Entitlement to an earnings-related allowance from 2 September 2024

The conditions for paying out and receiving earnings-related allowances changed on 2 September 2024. From September onwards, you can accrue your entitlement to an earnings-related allowance by fulfilling a 12-month employment requirement with an income of €930 per month for 12 months. If you earn at least €465 per month, you will accrue half a month towards the employment requirement.

You can receive an earnings-related allowance if you are unemployed, temporarily laid off or employed part-time if your hours have been reduced at the employer’s initiative. You need to register as an unemployed jobseeker with the Employment and Economic Development (TE) Office on first day of unemployment at the latest and be ready to accept a full-time job. Your job search must be active when you apply for an earnings-related allowance.

TE Office 

The earnings-related allowance is applied for retroactively in periods of one month or four calendar weeks (Monday to Sunday). If you are entirely without work, you can send the first application after the first two full calendar weeks. Check which documents you need to include with your application and whether you meet the conditions for earnings-related allowance. 

Appendices related to the earnings-related allowance

The conditions for paying out earnings-related allowances will change on 2 September 2024

The biggest change concerns the employment history required to pay an earnings-related allowance. From September onwards, one year of work is required. You must have been a member of the unemployment fund throughout the work—the membership requirement will also rise to 12 months.

What is changing? 

1. From September onwards, the entitlement to a daily allowance will no longer depend on the number of hours worked before unemployment.
2. In the future, the applicant’s fulfilment of the employment requirement will depend on their income.
3. Income of at least €930 per calendar month corresponds to one month of the earnings-related employment requirement. Income of at least €465 per calendar month corresponds to half a month of the employment requirement. For example, the entitlement to an earnings-related allowance could arise after working for 10 full months and 4 half months.
4. When the amended law takes effect, the accrual of the entitlement to a daily allowance will be determined according to when the wages or salary are paid. The earning period (when the work was done to accumulate the income) is only relevant when wages, salaries, or bonuses are paid for a long period or the payment is delayed for a reason attributable to the employer.