Unemployment benefit in Sweden

If you become unemployed you may be entitled to unemployment benefit. For this, you must be covered by unemployment insurance. In some Nordic countries, you are covered automatically when you work, but in others you must join an unemployment insurance fund. If you have lived in one Nordic country and worked in another, or if you move between two Nordic countries, you must carefully check the regulations that apply.

Unemployment insurance in Sweden

If you work in Sweden, in most cases it will be the Swedish regulations on social insurance that apply to you, so you should join a Swedish unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa) to ensure you are covered by unemployment insurance.

Membership of an unemployment insurance fund is voluntary in Sweden, but most people choose to join one because membership provides financial security in the event of unemployment. You must contact a Swedish unemployment insurance fund directly if you wish to join.

Can you be covered by unemployment insurance in Sweden?

Everyone who works in Sweden is covered by unemployment insurance and is entitled to unemployment benefit. If you are also a member of an unemployment insurance fund, you may be entitled to a higher payment.

See the section ‘What conditions must you satisfy to be eligible for Swedish unemployment benefit?’ further down this page.

Can you become a member of an unemployment insurance fund in Sweden?

You can become a member of an unemployment insurance fund if you are employed within the area of activity of the unemployment insurance fund at the time of application. If you are not working at the time of application, you may also become a member of an unemployment insurance fund if you met the conditions when you last worked.

You cannot be a member of an unemployment insurance fund if you have reached the target retirement age. The upper age limit is linked to the target retirement age for pensions. In 2025, the target retirement age is 66.

Further information about the unemployment insurance funds in Sweden can be found on the website of the Swedish Federation of Unemployment Insurance Funds (Sveriges a-kassor).

If you are unemployed, you apply for unemployment benefit in the country in which you live. This also applies if you have worked in another Nordic country

What conditions must you satisfy to be eligible for Swedish unemployment benefit?

There are several conditions linked to unemployment insurance. You meet the general conditions if you:

• are at least 20 years old
• are registered as a jobseeker with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), and
• are at the disposal of the labour market.

You meet the income requirement if you have earned a gross income (before tax) of at least SEK 120,000 during the framework period of 12 months. Another requirement is that you have earned at least SEK 11,000 in four of the months.

For how long can you receive unemployment benefit?

Your earlier income affects how many days you can receive unemployment benefit. The number of days of payment are as follows: 

• 300 days – if you earned at least SEK 120,000 over twelve months, and at least SEK 11,000 in 11 or more of these months
• 200 days – if you earned at least SEK 120,000 over twelve months, and at least SEK 11,000 in 8-10 of these months
• 100 days – if you earned at least SEK 120,000 over twelve months and at least SEK 11,000 in 4-7 of these months
• 66 days – if you earned less than SEK 120 000 over a 12-month period but had four consecutive months where your income was at least SEK 11,000

Before the start of your unemployment benefit, you have a 2-day qualification period.

How much unemployment benefit can you receive?

The highest payment-based income in Swedish unemployment insurance is SEK 34,000 per month. The size of your unemployment benefit depends on how long you have been a member of an unemployment benefit fund. The levels of payment are as follows:

• 80 percent – member for at least twelve months throughout the framework period
• 60 percent – member for 6-11 months
• 50 percent – member for five months or less, or not a member

The framework time is the period that the unemployment insurance fund checks to see if you meet the requirements for payment. The payment level is reduced every hundredth day you are unemployed. After 100 days, the amount is reduced by 10 percentage points, and after 200 days it is reduced by a further 5 percentage points.

How do you apply for unemployment benefit in Sweden?

You apply for unemployment benefit from the unemployment insurance fund of which you are a member. If you are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund, or do not wish to apply for membership of an unemployment insurance fund, you can apply for unemployment benefit from the Alfa-kassan fund.

You apply for unemployment benefit through your unemployment insurance fund. You can find the forms you need to apply for unemployment benefit on the website of each unemployment insurance fund.

If you have been unemployed for a period in recent years, the unemployment insurance from 1997 may continue to apply in your case. According to those regulations, you can receive a maximum amount of 80 percent of SEK 34,000 from unemployment insureance. Your unemployment insurance fund can explain what applies in your case.

