Unemployment Benefit under EU Regulations

Overview

Persons who worked in other EU countries prio to their activity in Malta, may claim Unemployment Benefit by registering for work under Part 1 with Jobsplus (Malta’s Employment Agency).

What you’ll get

Unemployment Benefit.

Each social security contribution paid in Malta is equivalent to 1 day of unemployment benefit. This benefit is paid for a maximum of 6 months, although this depends on the person’s total working life.

To claim unemployment benefit, one must first register as a jobseeker with Jobsplus. Moreover, when a claimant does not have enough social security contributions to qualify for unemployment benefit, the Department of Social Security will need to confirm periods of insurance and employment or self-employment in another EU country to be taken into account for the award of unemployment benefits. To hasten this process, a claimant may produce an U1 form to certify the periods of insurance and employment or self-employment in these past 2 years in another EU country. It is advisable that a person requests a U1 document from the country of last insurance before moving to Malta.

The Department of Social Security would also need the FS3s (payee’s final statement of earnings provided by the employer) for the period that the claimant has worked in Malta.

Please click here for a Schedule of Benefits Rates.

You may make use of the online Calculator to calculate the potential Unemployment Benefit.

Eligibility

General eligibility criteria:

• Register for work as a jobseeker under Part 1 of the Jobsplus register (if you resign from your employment you cannot register under Part 1)
• Paid 50 Class 1 or Class 2 social security contributions – at least 1 of which is paid in Malta
• Paid 20 Class 1 or Class 2 social security contributions in the last 2 calendar years before the year you are submitting the claim

How to apply

Once a person starts registering with Jobsplus under Part I of the Unemployment Register, the claim for the payment of Unemployment Benefit is initiated automatically