Unemployed
How do you hold the mandatory meetings?
Due to the steep rise in infections the politicians have decided that we for a period of time can hold the mandatory meetings over the phone. This applies from Monday, December 20, 2021 through Friday, January 14, 2022.
How do you hold the voluntary meetings?
You can choose yourself if you want the voluntary meeting as phone or physical career counselling. You book the meeting at Mit AKA. If there is no available time, please contact us and we will find a time for you.
If you need urgent career counseling, you will also be able to call our main number (33 95 03 95). We are open Monday - Tuesday and Thursday - Friday bwtween 9 AM and 3 PM.
Do I need to attend job training activities?
Yes, company related jobcenter activities are reinstated. This means that you are obligated to participate and that it will affect you benefit payments if you do not attend.
You only need to attend traineeships or similar activities if the company lives up to all health authority guidelines. The jobcenter also has to take into account if you or people close to you have a higher risk of suffering serious covid-19 symptoms.
Can I receive unemployment benefits if my children are sent home during the day because of risk of infection?
Yes, as long as you have signed up through the Jobcenter as unemployed, you should be able to receive unemployment benefits.
I am quarantined, what does this mean for my unemployment benefits?
If the authorities have quarantined you because there is a risk that you are infected with covid-19, then you must report sick. You can contact us by phone or message.
Can I take my Danish unemployment benefits with me abroad? (PDU2)
Yes, the general rules still apply. However, we would recommend that you keep an eye on travel guides and be aware that you cannot get help from foreign authorities and Akademikernes A-kasse during this period.
Can I receive unemployment benefits if I am currently abroad and unable to return to Denmark before my PDU2 expires? (because of the Covid-19 situation)
Yes, if you are stranded abroad because of the Covid-19 situation, you can get unemployment benefits even if your PDU2 has expired. When you return to Denmark, immediately register as unemployed at jobnet.dk (the job center) and make sure to save your tickets and receipts documenting the date of your travel to Denmark.
Make sure to keep documentation proving that it was not possible for you to return to Denmark on time. You should send this documentation to us as soon as you are able to return to Denmark.
Are there any special rules regarding unemployment benefits?
Yes, both in December 2020, in January, February and April 2021 new political deals had been made. In total the deals pause your use of benefits from January 1 till June 30, 2021.
This means that you July 1, 2021 will have just as many benefit hours left as you had on December 31, 2020. Also, no unemployed member can use up their right to benefits between November 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022.
My right to unemployment benefits is about to expire. What do I do?
On November 20, 2020 and June 2021 new laws came into effect, prolonging the unemployment benefits period for 2 months.
The extension will apply to you if your right to benefits expires between November 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021. The 2 extra months should come directly after your benefits have expired and you need to use these within 3 months of your expiration date. 2 months of unemployment benefits equals 320,66 hours (2x160,33). After this, you will not be able to get further extensions.
Employee
Am I entitled to unemployment benefits if I have been sent home by my employer without pay?
The answer depends on your situation:
If you have been laid off and are unemployed
Yes, you can receive unemployment benefits if you have been laid off and are unemployed and do not have an agreement with your employer about returning to work. In order to receive the unemployment benefits you have to register as unemployed at jobnet.dk and apply for unemployment benefits (‘ledighedserklæring’) at Mit AKA. You will hear from us when we have processed the application.
If you have an agreement with the employer about returning to work
Yes, if you have been sent home according to an agreement. In this case, you can receive unemployment benefits even if your employer has not lived up to his/her terms of notice. If the home sending of your employment has not been carried out according to a union agreement , you will not be eligible for unemployment benefits. In this case, contact you employer or your union/organization to hear about your right to salary or salary compensation.
If you are sent home with a division of labour agreement
With a division of labour agreement which has been approved by the job center (jobnet.dk) you have the opportunity to apply for supplementary unemployment benefits. Division of labour is an agreement with your employer that your work schedule for a temporary period is reduced to avoid redundancies. In order to receive supplementary unemployment benefits, the following conditions must be met:
- The division of labour must be agreed upon in a collective agreement for a temporary reduction of working hours.
- The working hours are reduced by whole days and the reduction includes at least 2 days per week or with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment followed by 1 or 2 weeks of full-time work.
- The division of labour must include the entire company or division in which you are employed.
- The division of labour must include an option of release for you, so that you have the opportunity to terminate your work if you were to get a full-time job with longer working hours.
- You have to register as unemployed (‘ledig’) at jobnet.dk and apply for unemployment benefits with us.
When you receive supplementary unemployment benefits with a division of labour agreement, you are not using time from your 30 weeks of right to supplementary unemployment benefits.
