Unemployment benefits

Become a member of an unemployment insurance fund when you start working

Everyone who works in Sweden has the right to protect their income by becoming a member of an unemployment insurance fund. This applies regardless of whether you are employed or self-employed.

There are over 20 unemployment insurance funds in Sweden. Contact the unemployment insurance fund that best matches your profession or education if you want to become a member. Membership costs around SEK 150–200 per month.

The main rule is that you must be insured against unemployment in the country where you work and are covered by social insurance. Contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency if you are unsure whether you belong to the Swedish social insurance system.

In certain situations, you can become a member of a Swedish unemployment insurance fund even if you have worked in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland. Being a member of a Swedish unemployment insurance fund does not automatically mean that you are covered by the Swedish social insurance system or unemployment insurance.

Your unemployment insurance fund decides based on your situation

You receive benefits on the same terms regardless of which unemployment insurance fund you are a member of. All rules and benefit amounts are governed by Swedish and EU legislation.

Conditions for receiving benefits

You must meet certain conditions to receive benefits from an unemployment insurance fund. Here we present a summary of what applies.

To receive money from an unemployment insurance fund if you become unemployed, you must:

• be at least 20 years old
• be registered with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen)
• actively seek employment
• have worked in Sweden
• according to the main rule, have earned a total of SEK 120,000 in the past 12 months before you became unemployed, and at least SEK 11,000 for four of these months
• there is also an exception to the main rule: you can be entitled to unemployment insurance benefits even if you have not earned a total of SEK 120,000. In that case, you must have earned SEK 11,000 for four consecutive months during the past 12 months before becoming unemployed
• if you do not meet the requirements above, you may still be entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. This applies if, during the 12 months before becoming unemployed, you had time that can be excluded and months with an income of at least SEK 11,000 before that time. This means that the qualification period of 12 months can, in some cases, be extended by the same number of months that have been excluded

For example, time that can be excluded includes:

• sick leave
• parental leave
• studies
• compulsory military service

Whether such times can be excluded depends on your income during that month. If you are unsure, contact your unemployment insurance fund.

Conditions for the self-employed

Before you apply for benefits from an unemployment insurance fund, you must normally discontinue all activity in the company. You can either discontinue the company definitively or temporarily. No activities may be carried out, and no measures may be taken. If you resume activities, your right to unemployment benefits will be withdrawn.

If you have previously received unemployment benefits, you may, in certain cases, need to definitively discontinue the company to receive benefits again.

Contact your unemployment insurance fund if you have questions about your specific situation.

Two-day waiting period

Before your benefit period begins, you must complete a two-day waiting period without benefits. This waiting period applies to everyone who receives unemployment insurance.

Suspension period

If you resign voluntarily or if your own actions lead to your dismissal, a longer waiting period can apply before you can receive benefits.

How long you can receive benefits

How many days of benefits can you receive from the unemployment insurance fund? That depends on how much you have earned in the past 12 months:

• If you have earned at least SEK 11,000 for 11–12 months, you can receive benefits for 300 days.
• If you have earned at least SEK 11,000 for 8–10 months, you can receive benefits for 200 days.
• If you have earned at least SEK 11,000 for 4–7 months, you can receive benefits for 100 days.
• If you have not earned SEK 120,000 in the past 12 months but have earned at least SEK 11,000 during 4 consecutive months, you can receive benefits for 66 days.

How much you can receive

Your unemployment insurance fund calculates the amount of benefits you can receive. The longer you have been a member of the unemployment insurance fund, the more you can receive:

• If you have been a member for the past 12 months or longer, you can receive 80 percent of your previous salary.
• If you have been a member for the past 6–11 months, you can receive 60 percent of your previous salary. You must have earned at least SEK 11,000 in 4 of these months.
• If you have been a member for the past 0–5 months, you can receive 50 percent of your previous salary. This benefit level also applies to anyone applying for benefits from the Alfa Unemployment Insurance Fund without being a member.

There is a ceiling on unemployment benefits, which means that at the 80 percent level, you can receive at most SEK 27,200 before tax.

You can receive benefits for up to 300 days. After 100 days, your benefits are reduced by 10 percent, and after 200 days they are reduced by another 5 percent. To receive more days, you must meet the conditions again.

