Self-inflicted unemployment, suspension and valid reasons
If you leave your job without a valid reason, your unemployment is self-inflicted.
Your unemployment may also be self-inflicted if you:
- Turn down a job facilitated by the Jobcenter
- Turn down or discontinue the Jobcenter's offer for activation or re-training
- Refuse to help prepare or revise your job plan
- Accept a too short notice of termination
- Are dismissed by your employer for reasons to do with you. Here, your willingness and conduct will be taken into account, and not any shortage of qualifications.
Suspension period
If your unemployment is self-inflicted, you’ll be subject to an effective suspension period of 111 hours. This corresponds to 3 weeks of full-time benefits.
Effective suspension means that you will not receive any benefits for the first 111 hours that you would otherwise have received benefits for. This means, among other things, that you must be registered with Jobnet as unemployed and search for jobs during your suspension period.
If you have already been subject to one suspension period for self-inflicted unemployment and you have another period of self-inflicted unemployment during the next 12 months, you will lose your benefits right.
You will only be eligible for benefits again once you have reported:
- 300 hours of paid work to the Income Register of the Danish Customs and Tax Administration (SKAT) during a period of 3 consecutive months for monthly reporting, or
- 276 hours of paid work during a period of 12 consecutive weeks if you are not monthly paid
You should therefore always contact us to hear about the consequences before you turn down or leave a job or an offer for activation.
Valid reasons for unemployment
Your unemployment is not self-inflicted, and you are therefore not subject to a suspension period if you have a valid reason to leave your job or turn down or fail to attend an offer for activation, etc.
The following are valid reasons:
- Health issues
- Changed commuting times
- Difficulties with getting your family looked after
- Spouse or partner moves address to start a job
- Expiry of the period in which you may claim supplementary benefits
- If your employer refuses to sign a release certificate
- Getting a disabled or seriously ill child looked after
- Caring for a dying member of your immediate family
- Problems at the workplace, e.g. non-payment of salary
- You have found at least 5 weeks of work yourself
- You are starting in a study programme of at least one year's duration
- Military service or the like
Always contact CA to hear more about the conditions for avoiding a suspension period.
Even if, for example, you have a valid reason to leave your job, you will only be entitled to claim benefits if you are fully available to the labour market.