In which country do you apply for unemployment benefit if you commute to work in another country?

If you work in one country and live in another, you apply for unemployment benefit in the country in which you live if you become fully unemployed.

If you live in Sweden and have worked in another Nordic country, and become fully unemployed, it is important that you send your application to the unemployment insurance fund in Sweden as soon as your work ceases, i.e. your first day of unemployment. If you are partially or periodically unemployed, you apply for supplementary unemployment benefit in the country in which you work.

Where are you covered by unemployment insurance if you work in more than one country?

You are normally covered by unemployment insurance in the country in which you work. For more information about what applies if you work in two countries, contact your unemployment insurance fund to discuss your situation.

In order to be entitled to unemployment benefit and credited with periods of insurance, employment, and self-employment in other EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, a normal requirement is that you have most recently worked in Sweden when you apply for unemployment benefit here.

The Nordic Convention on Social Security applies in all the Nordic countries. This convention includes a ‘five-year rule’, which means that if you were covered by Swedish unemployment insurance and then lived and worked in another Nordic country, you can re-enter the Swedish unemployment insurance system if you return to Sweden within five years. However, if you most recently worked in another Nordic country, under certain circumstances you may apply for unemployment benefit in Sweden, crediting periods of insurance, employment, and self-employment from the other countries you previously worked in.

You must apply for membership of a Swedish unemployment insurance fund within 8 weeks of the date you are no longer insured in the country you are moving from, in order to retain a continuous 12-month insurance period. Note that you should apply for membership of an unemployment insurance fund whose area of activity you most recently worked in.

When you have worked in another Nordic country, you must prove your periods of insurance and work on the PD U1 certificate to apply for unemployment benefit in Sweden.

If you receive unemployment benefit from a Nordic country, under certain circumstances you may take your unemployment benefit with you for up to three months while you look for work in another country.

Can you take Swedish unemployment benefit to another country?

If you receive unemployment benefit in Sweden, you can take the benefit with you for three months if you want to look for work in another Nordic country. However, you must satisfy certain conditions, for example:

• You must be a member of a Swedish unemployment insurance fund or Alfa-kassan.
• You must be entitled to unemployment benefit by the day you travel from Sweden.
• You must have been registered at the Public Employment Service as fully unemployed and have been at the disposal of the labour market for at least a total of four weeks since you most recently became unemployed.

In order to receive Swedish unemployment benefit while you look for work in another country, you must have the PD U2 certificate from The Swedish Unemployment Insurance Board (Inspektionen för Arbetslöshetsförsäkring, IAF).

What should you do when you look for work in another country while receiving unemployment benefit from Sweden?

When you arrive in the country in which you want to look for a job, you must register at an employment service office within seven days from the day of departure from Sweden to receive unemployment benefit from the day of departure. If you register at the employment service office after these seven days have passed, you can only receive unemployment benefit from the date you registered. Note that you must follow the regulations in the other Nordic country while you are looking for a job there. It is still your Swedish unemployment insurance fund that pays your unemployment benefit.

• Contact your unemployment insurance fund in good time before you plan to travel, in order to find out about special requirements, deadlines, and possible waiting time in case processing.
• If you do not find a job abroad within three months, in order to retain your right to Swedish unemployment benefit you must return to Sweden and register with your unemployment insurance fund and with the Public Employment Service. If you do not return home before the three-month period has ended, you lose your right to financial support.
• If you find a job in another country, you will generally be covered by unemployment insurance in your new country of work. Contact your Swedish unemployment fund and the employment service in the country of work.

Can you look for work in Sweden with unemployment benefit from another country?

If you receive unemployment benefit in another Nordic country, you may look for work in Sweden under certain conditions. Contact the unemployment insurance fund in your home country for more information.

More detailed information about Swedish unemployment insurance, how much you can receive in unemployment benefit, contact information to the different unemployment insurance funds, information about the Nordic Convention and EU regulations on unemployment insurance can be found on the websites of the Swedish Public Employment Service, IAF and Sweden’s unemployment insurance funds.