Membership requirements

You must be under the age of 68 and in paid employment at the time of joining the Unemployment Fund. You cannot start your membership while unemployed, on a full-time layoff, on parental leave, peforming military service or on unpaid sick leave. If you are working part-time, your joining date must be a working day.

You may only be a member of one unemployment fund at the same time. If you join a new unemployment fund within one month after leaving your previous fund, the employment and membership periods you have accumulated will be transferred with you. This requires that your membership fees to the previous fund have been paid in full up to the date of your resignation.

You cannot join the Unemployment Fund if you are self-employed. You can be considered to be self-employed if you are employed in your own company or in the company of a family member or a person living in the same household of which you own a sufficiently large share. If you work in a company owned by a family member without having a personal ownership of the company, you can apply for unemployment fund membership as a paid employee.

Part-time entrepreneurship does not prevent membership in the Unemployment Fund. You can read more about part-time entrepreneurship here.

Please note that if you are under 18 years old or receiving old-age pension, unemployment fund membership is not beneficial for you. Old-age pension disqualifies you from receiving unemployment benefit and work performed when you are under 18 years old does not accumulate the work requirement that entitles you to earnings-related allowance (because no unemployment insurance is deducted from work made by minors).

Paying the membership fees

The amount of the membership fee is equal to all members. Fees must be paid in full even when you are unemployed, a student, on sick leave, parental leave or child care leave or performing military service.

In 2026, the membership fee is 84 euros and it must be paid in one instalment. If you become a member in the middle of the year, the membership fee is determined by the remaining months (7 € / month), and the due date for the invoice is the 16th day of the month following the start of your membership.

Your membership is valid as long as you pay the membership fees by the due dates found on the invoices. Unpaid fees may lead to the termination of your membership.

When joining or leaving the Unemployment Fund in the middle of a calendar month, the membership fee will be charged for the entire month. If you end your membership in the middle of the year, you can request a refund for any calendar months during which you have not been a member.

If you are already a member of the PAM Union, your membership fee for the Unemployment Fund is included in the union membership fee.