FULFILLING THE EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENT AGAIN
The employment requirement is met when you have been at work for at least 26 weeks that are eligible for the requirement over a period of 28 months. In order for a workweek to count towards the employment requirement, it must have at least 18 hours and your pay must be in line with the collective agreement or minimum wage. If there is no collective agreement, your pay for full-time work must be at least the minimum wage (1,331 euros per month in 2023).
After you have fulfilled the new employment requirement, the amount of earnings-related allowance is recalculated and a new waiting period is imposed if the previous maximum allowance period began more than one year ago.
EXAMPLE: You fulfil the employment requirement again on 15 September 2021. The last time you fulfilled the employment requirement, you began receiving the allowance on 16 May 2020 after a waiting period. Because the start date of the previous maximum allowance period is more than one year ago, the amount of allowance you receive is recalculated and a new waiting period is imposed.
If the start date of the previous maximum period was less than one year ago and a waiting period was imposed the previous time, the allowance is not recalculated and only the maximum allowance period starts over.
EXAMPLE: You fulfil the employment requirement again on 15 September 2021. The last time you fulfilled the employment requirement, you began receiving the allowance on 30 September 2020 after a waiting period. Because the start date of the previous maximum allowance period was less than one year ago, the amount of allowance is not recalculated and no waiting period is imposed.
If the new employment requirement is fulfilled during self-motivated studies or vocational labour market training, the amount of allowance is not recalculated and the maximum allowance period does not start over while the studies or training is in progress.
If you have turned 58 years when you fulfil the employment requirement again and your amount of allowance would be reduced following a recalculation of your earnings, your allowance is not recalculated. In this case, only the waiting period is imposed if necessary and the maximum allowance period starts over.