If you have been self-employed, you may have the right to unemployment benefit;

• If you have completely ceased working with your own business, or
• if you have temporarily ceased working with your own business.

In order to assess whether your business has been completely closed down or if it has merely been temporarily suspended, we will perform a comprehensive assessment of your overall situation and no business activity may be carried out during this time.

A business does not need to be completely closed down for you, as an entrepreneur, to be eligible to receive unemployment benefits, but it is essential that no activities are carried out in the company. You can suspend activity in your company as many times as you wish, but the condition is that at least five years have passed since you last resumed operations in the company. The most important thing is that you are available to the employment market without restrictions.

Unemployment benefits are not intended as a financial support for the start of a new company, and are not to be seen as a way of supplementing income in struggling companies.

The size of the benefit due

The daily allowance (unemployment benefit) is based on the income stated on your most recent tax declaration or, if more favourable, on the average income earned for the two years immediately preceding the latest tax year. The income you have received before you became a member of an unemployment insurance fund (“a-kassa”), or began subscribing to Alfa-kassan, may not be taken into account in the calculation of your unemployment benefits.

How you apply to receive benefits

In addition to following the steps outlined in the "If you become unemployed" section, you will also need to supply us with additional documentation about you and your business.

If you have completely ceased operations in your company;

• Documents confirming de-registration ("avregistrering") or proof of change ("ändringsbevis") of the company, issued by the Swedish Companies Registration Office ("Bolagsverket").
• Contracts relating to the sale of any equipment or inventories.
• Transfer of shares in the company (when the company has been sold).
• Revocation of any permit which was necessary for the operation of your company.
• Termination of any lease.
• In the event of bankruptcy, judgements from the district court ("Tingsrätten").
• In the event of liquidation, the decision from Bolagsverket, which states that a liquidator has been appointed. Be aware that you may not yourself be appointed as liquidator and, in some cases, neither may family members.
• Copy of the decision which shows that your approval for paying corporate tax ("F-skattsedel") has been revoked.
• If you have held a lease, send a copy of the agreement which shows that this lease has expired.

If you have temporarily suspended operations in your company;

• Please provide information relating to the suspension of the company by completing the forms, "Work Certificate for the Self-Employed" and "Suspension of Own Business".
• If you have had a website for your business, it should be closed down.

We will need the following information in order to be able to calculate your unemployment benefit;

• Information from the Swedish Tax Agency ("Skatteverket") detailing your income from the company. Complete the form, "Request for Disclosure of Information from Skatteverket".
• When you have sent in the above form, we will receive a summary of your yearly income for the past three years. We will only receive your income statement for the latest year at the end of the year. Therefore, you must send us a copy of your Income Statement ("Kontrolluppgifter") if you had a limited liability company ("aktiebolag"), or your tax return ("självdeklaration") including any attachments (for additional companies) for the last year.
• Certificate from the Social Insurance Agency ("Försäkringskassan") if you have received parental benefits or sick pay during the past few years.
• "Work Certificate From Your Employer" ("Arbetsgivarintyg") if you have been employed during the last three years.
• Copy of your pension approval, if you have been granted a pension.

When we have received this information, we can begin to assess your application for unemployment benefits.