Unemployed
This is a guide on what you need to know when you become unemployed, while you’re unemployed and when you find work again. We can also help you with your jobseeking and careeer advice
Whilst unemployed you face many challenges, but CA can help you deal with most of them.
- We help you with benefits while you’re unemployed
- We also help you with your job search, making you better equipped to land a new job.
- We help you navigate the requirements and rules of the benefits system.
Your unemployment benefits
Benefits when unemployed
You need to have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund for the past twelve months and have had a minimum income as a wage or salary earner in the past three years. Other rules apply if you are new graduate or have been self-employed.
You can get as much as 90% of the earned income you have had, but you cannot get more than the highest benefit rate.
You must register as unemployed at jobnet.dk on your first day of unemployment. The earliest day you can get benefits is the day when you register as unemployed with the Jobcenter.
CA are being imformed automattically, when you have registered as unemployed. And Within 24 hours after that, you will receive an email from CA describing what you have to do to receive benefits.
How are benefits paid?
At jobnet.dk, you can access various tools that show you more information about your benefits at “My Page” / “My benefits”. The information is updated continuously.
Deductions
If you are fully unemployed for a month, you’ll receive benefits for 160.33 hours. But if you have a job or income from employment, are not registered as unemployed at the Jobcenter, take holiday, are sick or are otherwise not available to the labour market, you’ll get less in benefits.
If, after various deductions, there is less than 14.8 hours left of the 160.33 hours, you will not receive benefits for the month.
Read more about deductions from your benefits
G-days
Your former employer must pay you compensation for the first and second day of unemployment when you stop working. These two days are called G-days.
You can receive benefits for two years (3,848 hours) that you must use within a period of three years.
Beware of new rules for graduates from 1 May 2023
Please note that you can extend and re-earn your benefits by hours of work.
How long can I receive benefits if I become unemployed again?
If you become unemployed again, you can use the remaining hours with benefits you have left from your original benefit period unless you have already earned a new two-year period with benefits.
You can earn a new two-year period with benefits if you have had a certain number of hours of work as a wage or salary earner, freelancer or as self-employed since you last received benefits.
If you start working and become unemployed without having earned the right to a new two-year benefit period, you will continue to use the hours of benefit entitlement you have left from your first accrual period.
If you use your benefits before you have re-earned a new two-year period, you can extend your benefit period by the hours of work you have had since you last had the right to a period with benefits.
NOTE: It is very important that you know that you cannot use the same hours of work by which you have extended your benefit period to earn a new two-year period.
If you have received benefits for a total of four years within the past eight years, your benefit rights will be reduced by one month.
Example
If you become unemployed on 1 July 2022, you will generally have the right to benefits for two years (3,848 hours). If you have been unemployed before and received benefits for at least four years in total since 1 July 2014, you will instead have the right to benefits for 1 year and 11 months.
You will have a waiting day every fourth months if you have not worked more than 148 hours in the previous four months.
We must review your number of working hours in every fourth month and the previous 3 months.
If you did not work more than 148 hours in that four-months period, we must deduct 1 day’s worth of benefits.
This is called a waiting day. Only income from employed work is included in the calculation.
The first waiting day is in the fourth month after you first registered as unemployed. After that time, there will be a waiting day every fourth months for as long as you are unemployed.
The four-months period may be prolonged by months in which you have claimed sickness benefits or parental benefits, etc., unless you also received unemployment benefits in the same month(s).
Requirements and rules while unemployed
While you are unemployed
You are to meet with your local Jobcenter approximately once a month. CA may participate in the first and last of these meetings (joint meeting). We will agree whether you need CA to participate.
You are to meet with CA within the first 14 days of your unemployment and then within three months and again within six months.
You’ll find all information from us in “My CA”, but as unemployed, you’ll receive information from both us and the Jobcenter.
It is therefore important that you remember to check your e-mail and your online digital mailbox (e-Boks) every day as you may be invited for meetings at a day’s notice.
You can contact CA by sending us a message or calling us at +45 33 14 90 45.
Approximately one week before the month ends you must complete and submit your benefit form. You are required to submit a benefit form stating your hours of work and days of sickness, holiday, etc. you have had in the relevant month and the activities you expect to have for the remainder of the month.
It is important that you submit the benefit form each month, even when there are no changes to your activities. The benefit form is available at “My CA” where you’ll also find a video guide on how to complete the form.
You must be available to the labour market to be eligible for benefits. In short, this means that you must be actively seeking a job and accept relevant job offers.
