Not worked in the last year?

The income requirement in the unemployment insurance must be met within the qualifying period. Likewise, the fixed monthly income used to calculate income loss is based on the total income earned during this period. Simply put, the qualifying period begins the month before applying for unemployment benefits and registering with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), covering a total of 12 months backwards. If there are months when you were unable to work due to, for example, illness, childcare (VAB), or studies, the qualifying period is extended by the same number of months you were unable to work.

These rules take effect on 1 October 2025.

What is the qualifying period?

Simply put, the qualifying period consists of the 12 months before unemployment, during which you must meet the income requirement. Unemployment begins in the month you apply for unemployment benefits. To do so, you must first register with the Swedish Public Employment Service.

1. When a new benefits application is received, the unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa) first establishes the qualifying period, excluding any months when the applicant was unable to work due to reasons such as illness, childcare, or military service.
2. The qualifying period is then extended by the same number of months that were excluded, up to a maximum extension of 60 months (five years).
3. Once the qualifying period is determined, the unemployment insurance fund assesses whether the income requirement has been met.

What can extend the qualifying period?

If your income over the past 12 months is too low to meet the income requirement, older income can be considered. This applies if you were unable to work for most of a given month due to:

• Sickness,
• Caring for your own child under the age of two or an adopted child up to two years after their arrival in the family,
• Receiving pregnancy benefits, parental benefits, or completing military service.

If it would be to the advantage of the unemployed person, you can also disregard months that they have, for example:

• Completed full time education or
• been self-employed, provided the business ceased operations within 60 months of starting.