I am employed with an hourly wage or as a temporary worker and have been sent home without pay. Can I receive unemployment benefits?
You have to register as unemployed at jobnet.dk and then apply for unemployment benefits (‘ledighedserklæring’) at Mit AKA. You will hear from us when the application has been processed.
What does salary compensation mean, and what do I need to do in regards to the unimployment insurance fund?
Salary compensation means that the Danish State will compensate your employer (a part of the salary). You will still receive your full salary. If you have been sent home with salary compensation it means that you are not allowed to work but you are still employed.
Can I apply for unemployment benefits if my employer makes changes to the agreed division of labor?
Yes, you can apply if your employer makes changes to an existing agreement/contract.
However, you need to apply for benefits after a cycle (“cyklus”) if your employer has made the arrangement that you work one week followed by a week as unemployed. In this case, the cycle will not be over till after the 2 weeks. If your employer has made the arrangement that you work 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks as unemployed, the cycle will not be over till after 4 weeks.
You need to send documentation from your employer outlining the changes to the agreement as well as confirmation that the change is based on a collective agreement.
Can I apply for unemployment benefits if my employer applies for an extension of the agreed division of labor beyond 13 weeks?
Yes, you can apply if your employer choses to extend the agreement beyond 13 weeks. Your employer needs to apply through the Regional Labor Market Council at least 4 weeks before your existing agreement expires. The decision from the council should be sent to us at least one week before the new agreement takes effect.
We need a new form (AB292) to confirm that the application has been sent to the Jobcenter on the date of or before the agreement takes effect. Here, it should be stated that both you and your employer have discussed the possibilities of supplementary education. We also need a copy of the decision from the Regional Labor Market Council sent directly to us from the council.
Self employed
Can I get unemployment benefits if I close my business temporarily?
The answer depends on whether you have an existing right to unemployment benefits or not:
New temporary unemployment benefit rules for the self-employed
On 25 June 2020, the Danish Parliament adopted new temporary rules for the self-employed in connection with the recovery of the Danish economy after Covid-19.
The rules include the following in the area of unemployment benefits:
1) Self-employed persons who are not registered in an unemployment insurance fund now have the opportunity to apply for admission in the period from July 9 2020 to August 8 2020 and apply for unemployment benefits from the first day of admission,. That is provided that the person undertakes to pay the membership fees 12 months prior to admission and thereafter for 12 months. In addition, the member can receive unemployment benefits on the basis of their profits in their business that precedes their membership, if only the annual statement is completed during the new membership period. In addition, the member must comply with the general rules on entitlement to unemployment benefits
2) The above also applies to members who during the same period have less than 12 months of membership. These members have the option to pay a membership fees equivalent to 12 months and subsequently commit to an additional 12 months of membership fees
3) Members who already have 12 months of membership of the unemployment insurance fund, but who do not have the right to unemployment benefits on the basis of their most recent annual report, because some of the period was outside the membership period, can also apply for unemployment benefits based on the 2019 annual report, if it is completed within the new membership period
4) In addition, self-employed persons who are subject to a genuine prohibition on keeping open under Covid-19 may apply for unemployment benefits under normal conditions, however with a temporary termination as self-employed. However, some special conditions apply, including that a member does not receive a compensation package from the Danish state.
Contact the unemployment insurance fund if you would like to hear more about your possibilities for applying for unemployment benefits as self-employed.
With an existing right to unemployment benefits
If you are self-employed and have an existing right to unemployment benefits, you can in some cases apply to change your definition to be asset management or leisure work.
However, be especially aware that you cannot meet the conditions of having your current business transformed into asset management simply because you are financially affected by the Corona epidemic. If, on the other hand, you choose to close your advertising externally, terminate the few contracts that may be in your business at present time, or make other active changes to your company's current marketing basis, you can apply to change to an asset management definition. Read more about the definition of asset management and leisure employment (in Danish).
You can also apply for supplementary unemployment benefits while also managing your business to a lesser extent than before. Please contact us, if you need guidance about your situation.
The first time you want to apply for unemployment benefits or your previous entitlement to unemployment benefits has expired
You must close your business to be eligible for unemployment benefits if you have been self-employed as your main occupation. That is, it is the first time you have to apply for unemployment benefits or your previous entitlement to unemployment benefits has expired, while not meeting a work requirement as an employee prior to your unemployment. Unfortunately, there are no special rules in this area even if a business is financially affected by the Corona epidemic. Read more about the rules for getting unemployment benefits after being self-employed as a main occupation (in Danish).
If you need information about other topics than unemployment benefits, you can read about the support program for self-employed on www.virksomhedsguiden.dk.