Question

I'm currently a PhD and by the time my contract at the university finishes I will have been paying a membership to an A-Kasse for 13 months. Currently, I am working abroad as part of my job contract in Denmark. This means I currently don't have an address in Denmark. I am having a really hard time finding an apartment in Denmark with all the students looking for housing now. I will also need more time to finish my PhD thesis, so now I have questions related to being abroad, not cashing any benefits in that time, and coming back to Denmark to search for a job (while receiving benefits) in a few months. I am considering going to a non-EU country but I could stay in a EU country. I am an EU citizen.

1) Do I have to sign up at JobNet as "dagpengemodtager" on my 1st day being unemployed or can I wait and not sign up at all in the system until a few months later?

2) If I choose to instead sign up as "without benefits", and not receive any money, do I still face a restriction on the amount of time
I can be abroad? Do I face any restrictions on the amount of time that I have to be living in Denmark as part of the "unemployed job-seekers population" before I go abroad?

3) Is there any way in which I can "pause" (actually not even start!) the benefits and then "re-start" them? I read about holidays but always "paid holidays" and the corresponding restriction in the amount of time that you can take free. Do you still face restrictions on the amount of holidays when you don't want to receive any money in that period?

4) It is my understanding that I can transfer them also inside the EU but for a limited amount of time. Is this correct? What's the maximum amount of time? What happens after that amount of time? Do I loose the benefit for the rest of my life or if I didn't find a job in another EU country I can come back to Denmark and try again? Do I have to be living as "unemployed" in Denmark for a minimum amount of time before I transfer my benefits?

Thank you very much for your time! :-)

Answer 1

1

Hi,

I think we can give you an answer which covers all 4 questions:

You work as an salaried PhD and when your contract ends, you will have been paying to A-kasse for more than 1 year.

We assume that your income in TOTAL during the last 3 years - at the time you apply for benefits -  will be at least DKK 223.428.

If this is correct, you are entitled to unemployment benefits when your contract ends.

For receiving benefits you must stay in Denmark. The only exception to this is the possibility to go to another EU-country to look for work and continue to receive your unemployment benefits from Denmark.

This you can do for 3 months with the possibility of extension up to 6 months.

To be sure to have right to get benefits after 3 months jobseeking in another country you must be sure to return to the country paying your unemployment benefits (Denmark) before or on the day your entitlement expires.

To transfer rights when looking for job in another EU-country, you also need to fullfill some special/other requirements, which you can read about here.

If you dont want to receive benefits even if you are entitled to, you don't need to register at all. This means you dont need to tell Jobcenter/Jobnet.dk anything, and you dont need to tell you A-kasse anything.

As long as you choose not to receive any benefits you are free to do what you like, and be in what country you like (EU or not EU), and you dont need to have adress in Denmark. And this will have no effect on your rights to receive benefits when you return to Denmark.

There is no restrictions on how long you can stay abroad, but be aware about the requirement about having income during last three years for at least DKK 223.428 in total, at the time you apply for benefits.

Off course you must continue to pay to A-kasse during your stay ("holiday") in another country. And when you apply for benefits after returning to Denmark you still must have had income in TOTAL during last 3 years for at least DKK 223.428. And off course you also must have adress in Denmark and live in Denmark if you want to receive benefits.

So, you can - and must - wait to register as unemployed at Jobnet.dk until the day you really want to receive unemployment benefits and are living in Denmark.

There will be no restrictions on the period of time that you have to be living in Denmark before you can get unemployment benefits, as long as you meet the mentioned requirements.

If you get a job in another country you must ask your A-kasse, if you can continue memberhip with them. Normally you are covered in the country where you work, and you can only be covered by unemployment insurance in 1 country at a time. We have been writing an article about "A-kasse and working abroad", but unfortunately at the moment only in danish language. But you can find it here.

As long as you are posted to another country for up to two years, for instance as part of a PhD/job contract you can continue membership with a danish A-kasse. However normally this requires that you or your employer apply for a special document from Udbetaling Denmark giving you right to keep danish social rights while working abroad.. We have been writing about posting to another country in this article. We are not sure if this also applys for PhD, but we think you should ask your employer.

Please comment on this, if you need further help.

Best regards,

Anders, www.a-kasser.dk