Crediting work and income from Sweden

Under certain circumstances, you can credit work and income from another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.

Do you need a certificate showing that you have worked in Sweden?

Normally, the institution responsible for unemployment insurance in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland requests information about your completed periods in Swedish unemployment insurance and your income through the electronic system for the exchange of information between states (EESSI).

If you want a paper certificate instead, contact the unemployment insurance fund you were a member of and request certificate PD U1. If you have not been a member of a Swedish unemployment insurance fund, contact the Alfa Unemployment Insurance Fund.

You generally need to submit certain documents so that the unemployment insurance fund can issue a certificate confirming your completed periods in Sweden.

Register with the Swedish Public Employment Service as soon as you become unemployed

If you become unemployed, you must register with the Swedish Public Employment Service on your first day of unemployment. You can only apply for benefits for the periods when you were registered as a job seeker with the Swedish Public Employment Service.

You must also register with the Swedish Public Employment Service if you have travelled to Sweden from another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to seek employment with a U2 certificate.

How to apply for benefits

Once you have registered with the Swedish Public Employment Service, you can apply for benefits by contacting your unemployment insurance fund.

If you are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund, you can apply for benefits at the lowest level from the Alfa Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Provide information digitally

If you have a Swedish electronic ID, you can log in to Mina sidor [My pages] on your unemployment insurance fund’s website.

There, you can see what information you need to provide to find out whether you are entitled to unemployment insurance benefits, and if so, the amount.

Contact your unemployment insurance fund if you need help logging in.

Submit paper forms

If you do not have a Swedish electronic ID, you can provide information to your unemployment insurance fund using paper forms.

If you want to get credit for work in another EU country, you need a certificate PD U1. In some cases, your unemployment insurance fund can get the PD U1 information through EESSI – an electronic exchange system between institutions in different countries.

Contact your unemployment insurance fund to find out what information they need to calculate your benefits. Normally, you need to submit information concerning the reference period, which is the last 12 months before the month when you apply for unemployment benefits. If, for example, you have studied or been on sick leave, the reference period can be extended backwards in time.

If you want to credit insurance periods and income from work in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, your unemployment insurance fund can request this information via EESSI – a system for electronic exchange of information. If you already have a PD U1 certificate, you must submit it to your unemployment insurance fund.

How your benefits are calculated

Your unemployment insurance fund checks whether you meet the conditions for receiving unemployment benefits. The amount of benefits depends, among other factors, on your earnings and how long you have been a member of the fund.

Contact your unemployment insurance fund to find out what applies in your situation.

If you want to appeal a decision

If you believe that your unemployment insurance fund has made an incorrect decision in your case, you can contact them within two months of receiving the decision and request that they reconsider your application.

If you believe the reconsideration decision is wrong, you can appeal to the administrative court. You must send your appeal to your unemployment insurance fund, which checks that it was submitted on time and then forwards the case to the court.

The reconsideration decision from your unemployment insurance fund must state how to appeal and the deadline for submitting your appeal.

Follow the rules – keep your benefits

Once you have been granted benefits from the unemployment insurance fund, you must also meet certain conditions to continue receiving your benefits.

Contact the funds if you have any questions

Do you have questions about the Swedish unemployment insurance, applying for unemployment benefits or becoming a member of an unemployment insurance fund? Contact the fund where you have a membership, or one that matches your field of work.

Older rules during the transition period

Have you received a decision about a benefit period issued before October 1, 2025?

If you have received a benefit period before October 1, 2025, and it is ongoing, the old rules still apply to you. When the benefit period ends, or when you no longer qualify to continue that period, the new rules will apply.

Links to legal texts

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This information is provided by the Swedish Federation of Unemployment Insurance Funds. Our task is to serve the interests of, and provide services to, Sweden’s unemployment insurance funds. This includes developing their IT systems, supporting them in interpreting unemployment insurance law, and influencing public opinion on important issues concerning the funds and their members.

Questions and correspondence concerning unemployment insurance are referred to the unemployment insurance funds. It is the responsibility of the Swedish Unemployment Insurance Inspectorate (IAF) to ensure that the funds comply with legislation.

Last updated 30/09/2025