How much unemployment benefits will I receive?

Calculation of unemployment benefits

Unemployment benefit is calculated on the basis of your income subject to OASI for the last 6 or 12 months in which you received a wage or earned income.

The income subject to OASI is called «insured earnings». Earnings are insured with unemployment insurance if they reach an average of CHF 500 per month.

Amount of unemployment benefits

As a general rule, you receive 70% of the insured earnings as unemployment benefit.

In the following cases, you receive 80% of the insured earnings:

• You have to support children, or
• Your insured earnings are less than CHF 3797 per month, or
• You receive a disability pension (IV degree of at least 40%).

Different monthly amounts

Unemployment benefit is paid in the form of «daily allowances». Five daily allowances are paid per calendar week, and one daily allowance is paid for each working day. Because not every month has the same number of working days, the unemployment benefit is not exactly the same every month.

The total amount of daily benefits you can receive depends on your contribution period, your age, and other conditions. You can find out more under «How long will I receive unemployment benefits?».