Self-employed
Are you running your own business but currently have no income? Then you may be entitled to unemployment benefits. To receive benefits, you need to pause your business, verify your income, and confirm your working hours – we’ll help you with the rest.
Are you self-employed?
When you become unemployed, we first assess whether you should be considered self-employed. You are if you work in your own business, have significant influence, and run the company professionally and independently.
To-do list in Mina sidor
Once you have completed your application, you will receive a personal To-do list showing what we need from you. As a case officer reviews your case, the items are checked off, one by one.
How to obtain income info
When you apply for benefits, you will receive an authorization form. Send it to Skatteverket, and they will send your income information to us. You can download a statement from the tax register yourself in Skatteverket’s Mina sidor.
Self-employment and a-kassa: What applies in different situations?
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If you have your own business where no one is currently working, it may be considered inactive by us. If you are the sole owner, it is usually simple – you confirm in Mina sidor that the business is inactive. You do not need to deregister the company with Skatteverket or Bolagsverket; this only applies in relation to a-kassan.
If you have previously received benefits while the business was inactive, the business must have been active for at least three years before it can be considered inactive again. This applies to those applying for benefits from 2024 onward.
If the business cannot be considered inactive, you must fully close or leave the business in order to be entitled to benefits.
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This counts as a pause
Examples of situations where a self-employed person is considered unemployed and the business is considered inactive.
All assignments are completed and there are no upcoming assignments.
Your client ends the assignment before it is finished and there is no agreement to resume the assignment in the future. No other assignments are ongoing in your business.
This does not count as a pause
Examples of situations where a self-employed person is not considered to have a inactive business.
You reduce the number of days and/or hours the business is open.
You have fewer customers or ongoing assignments.
You have one or more ongoing assignments but with periods of no activity, for example, an assignment where you work half a day once a month.
You are working on bids or active marketing.
You have assignments that are not completed or paused by the client, even if you are not currently working on them.
You are preparing the business, for example by purchasing goods, services, equipment, and machinery.
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If you close a profitable business, you may be suspended from benefits for 45 benefit days, as it is considered a voluntary resignation. A business is considered profitable if the income exceeds four price base amounts per year. For example, have you lost your only client and have no income? Contact us and we will help you.
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You may be considered self-employed if you work in a business where a close relative is the owner. You must both perform work in the business and have significant influence over it.
Contact us and we will help you assess the situation and what certificates you need to submit.
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If you are involved in a business solely for formal reasons and do not work in the business, you are not considered self-employed under the rules of the unemployment insurance.
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If you want to invoice without having your own business, you can hire an employer through companies like Frilans Finans, Cool Company, Contigo, or Adamo, among others. These services help you invoice for your work as if you were employed, without having to start your own business.
When using these services, it is important that we review your situation together and determine whether your work should be classified as self-employment (as a business owner) or if you should be considered employed by the client. Contact us so we can get it right from the start.
Good to know
How to qualify
You need to have worked at least 6 months, at least 60 hours per month to receive benefits.
How we calculate
How much you receive depends on how much you earned and worked during the past year. The maximum amount is 26,400 SEK/month.
Haven’t worked the whole year?
If you have been sick, on parental leave, or studying full-time, we can extend the period on which the benefits are based.
Received severance pay?
You are not entitled to benefits during the period you receive severance pay. It is still important to register with Arbetsförmedlingen.
Sideline business?
In certain exceptional cases, you may be allowed to combine a-kassa and running a business if you did so before becoming unemployed.
Part-time work?
Many people combine part-time work with a-kassa. You report all hours on the time report, and you can do this for a maximum of 60 weeks.
Five steps – how to apply
Follow these steps to get started with your application. The sooner we receive the correct information from you, the sooner we can process your case and pay out your benefits.
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1. Register with Arbetsförmedlingen
Register with Arbetsförmedlingen on your first weekday of unemployment. You do this at arbetsformedlingen.se
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2. Log in and apply for a-kassa
Log in to Mina sidor and submit your application for benefits. You will then receive a personal to-do list showing what we need from you. As a case officer reviews your case, the items will be checked off one by one.
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3. Register your bank account
Register your bank account with Swedbank’s account register to have the money deposited directly into your account. This way, you avoid receiving a payment slip that costs money to cash. You do not need to be a Swedbank customer – they only manage the account register.
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4. Report time and activities
Fill in your time report in Mina sidor no later than Monday evening to receive your benefits on Thursday. We need at least one time report to make a decision, so don’t delay submitting the first one. To avoid interruptions in your benefits – submit the reports in the correct order.
By the 14th of each month, you must submit an activity report to Arbetsförmedlingen. You do this in their Mina sidor. This is a requirement to receive benefits. -
5. We process your case and send a decision
We start processing your case as soon as we can – and it goes fastest if everything is complete from the beginning. You will receive a to-do list in Mina sidor showing what is needed. Not sure about something? Don’t hesitate to call us! Once the decision is made, it will be uploaded to Mina sidor.
New law this autumn
Certain conditions change on October 1
In October 2025, a new law on unemployment insurance will come into effect. Some of the changes include qualifying through your income, the length of membership affecting the level of benefits you can receive, and the number of months with income determining how long your benefit period can be. Everyone who already has an ongoing benefit period in October will continue under the current rules.
Ny lag 1 oktober 2025