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Unemployment Insurance in EU->Estonia

Unemployment insurance in Estonia

This article covers what you need to know about claiming the income-based unemployment insurance benefit (sissetulekupõhine töötuskindlustushüvitis) and the basic unemployment insurance benefit (baasmääras töötuskindlustushüvitis) in Estonia.

In what situation can I claim?

You can claim the income-based unemployment insurance benefit if you are unemployed and meet the eligibility requirements:

  • you must be involuntarily unemployed (you were made redundant at your last place of employment);
  • the organisation was wound up;
  • your employment contract was terminated during a probationary period;
  • your employer cancelled your employment contract due to your long-term incapacity for work;
  • your fixed-term employment contract expired, etc.

The basic unemployment insurance benefit can be claimed by a person who does not have the right to receive the income-based unemployment insurance benefit and who has worked or performed an activity regarded as work (raising children, in full-time education or study, completing military service, etc.) for at least 8 months during the 3 years preceding the claim. The basic unemployment insurance benefit is granted to persons who are either voluntarily or involuntarily unemployed.

What conditions do I need to meet?

You have the right to claim the income-based unemployment insurance benefit if:

  • you are registered as unemployed;
  • you have submitted an application for unemployment insurance benefit;
  • contributions have been paid for you for at least 12 months during the 3 years prior to your being registered as unemployed;
  • you did not leave your last place of work or service voluntarily (except in the cases stated in § 37 (5), § 91 (2) and § 107 (2) of the Employment Contracts Act, § 105 (1) and (2) of the Civil Service Act), by agreement with your employer (§ 79 of the Employment Contracts Act) or due to your own wrongful breach (§ 88 (1) 3-8) of the Employment Contracts Act, § 94 of the Civil Service Act).

You have the right to claim the basic unemployment insurance benefit if:

  • you are registered as unemployed;
  • you have submitted an application for unemployment insurance benefit;
  • contributions have been paid for you for at least 8 months during the 3 years prior to your being registered as unemployed, including in cases of voluntary termination.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Applications for unemployment insurance benefits can be made at a suitable Unemployment Insurance Fund office or through the self-service section of the webpage. To claim unemployment insurance benefits at an Unemployment Insurance Fund office you must submit an application to register as unemployed and claim unemployment insurance benefit, and you must include your identification document. When claiming unemployment insurance benefits through the self-service section, you must fill out the electronic applications on registration as an unemployed person and an unemployment insurance benefit claim form.

The insurance period is calculated in months and years. Every 12 months in an insurance period is deemed a year of insurance period.

Income-based unemployment insurance benefit:

The duration of payment depends on the length of the insurance period and the labour market situation (assessed by comparing the number of registered unemployed each month with the average over the last 10 and 3 years). The basic duration, depending on the insurance contribution period is as follows:

  • 5 years or less: 180 days;
  • 5-10 years: 210 days;
  • 10 years or more: 300 days.

The income-based unemployment insurance benefit amount for a single calendar day is:

  • 60% of a calendar day's wage from the 1st to the 100th calendar day;
  • 40% per each calendar day thereafter.

The duration can be extended depending on the labour market situation as follows:

  • Very good labour market situation: no extension.
  • Average labour market situation (i.e. the number of registered unemployed is at least 80% of the average of the last 10 years or higher than the average of the last three years): extension of 60 calendar days with 5 years or more of contribution period; no extension with less than 5 years.
  • Poor labour market situation (i.e. the number of registered unemployed is at least 20% higher than the average of the last three years): extension of 60 to 120 calendar days depending on the contribution record.

Basic unemployment insurance benefit

The basic unemployment insurance benefit is paid for up to 180 calendar days. This period is not extended in very good or average labour market situation. In the case of a poor labour market situation, the basic unemployment insurance benefit is extended by 60 calendar days, with the total benefit period reaching 240 calendar days.

Forms you may need to fill in

When claiming unemployment insurance benefit at an Unemployment Insurance Fund office, you must submit applications to register as unemployed and claim unemployment insurance benefit, and you must include your identification document. When claiming unemployment insurance benefit through the self-service section, you must fill out the electronic application on registration as an unemployed person and an unemployment insurance benefit claim form.

Know your rights

Who do you need to contact?

Offices of the Unemployment Insurance Fund across Estonia

E-mail: info@tootukassa.ee
Helpline (in Estonia): 777 3000 (Mon-Thu 8.15-16.15; Fri 8.15-14.00)

https://www.eesti.ee/en

This page was last updated on July 1, 2026.

  1. Unemployment insurance in Europe →

  2. Unemployment Insurance in Estonia

You might also be interested in:

⇒EU social security coordination
⇒Unemployment Insurance in the Nordic countries

Key points of EU Unemployment Insurance coordination

  • Transferring periods of work and insurance between EEA countries As an EU citizen you can transfer acquired rights from Unemployment Insurance when moving between EU/EEA contries. In this way it may be easier to become entitled to unemployment benefit in the country you move to.
    In the vast majority of the Member states the aggregation rule become fully applicable as soon as you starts to work in the country. However in Denmark, Belgium and Finland you must work some period there before you can use the aggregation rule.
    You need a PD U1 document in the country you leave or if the involved countries use electronically exhange (EESSI) there will be issued a SED U002. The countries who issues the highest number of PD U1 documents are Germany, UK, Austria and Switzerland. The countries who receives most PD U1 documents are Austria and Lithuania.
  • Transferring unemployment benefits Under certain conditions you can go to another EU country to look for work and continue to receive your unemployment benefits from the country where you became unemployed. The period you can export your unemployment benefits varies from 3 to 6 months in the different Member states.
    You have to apply for a PD U2 document in the country you leave, or if you haven't done that the institution in the receiving country must request a SED U008 from the competent institution in your last country.
    The countries who issues the highest number of PD U2 documents are Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands. Poland and Romania together receive nearly half (48.1%) of all PDs U2.
  • Unemployment benefits coverage According to OECD the net replacement of income after 2 months of unemployment, for a single person without children whose previous in-work earnings were 67% of the average wage varies from 34 percent (Romania) to 85 percent (Luxembourg). Read more here..
  • Having residence in another EU country than where you work? According to EU social security coordination rules you must only be insured against unemployment in one country at a time. As a generel rule this country is where you work.
    In Member states who have compulsory insurance, you will automatically be covered when you start working there.
    However you may be insured by your country of residence if you are posted to a EU/EEA country or work in two or more EU/EEA countries at a time. In these situations you can not your self decide where to have unemployment Insurance, but you (or your employer) must apply for a PD A1 document which states in which country you are covered by social security, including Unemployment Insurance. Special rule also apply for cross-border workers ("frontier workers").
  • Third-country Nationals working in EU/EEANON-EEA citizens are covered by Unemployment Insurance in the EU countries who have compulsory Unemployment Insurance. In countries with voluntary Unemployment Insurance (Denmark, Sweden and Finland) third-country nationals can become member of an Unemployment Insurance Fund.
    In the most countries Third-country nationals can also use the EU Coordination rules when moving within EU/EEA (however not in Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).
    Third-country nationals in short-tem working relations often faces problems with actually get Unemployment benefits, even though they have contributed to the system. This is due to the fact that one normally need a residence permit which allow one to take any job, and also because of a qualifying period in most countries between 6-12 months.
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