementary benefits. If you, for example, work 36 hours one week you will receive one hour’s benefits and thus spend a week of supplementary benefits.
We have to pay you a minimum of 14,8 hours for a whole month. If you have worked enough for us to pay you less than 14,8 hours of benefits, you will not receive benefits that month. That also means that none of your weeks of work count in the 30-week total for supplementary benefits.
If your 30 weeks of supplementary benefits run out in the middle of a month you can get your supplementary benefits until the end of the month. Even though you are qualified for 30 weeks of supplementary benefits, you may in fact receive supplementary benefits for a few additional weeks.
How to apply for supplementary insurance benefits
Supplementary unemployment benefit is unemployment benefit that you can receive in weeks where you work less than 37 hours, and where we can pay you at least 14.8 hours (12 hours) of unemployment benefit in a whole month.
You must be entitled to unemployment benefit and be registered as unemployed at jobnet.dk. On your first day of unemployment, you must register as unemployed at jobnet.dk. You must also send your unemployment declaration to us.
Get your supplementary unemployment benefit approved
As an unemployed person, you must always be able to take up full-time work at a few days’ notice. This means that you must not be tied to part-time work with a required period of notice for your employer. If you have an employment contract, send it to us on Min side.
Send your release certificate
If your job has a period of notice, your employer can waive the notice period in writing, which will allow you to receive supplementary unemployment benefit. Your employer can do this by filling in a release certificate, or waiving the period of notice by having this written into your employment contract. You should send the form or your employment contract with the waiver no later than 5 weeks after you start work (or 5 weeks after you were registered as unemployed), otherwise you can only receive supplementary unemployment benefit from the day we receive the documentation.
Download a release certificate - and do not forget, that you empoyer needs to sign it before you send it to us.
Please be aware that not all employers may wish to waive the period of notice.
State your working hours on your unemployment benefit card
When you have been approved for supplementary unemployment benefit, you must remember to state your working hours on your unemployment benefit card when you send in the card in at the end of the month.
If you receive supplementary benefits, you can work part-time and supply your salary with unemployment insurance benefits.
This is possible for 30 weeks within a period of 104 weeks. Only the weeks where you work part-time is included in the 30 weeks. You can receive supplementary benefits in the weeks where you work less than 37 hours.
If you have received supplementary benefits for 30 weeks, you are entitled to receive full unemployment insurance benefits for the rest of the month.
Your options for supplementary benefits are being combined with your right to having a side-line occupation. The right stretches over 30 weeks in total. That means that if you, for instance, have had a part-time job for 10 weeks and then start your own business you can have your business and supplementary benefits for 20 weeks. After this your right to supplementary benefits and a side-line occupation have been spent.
An example:
If you have had a side-line occupation for 25 weeks. Then you are entitled to receive supplementary benefits for 5 weeks before you reach the maximum of 30 weeks in total.
You can keep a close eye on your use of unemployment benefits when you visit jobnet.dk.
Your unemployment benefit entitlement is for 3,848 hours (equivalent to 2 years). New graduates are entitled to benefits for 1924 hours (equivalent to 1 year). This is equivalent to 160.33 hours per month.
You only “spend” the hours for which you receive unemployment benefit – so that if you e.g. work 3 days in one week, and receive unemployment benefit for 2 days, you will only “spend” 14.8 hours of the month’s 160.33 hours.
Flexible extension
"Fleksibel forlængelse” For every hour that you work, and are paid a salary, you can extend your unemployment benefit entitlement by two hours.
An example:
You have had 30 hours of paid work while receiving unemployment benefit. You can “exchange” these hours for 60 hours’ unemployment benefit, if your entitlement to unemployment benefit is about to expire.
Should it turn out that you are offered work, you will have to send in an update unemployment benefits card with the new information on the 1st of the following month. When we receive the updated unemployment benefits card we will calculate the amount you have received extra and counter it on your next unemployment insurance benefits payment.
Send your updated unemployment benefits card the 1st of the following month and you know which unexpected changes there has been. Your deadline for sending the updated card is the 10th of the following month.
Do you want to avoid having to estimate?
