Sick, on parental leave, or studying
Haven’t worked in the past year? That doesn’t necessarily prevent you from receiving unemployment benefits. If you’ve, for example, been on parental leave, been ill, or studied full-time, we can often include work from further back in time. Up to five years can be skipped – we’ll help you figure out what applies to your specific situation. We always calculate income as an average over 12 months – which is why a full year of work provides the best basis.
Benefits for employees
On Mina sidor, fill in your application for benefits. There, you also request an employment certificate from your employer. If you have had several employers in the past year, we need certificates from all of them.
To-do list in Mina sidor
Once you have filled in 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.
Have you been self-employed?
If you pause the business and can show how you have worked and had income previously, we will review whether you meet the conditions. We guide you through the entire process when you apply for benefits after having been self-employed.
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