You should of course apply for jobs within your field, but you also need to be occupationally and geographically mobile - within a commuting radius of up to three hours a day by public transport. This applies for the first three months of your unemployment.
After three months of unemployment, you must apply for jobs within a commuting radius of more than three hours a day.
To enable us to pay benefits to you every month, you must be actively seeking work from the first day you are unemployed. That means that every week (already from the first week), you must fill in your job log at jobnet.dk.
Only your registrations in the job log count when we are to assess whether you are available to the labour market.
Read more about how to register your job search
While you are applying for benefits, there may be situations where there is doubt about your availability for work which we will discuss with you.
The payment of your benefits may be affected for a short or long period of time, and you may risk a suspension period by reason of self-inflicted unemployment.
Read more about self-inflicted unemployment, suspension period and valid reasons
If you become sick, you must report sickness via “My page” at jobnet.dk already on the first day of sickness – then we will be notified automatically. This means that you do not need to contact us unless you have a meeting with us on the same day.
You must report sick, also when you are only sick one day. Otherwise you may lose your benefits or sickness benefits for the day of sickness.
Remember to report well again when you are no longer sick.
You must give notice of holiday at jobnet.dk no later than 14 days before the start of your holiday – then we will be notified automatically. We encourage you to let us know about your holiday in as good time as possible to prevent meetings or activation programmes from disrupting your holiday plans.
You can claim holiday benefits if you have earned them. You can naturally always take holiday without benefits. You will just have to give notice at jobnet.dk no later than 14 days before the first day of your holiday.
Both mothers and fathers are entitled to take leave after the birth of their child. If you’re unemployed and are about to go on paternity or maternity leave, you must contact CA and your Jobcenter on the day you begin your leave.
Activation programmes
When you have been unemployed for a period, you have a right and a duty to participate in activation programmes. Examples of activation programmes are company internships, wage-subsidised jobs, coaching or training programmes.
Read more about activation programmes
Mandatory job search and facilitated jobs
The Jobcenter may require you to apply for specific jobs, and they can also refer you to an employer who has asked the Jobcenter for help to fill in a vacancy.
If you do not apply for the jobs facilitated by the Jobcenter, we’ll be notified that there are doubts about your availability for work, and then you risk losing your benefits.
Read more about self-inflicted unemployment and suspension period
Special situations
If you already have a part-time job, or if you get a part-time job as a wage or salary earner, you are often eligible for supplementary benefits.
We recommend that you always contact us before you begin working reduced hours to clarify whether you meet the conditions for receiving supplementary benefits. It’s important that you fill in and submit your release certificate.
While on benefits, there are ways for you to continue activity as self-employed that you had already before you became unemployed. You can also start up your own business while you’re unemployed.
However, the impact on your benefits varies significantly. If you want to be self-employed while you’re unemployed, you should therefore give it some thought.
We recommend that you contact us before starting up your own business so that we can guide you on your eligibility for supplementary benefits.
There are several training and skills development opportunities. It depends on your current level and field of education. Therefore, it is always a good idea to contact CA before you start a course or a study programme.
Read more about your training opportunities while unemployed
On certain conditions, you can be paid benefits from Denmark for up to three months while you look for work in another EEA country.
If you are going for a job interview abroad, you will be able to receive benefits for a short period even when you’re not staying in Denmark.
If you get a job abroad, you should always contact us so that we can inform you about applicable legislation.
If you carry out voluntary unpaid work, you can work up to 44 hours each month without it affecting your benefits. This is subject to approval by CA before you start, and you are required to complete an application form using our website.
Read more about voluntary unpaid work opportunities while unemployed
When you get a job
It’s important to differentiate between full-time and part-time employment.
If you get a full-time job, you’ll not be entitled to benefits.
If you get a part-time job, you may apply for supplementary benefits.
If you already have a part-time job, or if you get a part-time job as a wage or salary earner, you are often eligible for supplementary benefits. We recommend that you always contact us before you begin working reduced hours to clarify whether you meet the conditions for receiving supplementary benefits.
You’re required to search for work until you get a job, or until you deregister as unemployed at jobnet.dk.
Your Jobcenter may, however, exempt you from the obligation to search for work for a period of up to six weeks before you start your new job. This is called less intensive activity.
You must deregister as unemployed at jobnet.dk from the date you start working.
It’s no problem to register your first day of work in advance. If you do so, your registration as unemployed at jobnet.dk will be cancelled automatically on your first day of work.
Read more here about what to do when you get a full-time job
Let us help you with jobseeking and career advice
