What to do if you become unemployed

The Danish a-kasse system

If you become unemployed, Min A-kasse can help you to move on, both by providing qualified advice about the specific rules you need to meet to be entitled to unemployment benefits and by providing feedback about how to move on from your unemployment situation. You are always welcome to phone or write us or book a counselling interview with one of our employees.

If you become unemployed, you must remember the following:

Registering with the Job Centre

It is important that you register with the Job Centre on the very first day of your unemployment. Min A-kasse may not disburse unemployment benefits until the day from which you have registered yourself as unemployed. You can register at the Job Centre on their website Jobnet.dk. When you receive an electronic receipt, this means that your registration has been recorded. You can also register by reporting to the Job Centre in person. If the Job Centre is closed on your first day of unemployment, you must register on the first day after this when the Job Centre is open.

• Creation of a CV:You have to submit a CV to the Job Centre’s website dk within two weeks from the day you registered with the Job Centre. 
• Interview at the Job Centre: You must report in person to interviews at the Job Centre when called on to do so. At the interviews, you will be notified of the Job Centre’s role and the offers which you have a right and an obligation to accept.
• CV and guidance interview:You will be summoned for a CV interview at Min A-kasse no later than 2 weeks after you become unemployed. At the CV interview, we approve your CV and make sure that it meets the legal requirements.

New to the Danish a-kasse system?

If you are new to the benefits system, your earning determines whether you become eligible to receive benefits or not. Your earnings can come both from paid work and from self-employment.You become eligible to receive benefits if you have earned at least DKK 254.328 (2023) within a three years period prior to your unemployment. Only income from a period with membership of a Danish A-kasse (or period with unemployment insurance from another EEC-country) may be used, and you can only include up to DKK 20,333 per month.

Example: if you earn DKK 19,000 a month, it will take 13 months to become eligible for benefits. (254.328  divided by 19,000). If you earn DKK 30,000 a month, only DKK 20,333 of this amount can be included, meaning that it will take you 12 months to become eligible for benefits. 

If you are already in the benefits system

If you have received benefits before, you renew your eligibility by means of hours worked rather than income. This means that you become eligible for benefits again once you have worked 1,924 hours within a three-year period.

What you need to send in 

You must fill in an unemployment statement in the self-service section.

Please send a copy of your notice of termination and write a supplementary statement about the reason your employment has ceased.

Send in this documentation to Min A-kasse as soon as possible. The sooner we receive your information, the better your possibility of having us expedite your case and making sure you receive unemployment benefits or other benefits on time.

Filling in the unemployment benefits card

You must fill in and submit an unemployment benefits card every month. You can download an electronic unemployment benefits card by clicking Min A-kasse’s self-service. You can also write or phone Min A-kasse, and we will send you an unemployment benefits card by post. You can submit the unemployment benefits card electronically by clicking Min A-kasse’s self-service.

Your unemployment benefits will be credited to your bank account on the last banking day of the month.

Special conditions for terminating a proprietary enterprise as primary occupation

If you have been self-employed and have not had at least 480 hours of paid work within six months immediately prior to your unemployment, where there are paid work in five out of the six months, your self-employment will be considered your primary occupation.

If you are considered self-employed as your primary occupation, you must terminate your business before being entitled to benefits.

If you do meet the requirement of paid work, you do not need to terminate your business to be entitled to benefits, if you are fully available for paid work and you have not exhausted your right to supplementary unemployment benefits.