Unemployment benefits are no longer always suspended when a person finds work. With the reform introduced in the General Social Security Law, people who access the subsidy by maintaining one or more part-time contracts, as well as those who are already receiving it and starting full-time or part-time employment, begin to make it compatible as a complement to employment support.
The General Law of Social Security explains in its article 282.3 (can be consulted at this link) that the SEPE can continue paying part of the subsidy even if the beneficiary starts working. Even so, this compatibility has a consequence and that is that the days on which this supplement is collected are deducted from the total duration of the subsidy. The rule makes it clear by indicating that “as many days of the duration of the subsidy will be consumed as the days received as an employment support supplement.”
The law includes a table with the amounts depending on the quarter in which the subsidy is found and the working hours of the new job. To understand it better, the more advanced the subsidy is and the shorter the working hours, the lower the amount of the supplement. The scale looks like this:
- In the first quarter, the supplement is 80% of the IPREM (€480) if the employment is full-time, 75% (€450) if the part-time employment is equal to or greater than 75%, 70% (€420) if it is between 50% and 75%, and 60% (€360) if it is less.
- at 50%.
- In the second quarter, it goes to 60% (€360), 50% (€300), 45% (€270) and 40% (€240) of the IPREM, respectively.
- In the third quarter, it drops to 40% (€240), 35% (€210), 30% (€180) and 25% (€150).
- In the fourth quarter, it remains at 30% (€180), 25% (€150), 20% (€120) and 15% (€90).
- In the fifth and subsequent quarters, it is reduced to 20% (€120), 15% (€90), 10% (€60) and 5% (€30) of the IPREM.
In this way, a person can continue receiving the subsidy while working, but this advantage does not imply that they keep the aid intact for later. If, for example, you combine 90 days of work with the subsidy, you will also have consumed 90 days of the recognized duration.
The add-on can be charged for a maximum of 180 days
The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) explains on his website The employment support supplement has a maximum duration of 180 days, which can be enjoyed in one or more compatibility periods, always with the limit of the days remaining to be collected from the subsidy. When this limit is reached, the subsidy is suspended if it has not yet been exhausted, or extinguished if it has already been completely consumed.
The SEPE also informs that, if the contract that gave rise to this compatibility is terminated or suspended, the beneficiary must notify it within a period of fifteen business days. From there, the subsidy may be resumed if legal unemployment status, registration as a claimant and compliance with income or family responsibilities requirements, if applicable, are proven.
Therefore, the SEPE can continue paying the subsidy even if you start working, but that time is not saved. As with other unemployment rules, compatibility has fine print, and in this case it involves assuming that each day collected as a supplement is one day less of available subsidy.