Timeline of unemployment benefits – What to do and when
Figuring out when to do what and with whom can be confusing if you need unemployment benefits as a new graduate. IDA has drawn up a timeline to illustrate the rules and requirements from the unemployment insurance fund, the job centre and elsewhere to help you keep track of everything.
Before you graduate
1 year before:
Make sure that you’re a member of a relevant unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse). IDA collaborates with Akademikernes A-Kasse. You get a free student membership if you’re under the age of 30, and you need to be a member at least a year before you graduate to receive unemployment benefits from your first day of unemployment after graduating. If you haven’t been a student member, you’re entitled to unemployment benefits one month after you’ve graduated at the earliest.
If you finish your studies with a written assignment:
If you finish your studies with a written assignment that doesn’t have to be defended orally, it can sometimes take several weeks before you receive your last grade and thereby graduate. In such cases, your unemployment insurance fund can ask you to fill in a pre-approval (forhåndsgodkendelse) that your supervisor and examiner have to sign to prove that you’ve submitted your assignment and passed your last exam, even though your grade is not yet ready. This will allow you to apply for unemployment benefits before you’ve received your final grade.
When you have graduated
Once you’ve graduated, you need to register in several places:
At once:
Register as unemployed at jobnet.dk.
Within one week:
Fill in your declaration of unemployment (ledighedserklæring) with your unemployment insurance fund and complete your job profile.
Within 2 weeks:
Complete your CV on jobnet.dk.
Within 14 days after your final grade
Change your status from student to new graduate on the unemployment insurance fund website. The same 14-day deadline applies if you have not been a student member. In that case you should instead apply for membership of the unemployment insurance fund.
About Akademikernes A-kasse
Akademikernes A-Kasse’s primary task is to help members on their journey. Besides providing financial security, the unemployment insurance fund is an important sparring partner during the different transitions in student life or working life – when landing your first job after graduating, when you’re between jobs or when you’re considering becoming self-employed.
Akademikernes A-kasse is committed to developing services and guidance to prepare members for the labour market of the future, where many will change jobs much more often than in the past.
Meeting attendance
A-kassen
The unemployment insurance fund will call you in for an initial meeting, probably within 14 days after you’ve registered as unemployed. When the job centre and the unemployment insurance fund call you in for meetings, you will usually have to book the actual date yourself, so it’s important to keep yourself up-to-date with these two players.
Jobcenter
About one month after you have registered as unemployed, the job centre will call you in for an initial meeting. Afterwards you’ll need to keep an eye on invitations and book meetings with the job centre yourself.
Activities
Weekly updates in the joblog
You have to register your job search activities on the job centre’ website or the unemployment insurance fund’s website once a week. This is to show that you’re actively seeking employment and you are entitled to unemployment benefits. You have to apply for 1-2 jobs a week – a minimum of 6 jobs in the course of 4 weeks.
Fill in your benefit card every month
In order for the unemployment insurance fund to pay your unemployment benefits, you have to fill in a benefit card (ydelseskort) every month, showing the days you’re entitled to receive unemployment benefits during the period. If you miss the deadline, your unemployment benefits cannot be paid on time.
Hold øje med din dagpenge-saldo
Hos din a-kasse, kan du finde en dagpenge-tæller, der viser, hvor meget du har brugt og hvad du har tilbage af din nuværende dagpengeperiode.
Unemployment benefits tracker
Your unemployment insurance fund has an unemployment benefits tracker (dagpengetæller) that shows how much you have used and what you have left of your current unemployment benefits period.
Guide
Akademikernes A-kasse has also prepared a guide to unemployment benefits you can read if you’re still unsure about the process. Find the guide here.
