This is the qualification period

What is the qualification period?

Simply put, the ramtid is the 12-month period before unemployment during which you must meet the income requirement. Unemployment officially begins the month you apply for benefits. To do that, you must first register with Arbetsförmedlingen.

1. When a new application for benefits is submitted, the a-kassa starts by determining the ramtid. They exclude any months during which the applicant was unable to work due to, for example, illness, caring for a child, or military service.

2. Then, the ramtid is extended by the same number of excluded months—up to a maximum of 60 months (5 years).

3. Once the ramtid is established, the a-kassa can check whether the income requirement is met.

What can extend the qualification period?

If your income over the past 12 months is too low to meet the income requirement, older income can be used instead. This applies if, for most of a month, you:

• were ill,

• cared for your own child under two years old or an adopted child up to two years after arrival in the family,

• received pregnancy or parental benefits, or

• performed military service.

It may also be beneficial to disregard months when you:

• participated in full-time education that has been completed, or

• were self-employed, if the business ended within 60 months of starting.