If you do not resign yourself but are forced to leave the European Commission or another EU institution at the end of your contract, you might be entitled to an EU unemployment leave and a rather generous unemployment allowance.
Entitlement conditions
You will qualify for this benefit if you:
- Worked for the EU for more than 6 months
- Did not resign yourself before the end of the contract period
- Were not dismissed for disciplinary reasons
In short, you get the EU unemployment leave and unemployment allowance if your contract cannot be prolonged for legal reasons (for example, you’re a contract agent at the European Commission), or the respective EU institution does not prolong your contract for some other reason.
Length
The duration of the unemployment leave after leaving EU institutions depends on the time worked. In short, you gain four months of unemployment leave for every 12 months of work. Work three years, get a year of benefits, work six years, get two years.
However, the maximum duration of the EU unemployment leave and benefits payout may not exceed three years (36 months). Hence, you are affected by this limitation only if you have worked for the EU for more than nine years.
If there is an interruption in your unemployment leave, e.g., short term employment or you start a new job but get fired soon after, the allowance payment is at first suspended, but then can be resumed if you are still within the period of entitlement.
Example: You worked for the European Commission for six years as a contract agent. Your contract is not prolonged and you become unemployed. This entitles you to two years of paid unemployment leave from the European Union. Further, you return to your home country as an unemployed person, but then find a local job six months into your leave. However, after two months you realize that it’s not a good fit and you quit. In this case, your leave and allowance will restart. Bear in mind, that the unemployment leave period does not get extended by the period you worked!
Also, check the detailed rules. While the unemployment allowance benefit will resume, there might be a gap of two months before you get your EU payments restarted again.
Unemployment allowance amount and other benefits
The allowance is paid for a maximum of three years and decreases every twelve months. This is how the EU unemployment allowance is calculated:
- (a) 60 % of the basic salary for the first 12 months
- (b) 45 % of the basic salary for the 13th to the 24th month
- (c) 30 % of the basic salary for the 25th to the 36th month
Of course, this wouldn’t be the EU if the rules weren’t more complicated. Read on!
During the first six months of your unemployment period there is no upper limit to your unemployment benefit, i.e., you get all 60% of your previous salary. However, from month seven the unemployment allowance is limited at 2894,36 EUR. Fortunately, the unemployment allowance may never be lower than 1447,18 EUR. These thresholds are periodically adjusted so check the most recent figures with your institution’s HR before you leave.
The percentages above are calculated from the so-called ‘Brussels salary’, i.e., 100% of your nominal salary. The correction coefficient is not applied to the calculation of the unemployment allowance.
This means that if you work in a country with a correction coefficient lower than 100%, you’ll receive an unemployment benefit for an amount quite close to your previous salary.
JSIS
The EU really takes care of its former employees. Did you know that you get to keep the EU health insurance for both you and the family for the whole unemployment period?! And, just as while working, it’s active worldwide.
If you decide to live or travel in another country and incur medical costs, these will be reimbursed at the same rate as while you were employed – 80-85%. Just make sure you sign up for the external JSIS account.
Other conditions
After you leave an EU institution to become unemployed, you are expected to register with the national unemployment service in any EU country. Usually people choose their own country, but they don’t have to.
One is free to choose a country where obligations for the unemployed are more lax, for example, fewer visits to the unemployment agency, less participation in “active employment measures”, fewer requirements to show that you are looking for work.
Forms
Click on the link to download the appropriate European Commission form to claim the EU unemployment benefit.
VERY IMPORTANT: You have to send it to the relevant PMO email address (PMO-CHOMAGE@ec.europa.eu) in EIGHT days after your contract with the EU ends. Otherwise you will loose the right to claim this benefit.
If you are looking for work in an EU institution, check out the article below about salaries in the various EU agencies with direct links to each institution’s vacancies portal.
What to do while unemployed?
Being on unemployment leave from the European Commission, EU agencies, the European Parliament or the Council is an opportunity you shouldn’t waste, especially if you are entitled to a longer leave period.
Many people take a few months off before finding a new EU or national job, but you don’t have to. These are some of the more productive things people have chosen to do while on their unemployment leave from the EU:
- Travel the world with family, do that long-planned gap year anywhere
- Get a new educational degree
- Get vocational training
- Give a shot at entrepreneurship while having a good safety net
- Seriously develop a new hobby
Do you have question or suggestion for this article? Please share in a comment below and let’s make this resource better for you and other readers!
