How much can I claim in benefits?

We will calculate your benefit rate so as to amount to 90% of your average income in the 12 highest paid months of the last 24-month period before your unemployment. Your labour market contributions will not be included in the calculation.

The maximum benefit rate is DKK 20,359 per month. But you can get an Employment Supplement for the three months. 

In order to be eligible to receive the highest rate for full-time insureds of DKK 20,359 per month before tax, your average income from work must have amounted to at least DKK 24,588 per month.

In order to be eligible to receive the highest rate for part-time insureds of DKK 13,573 per month before tax, your average income from work must have amounted to at least DKK 16,393 per month.

No minimum benefit rate applies.

Once your benefit rate has been calculated, you will not be eligible for a new rate until you have earned the right to a new 2-year benefits period.

Please note that income which has already been used to calculate a rate for you cannot also be used to calculate a new rate.

Calculation of benefit rate if you have had less than 12 months' income from work

If you do not have income from work for 12 months in the last 24-month period, we will calculate your benefit rate based on the months in which you have income from work.

If, for instance, you have only worked 10 out of the last 24 months, we will calculate your benefit rate based on the average income from work generated in those 10 months.

If you have had no income from work in the past 24 months at all, we will extend the 24-month period by 12 months and calculate your benefit rate based on your average pay during this 36-month period.

The following income types are considered work income for purposes of calculating your benefit rate:

• A-income (income taxed at source) from paid work declared by an employer to the Income Register of the Danish Customs and Tax Administration (SKAT). The work must be performed on normal wage and employment conditions
• B-income (income not taxed at source), after deduction of labour market contributions, which does not form part of an enterprise's profit
• Self-employed income: Income from a personally owned business, the taxable profit before interest and other net financials. This is the figure in section 111 of the tax assessment notice from the Danish Customs and Tax Administration (SKAT).

Self-employed income:

• Income from a personally owned business, the taxable profit before interest and other net financials. This is the figure in section 111 of the tax assessment notice from the Danish Customs and Tax Administration (SKAT).
• From a business in corporate form controlled by you = you or your spouse alone or together with immediate family own at least 50% of the company.
• You may include the share of the company's taxable profit which is attributable to your ownership interest, plus A-income paid by the company.
• Self-employed income is distributed evenly over the financial year. Please note that you may only begin to use self-employed income once it features on a tax assessment notice from SKAT – for sole proprietorships, the date is 1 May or 1 July the year after the end of the financial year, depending on whether your tax return is the extended or normal version.

Rate calculation if you are eligible to claim benefits under an exemption rule for self-employed

If you are eligible to claim benefits under an exemption rule because you have not met the income requirement for the past 3 years, your benefit rate will be calculated using a special method:

Your benefits right will be exclusively based on your self-employed income for the last5 years. The calculation of the benefit rate is based on the average of the 2 financial years with the highest income in the last 5-year period.

If you are a new graduate, your benefit rate will depend on different circumstances. Read about your benefit rights here