Is this the case, you can delay sending your card until the month is over. Then your unemployment insurance benefits will be transferred to your account 3-4 workdays after we have received your card.
Please be aware that there can be consequences for other public services if you receive 2 months’ worth of unemployment insurance benefits in the same calendar month.
If you have had some hours of work while receiving unemployment benefit, your working hours must be set off against your benefit entitlement. One hour’s work is set off against one hour’s benefit.
The unemployment funds therefore each month compare (samkører) your data with your employer’s reports to SKAT (the Danish tax authorities).
If there is a difference between the two amounts, you will receive an adjustment letter from Din Faglige A-kasse, with details of what you must do.
If you have been unemployed and received unemploytment insurance benefits for a period of 4 months, we are by law, required to check how much work you have had in the previous 4 months.
If you have been employed for a total of 148 hours you will continue on unemployment insurance benefits without a "waiting day". This means that you will be deducted 1 day of your unemployment insurance benefits.
The 4 month period begins from the day you are approved for unemployment insurance benefits. The period can be extended if you have received sickness or maternity/paternity benefits.
If you are employed part-time and you are required to give notice if you want to resign, then you need a discharge certificate from your employer in order to receive supplementary benefits. The discharge certificate entitles you to resign your job with immediate effect. The certificate is necessary for you to be available for the labour market. Please be aware that your employer is not obligated to sign a discharge certificate.
If you are employed part-time and you are required to give notice if you want to resign, then you need a discharge certificate from your employer in order to receive supplementary benefits. The discharge certificate entitles you to resign your job with immediate effect. The certificate is necessary for you to be available for the labour market.
Please be aware that your employer is not obligated to sign a discharge certificate.
Download the certificate - do not forget that you employer neeeds to sign it before you send it to us.
You should be aware that you cannot always do unpaid work without this being offset against your unemployment benefit. The voluntary work must be for an organisation, association or the like, and there are four criteria that the organisation or association must meet:
- It must be based on a voluntary initiative
- Its primary purpose must not be to generate profits
- The board must work voluntarily
- Membership of the organisation or association must be voluntary
This means that you cannot do voluntary unpaid work for public institutions without this being deducted from your unemployment benefit from the first hour.
The law divides voluntary work into 2 categories:
Activities - you may freely perform any tasks that would not be offered as ordinary paid work. This might include work in community centres and shelters, participation in fundraising events, association work or work as a service assistant in charity shops. This also applies to various forms of telephone counselling that do not require specific training.
Work - for up to 44 hours a month, you can perform unpaid tasks that require or presuppose special training and which could be offered as paid work, without this affecting your unemployment benefit. An example might be telephone counselling that requires or presupposes specific training. Please note, however, that there must be no salaried employees in the association or organisation with the relevant job category.
On a weekly basis, you must register all of your job searches in your digital joblog on jobnet.dk.
Both Din Faglige A-kasse and the Jobcentre have access to view your joblog. You must only upload an application to the Joblog if we ask you to do so.
It is very important that you continually update your digital joblog. You risk being suspended from benefits if the joblog is empty for an entire month even though you actually applied for work but forgot to register it in the joblog.
G-days are the first days of unemployment on which your employer must pay unemployment benefit to you if you are made redundant from your job or cease working in a temporary job. To qualify for G-days, you must have been employed for at least 74 hours in the four weeks before you became unemployed.
If you meet the employment requirement of 74 hours of work within 4 weeks, you are entitled to 2 G-days.
If your employer forgets the G-days
Employers are often not aware that they have to pay G-days. We therefore encourage you to contact FTFa if you have any doubts as to whether you are entitled to G-days. We can also help you to get payment for G-days from your employer.
Your former employer must pay for G days as quickly as possible. This must be done no later than the second wage payment after you stop working, or after you have made a solemn declaration.
Payment of half and full G-days for part-time work
If you are employed as a day-to-day temporary worker, you are considered to be dismissed each day at the end of your work. The employer must therefore pay for G-days if you do not have full employment on these days.
If you have worked less than 3.7 hours on the last working day, this triggers a full G-day. If you have worked more than 3.7 hours on your last working day, this triggers a half G-day. If you are working on permanently reduced hours or a rota scheme, your employer does not have to pay G-days until your employment ends.