52 responses to “EU unemployment allowance and leave”
Dear Ben,
thank you for this. My contracted ended on 16.7.24 and I went to national authorities so I can get job seeker status. However they can register me as jobseeker from 1.9.24 since I also terminated my studies and they can register me as such person only if this is done.
My question is whether there is some period that has to be fulfilled that I have to register from the day one as unemployed person or I can claim my unemployment benefit from 1.9? So not directly from the day one from the day as my contract ended. Can you please advice me here?
My friend told me that I can claim it 8 moths after end of my contract is this really true?
Many thanks,
Simona
Hi! Even if you experience delays because of the national institutions, you have to send the form linked in the article (https://euemployment.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/claimunemployment_en.pdf) within 8 days after your contract with he EU institution. Otherwise you might loose entitlement to the EU unemployment allowance.
If you experience difficulties with the national authorities, document the process (at least save your email exchanges), and immediately consult the PMO. If you’ll be able to prove that you did everything in your power, they might waive the 8 day deadline. Please treat this very seriously!
Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your excellent article. Secondly, I would be very grateful if you could help me better understand what I can do in my situation.
My contract with an EU agency is ending soon. Can I benefit from unemployment allowance if I have suspended my employment contract in my home country, so theoretically I would have a place to return to work, but my family is in Belgium now and for family reunification, I would prefer to stay in Belgium and look for another job?
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Hi! I would require more information on the employment contract you had with the EU agency (TA, CA, SNE), as well as the type of suspended contract in your home country (have you been a civil servant?).
Hi! I just discovered this amazing website! Could you please explain the process for getting the form EC-FTCS signed at ADEM in Luxembourg? (In order to request the unemployment benefits). Is it sent by email? I can’t find any information about it.
Thanks!
Hi! I’m unable to answer this specific question about Luxembourg. Please consider asking your former institution’s HR, if the institution is in Luxembourg!
You could also ask a question in our Facebook group, as there might be someone who can reply regarding this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jobs.in.eu.institutions
Once you get the form signed by ADEM, please consider writing up your experience in as little as 2-3 paragraphs. I would gladly post it for other readers in the same future situation!
Hi Ben,
Thanks a lot for your patient answers, they reallt help!
I have a stupid question: I am jobless since april,1st after 6 years at the Commission, I have done the paperwork for the unemployment benefits, registered with the job centre and so on.
Thing is, because of a misunderstanding I still do not have the letter from job centre refusing me the national benefits, which I need to submit to PMO in may to get the unemplyment money for april.
My question: is there a time limit for applying for the benefits for one month? In other words, if I sent all papers for the month of april in June do I still get the money?
Thanks a lot!
Hi!
First of all, congrats on 2 years of have a leisure time. Spend at least a few months to recuperate and do something fun!
To business –
According to general administrative law principles, you cannot be held liable for the mismanagement of a government institution. In case you experience a delay in receiving the benefit, you should get the delayed benefit with the next monthly allowance payment.
However, what I would do is to send a formal letter to your national unemployment office ASAP informing them that you need the ‘refusal’ letter immediatelly. Do this to show that indeed it’s them and not you who didn’t obey the deadlines.
I’m lately hearing about cases where the PMO acts in a very uninterested and very bureaucratic manner at the expense of former staff of EU institutions. Because of this, try to do everything by the book and document every smallest problem in the process so you’re able to legally prove it later in case something goes wrong.
I think the rules haven’t changed and you should be entitled to the unemployment allowance alrady in May if your contract ended on 1st of April.
Hi again and thanks for your prompt reply,
I went to the job centre this morning and they claim filling the proper form (EC-EFTS I think) stating i am not entitled to any benefit from them should be enough.
I will call PMO tomorrow first thing and ask, and if they insist on the latttere of refusal I will follow your advice, but I hope the PMO will understand – let’s say I hope..
Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Alessandro
Hi, thank you for the article. Very interesting. Do you know if receiving the unemployment benefits affects your tax residence? I mean after the end of your contract your tax residence should be the one in which you are living despite the fact you are getting the EC unemployment allowance or you keep the established at the moment of your recruitment?
You decide your own tax residence. Receiving of the EU institutions unemployment allowance is not linked to this. What matters is that PMO asks you get secure a monthly certificate from an unemployment agency, preferably, in one of EU member states. You should choose a country where you can obtain the certificate.