Losing your job can become an emotional roller coaster. Especially when we see how that stability that we had achieved suddenly falters. And now that? Should I reorient my professional career? Added to the uncertainty about our future is the stress of dealing with the entire unemployment benefits process. The good news is that we can emerge stronger from this situation. Here we tell you everything you need to know about unemployment benefits so that this stage does not become so difficult for you and allow you to continue moving forward.
First things first, from the moment you lose your job, you have a period of 15 business days to communicate your status as unemployed. If you have vacation days left, the period will begin to count once you have used them up. You can communicate it in person at the SEPE offices in your autonomous community or through their website.
Once registered, remember that you will have to periodically renew your application until you find a new job. You can do it in person at one of the offices where you registered or online.
Requirements to be a beneficiary of unemployment
To receive unemployment benefits, there are a series of conditions that you must meet.
- Having lost your job involuntarily. For example, due to dismissal, the end of a temporary contract, or due to an employment regulation file (permanent, such as the ERE, or temporary, known as ERTE).
2. Be registered as a job seeker and sign the activity commitment. That is, accept jobs that may be offered to you and be active in your job search.
3. Have worked at least 360 days in the last 6 years. This is pretty straight forward. If you have been employed for 2 months per year for the last 6 years, you qualify.
How much is the benefit? How long does it last?
To plan the financial resources that you will have in the coming months, it is essential to know the monthly amount of your benefit, as well as the time that you will be able to enjoy it.
As for the amount, it will depend on the amount for which you have been contributing. The regulatory base of your benefit will be the result of taking the average of the bases for which you have contributed during the last 180 days. You can check the minimum and maximum amounts of the benefit, as well as its variations. Once such variation is if you have children in your care. If you prefer to know more exactly the amount that corresponds to you, you can access the unemployment benefit self-calculation service to find out.
To get an idea of how long you will be able to receive benefits, you must look at the number of days you have paid contributions during the last 6 years. To give you an idea, for every 6 months worked, the benefit increases by 2 months. To know exactly the days that correspond to you, you can consult the scale that is applied to determine the duration of your benefit.
What other benefits does unemployment benefit contain?
Beyond receiving your unemployment benefit, being registered as a job seeker also gives you the following benefits:
Training courses aimed especially at young people, so that they can access free-of-charge programs that allow them to obtain professional certificates.
Being part of a job board as a job seeker, you have access to a space in which a series of job offers are registered, to expand your opportunities to find a new job.
Career guidance. You also have the right to receive advice from professionals to help you guide your career.
If you have lost your job for other reasons
If you are unemployed for other reasons, such as, for example, dismissal or the end of your contract, the first step will be to make an appointment through the SEPE website. It is important to keep in mind that you should not go to the office on the appointment date indicated, but rather you should simply wait until a SEPE manager contacts you.
Whether you have been looking for a new job for some time, or if you are experiencing this situation for the first time, and although the situation may seem somewhat discouraging, do not let yourself be discouraged and think that it is still possible to take advantage of this stage. Try to relativize and think of this period as what will most likely end up being a transitional stage from which you will also have learned something.
