About the unemployment insurance

Who can become a member?

You can become a member of Akassan Handels if you work in one of our professions. Our members include

• shop and warehouse employees
• hairdressers
• musicians
• cultural workers. 

Even if you're not currently working, you can become a member if your most recent job was in one of our professions.

What does it cost?

The membership fee is the same for all members and is 165 kronor (SEK) per month.

Apply to become a member

Applying to become a member with us is easy. Just fill out our online application and sign it using your e-ID.

Become a member →

Can I receive compensation?

These are the conditions you need to meet in order to receive compensation.

1. Member and at least 20 years old

You must be a member to be eligable for compensation from us. You also need to be at least 20 years old.

2. Able and willing to work

When you apply for compensation, you have to fulfill certain basic requirement. 

• Be registered with Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). 
• Actively look for work. 
• Be able to apply for and take a job. This means you cannot receive compensation, for example, if you are sick or on parental leave, and you must also have childcare arrangements in place.

3. Minimum income requirement 

To be eligible for compensation, you must meet an income condition. This means you need to have had a certain minimum income from work before becoming unemployed.

The income condition must be met during a 12-month period. It's normally the 12 months prior to the month you apply for compensation. If you haven’t been able to work all 12 months, the qualifying period can in some cases be extended – for example, if you were sick, on parental leave, or studying full-time.

You can meet the income condition in two different ways:

Main rule

• You must have had a total income of at least SEK 120,000.
• You must have earned at least SEK 11,000 per month for at least 4 months.
  
  

Alternative rule

• You must have earned at least SEK 11,000 per month for 4 consecutive months.

How much can I recieve?

The amount you may recieve in unemployment benefits depends on

• what you earned before becoming unemployed
• how long you've been a member. 

Compensation rate

The compensation we pay out is either 80%, 60%, or 50% of what you earned before becoming unemployed. You can receive up to SEK 27,200 per month before tax.

The rate you receive depends on how long you have been a member of the unemployment insurance fund:

80 percent → Member for all months during the qualification period.

60 percent → Member for 6–11 months during the qualification period.

50 percent → Member for less than 6 months during the qualification period.

Maximum 300 Compensation Days

The number of compensation days you are entitled to depends on how many months you had an income of at least 11,000 kronor before becoming unemployed.

300 days → Earned at least SEK 11,000 in 11–12 months.

200 days → Earned at least SEK 11,000 in 8–10 months.

100 days → Earned at least SEK 11,000 in 4–7 months.

66 days → Granted to those who meet the income requirement under the alternative rule (earned at least SEK 11,000 for 4 consecutive months).

Lower compensation rate after 100 days

The longer you are unemployed, the lower the compensation. After 100 days, the compensation rate is reduced by 10 percentage points. After 200 days, it is reduced by an additional 5 percentage points.

How do I apply?

1. Register with the Public Employment Service

Register on the Swedish Public Employment Service's website (Arbetsförmedlingen) on your first day of unemployment. You can only receive compensation for the time you are registered. 

Go to the Public Employment Service website →

2. Apply for compensation

Log in to our e-service Mina sidor (My Pages) and fill in the compensation application form. You will then receive a to-do list with the information we need from you.

Complete all the tasks on your to-do list as soon as possible. This will help us process your application faster.

Log in at Mina sidor (My Pages) →

3. Submit Your Monthly Application

We pay out compensation once a month. To receive your payment, you must submit a monthly application each month.

In your monthly application, you report if you have done anything other than look for work—for example, if you have been sick, on parental leave, or received income from work.

4. Register an Account for Payment

Payments are processed through Swedbank's payment service.. To receive the money directly into your bank account, you need to register in Swedbank’s account register.

If you don’t register an account, you will instead receive your payment as a paper check sent by post.

Register your bank account with Swedbank →

Requirements when applying for compensation

When you apply for compensation, both Arbetsförmedlingen and we place certain requirements on you.

Cooperate with Arbetsförmedlingen

When you receive compensation from the unemployment fund, you must be registered with the Public Employment Service, actively look for work, and be available to accept a job if offered one.

• You will create a plan with Arbetsförmedlingen
  The plan will state how many jobs you are required to apply for each month and which other activities you need to complete. This could include attending a meeting or updating something in your job-seeking plan.
  
  It is important that you cooperate with the Public Employment Service regarding your plan and follow what is stated in it.
  
  
• You must submit an activity report every month
  No later than the 14th of each month, you must submit an activity report to the Public Employment Service. In the report, you provide details of the jobs you’ve applied for, any job interviews you’ve attended, and other activities you’ve done to find work

Notify us of any changes

You receive unemployment benefits while you are looking for a job. If your ability to search for and accept work changes, it is important that you inform us immediately.

For example, you need to notify us if you

• get a new job
• start studying
• become ill
• do not have childcare arranged
• go on vacation, or go abroad
• start a business.

Feel free to contact us if you're unsure about what applies to your specific situation. We're here to help!