Unemployment benefits

Losing a job can also be an opportunity. See what your options are.

Description of the service

As a jobseeker, you are entitled to unemployment benefit if you have worked for at least 12 months in the past two years and have taken out pension insurance during that period.

Compensation periods are also included in the relevant period, such as periods when you receive a third-degree invalidity pension, take personal care of a child under 4 years of age or a close relative. A complete overview of these periods can be found on the website of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic.

You are not entitled to unemployment benefits if:

• you have been dismissed in the last 6 months for a particularly serious breach of an employee's employment or other duties;
• you are entitled to a retirement allowance that is higher than unemployment benefit (if the retirement allowance is lower than unemployment benefit, you receive the difference);
• You are engaged in so-called non-conforming employment.

You can perform non-conforming employment while you are registered with the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, but your unemployment benefit is suspended for the duration of your employment. Once the activity has ceased, its disbursement will resume.

It can be a classic employment relationship or work on an agreement on work activity and you can earn a maximum of half of the minimum wage. For 2022, the minimum wage is CZK 20,800, earnings from non-conflicting employment must not exceed CZK 10,400 (gross income). In the case of an agreement to perform work, you cannot be registered as a job seeker at all.

This applies to you if

• you are registered with the Labour Office of the Czech Republic and have obtained a pension insurance period of at least 12 months during the last 2 years by employment, other gainful activity or substitute period of employment,
• you are registered with the Labour Office of the Czech Republic and you are not a beneficiary of an old-age pension.

When you have to deal with it

We recommend dealing with unemployment benefits at the same time as entering the register of jobseekers. 

For more information, see the video on the website of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic. 

What you need for this

• Form Application for employment mediation,
• application form for unemployment benefit,
• pension insurance register,
• certificate of employment (credit sheet),
• proof of other gainful activity,
• confirmation by the employer of the amount of average earnings.

If you are self-employed, then:

• confirmation of the duration of participation in pension insurance and of the basis of assessment for social security contributions and contribution to the state employment policy.

Where and how to deal with it

You can apply for unemployment benefit in person or by post at the relevant contact point of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic, which keeps you in the register of job seekers.

You can also submit an application to the relevant workplace of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic via a data box or by e-mail with an electronic signature. If you need to modify something in the application, the staff will contact you by post, phone or e-mail.

How much you will receive

The amount of unemployment benefit depends on your previous earnings and also on how long you have been registered with the Labour Office of the Czech Republic as an applicant.

• For the first two months, you will receive 65% of your average monthly earnings.
• The third and fourth months are 50% of the average monthly earnings.
• This is 45% of the average monthly earnings.

Unemployment benefits are paid only for a certain period of time. If you are under the age of 50, support will be paid for 5 months. If you are between 50 and 55 years old, you are entitled to 8 months of support. If you are over 55, you are entitled to 11 months of support.