Example of a working week in which the member works as a substitute/replacement:
Monday: 8 hours
Tuesday: 7 hours (triggers ½ G-day)
Wednesday: 0 hours (triggers 1 G-day)
Thursday: 0 hours (triggers 1 G-day)
Friday: 6 hours (triggers ½ G-day)
Monday: 8 hours
In this example, the employer has to pay for half a G-day on Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday, when the member is fully unemployed, the employer must pay for two full G-days. It does not matter which days you work.
There are several situations in which you may be at risk of being quarantined:
If you resign your job
You will be quarantined if you refuse an offer of work or activation without a legally valid reason. You will also be quarantined if you quit your job without a legally valid reason.
Please contact us, before refusing a job offer or quitting your job, so that we can help you to find a good solution. In general, it is not a legal reason for you to quit your job because of a bad boss, high pressure of work or being transferred to other tasks or workplaces, etc.
The quarantine period is a period of three weeks (equivalent to 111 hours) during which you will not receive unemployment benefit. The quarantine is effective – which in concrete terms means that it is applied only on days when you are already entitled to unemployment benefit. If for example you take four days of holiday during the three weeks of quarantine, the four days will be added after the three weeks have passed. This is because you are not entitled to unemployment benefit while you are on holiday. If three months go by without your quarantine being settled, it will expire.
If your employer fires you
If you are dismissed you will be quarantined if the reason for the dismissal is primarily your own fault. This is the case if you have stolen money, or sexually harassed someone, etc. The quarantine period is 3 weeks (equivalent to 111 hours) during which time you will not receive unemployment benefit. The quarantine is effective. This means that it is applied only on days when where you are entitled to receive unemployment insurance benefits.
If the dismissal is not due to circumstances resulting from you as an employee, you will not be quarantined. It is up to us, as an unemployment insurance fund, to assess each individual termination.
If you fail to attend meetings
If you fail to attend mandatory meetings at the Jobcentre or at Din Faglige A-kasse (your unemployment insurance fund) without a legally valid reason, you cannot receive unemployment insurance benefits. Your unemployment insurance benefits payments can be resumed once you have contacted the Jobcenter - or us, and explained the reason for your absence.
If you refuse a job offer because of child care problems
When you are unemployed, we or your Jobcentre may find a job for you. Or a programme for you to join. You must never say no - or refuse joboffers or programmes.
If you do not accept the offer, you risk being quarantined for 3 weeks. It may be that the job offer is outside normal working hours. If you have problems having your child cared for outside the opening hours of the creche/kindergarten, the Jobcentre should only provide you with jobs or offers that are within normal working hours. This is the reason why it is of the utmost importance, that you contact the Jobcentre to make sure, that they are aware of your child care difficulties.
If you become unemployed twice in one year through your own fault
If you have quit your job and/or not turned up to meetings - and this happens twice in a 12 month period you loose your right to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Provided you were at fault in both instances.
You will not be able to receive unemployment insurance benefits until you have had a job for at least 300 working hours within a 3 month period. The 3 month period starts from the day you are quarantined. The 300 hours should always be reported to/be registered with "indkomstregisteret".
If you are presently unemployed and receive unemployment insurance benefits and have done so for a while, you may be entitled to receive up to 3 months’ unemployment insurance benefits while looking for a job in an EEA country (EU + Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). If you want to apply - please fill in this form: Ansøgning om attest PD U2
You can also receive unemployment benefit if you are to attend an employment interview abroad. Contact us before you travel, to make sure that the formalities are observed.
Illness
Report your first day of illness at jobnet.dk. We are automatically notified. Do not forget to re-register at jobnet.dk when you are well again and ready to work.
When you are ill, your unemployment benefits becomes "sickness benefits" (so-called sygedagpenge).
You do not have to apply for jobs and attend meetings while you are ill.
Holiday (vacation)
Holiday must be registered no later than 14 days before starting the holiday, at jobnet.dk. If there are less than 14 days until your holiday, contact your Jobcentre and Din Faglige A-kasse – but you cannot be certain that it will be approved!
You must apply for holiday benefits (feriedagpenge) on Min side on www.fa-k.dk.