Do the self-employed have the right to unemployment?

2023-10-11 02:31:37

Millions of people in our country inevitably join the unemployment line and, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, getting out of this unemployment situation is not an easy task. Therefore, in the face of this arduous scenario, the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) offers a series of financial aid to protect those workers who are unemployed, such as the contributory unemployment benefit.

The contributory benefit “protects the unemployment situation of those who are able and willing to work, lose their job temporarily or permanently or see their ordinary working hours temporarily reduced between a minimum of 10% and 70%,” as they explain. from the SEPE website.

But do the self-employed have the right to unemployment? Self-employed workers have a specific protection system for cessation of activity. This benefit “is part of the protective action of the Social Security system, is mandatory and aims to provide self-employed or self-employed workers (…) with the benefits and measures established in this law in response to the situation. of cessation of the activity that caused the registration in the special regime, despite being able and willing to exercise an economic or professional activity for profit”, as established in article 327 of Royal Legislative Decree 8/2015, of October 30.

All self-employed workers will contribute 0.9% proportionally to their base in 2023 for the cessation of activity benefit. “For example, of a contribution base of 950.98 euros, 8.55 euros are allocated to cessation of activity,” they explain from the National Federation of Self-Employed Workers Associations (ATA). Those 8.55 euros will give access to a “self-employed unemployment benefit” of up to two years. For twelve months of contributions in this concept, 4 months of benefits are received. For the maximum of two years, you must have contributed for cessation of activity for more than 48 months:

Between 12 and 17 months of contributions, a benefit of 4 months is established, the minimum collection period. Between 18 and 23 months of contributions, 6 months of contributions are obtained. Between 24 and 29 months of contributions, the worker has 8 months of benefit. Between 30 and For 35 months of contributions, 10 months of contributions are established. Between 36 and 42 months of contributions, there are 12 months of contributions. Between 43 and 47 months of contributions, the self-employed person has 16 months of benefits. For 48 months of contributions or more, the maximum collection period, 24 months of benefits are obtained.

Amount of benefit

The amount of the benefit for cessation of activity for self-employed workers is 70% of the regulatory base. This is calculated from the average of the bases for which the self-employed person would have contributed during the 12 continuous months prior to the legal situation of cessation of economic activity.

The maximum amount of the benefit will be 175% of the Public Indicator of Multiple Effects Income (IPREM), although this may exceed said percentage, up to reaching 200% or 225% when the self-employed worker has one or more dependent children. .

On the other hand, the minimum amount will be 107% or 80% of the IPREM, also depending on whether the self-employed worker has dependent children or not. The minimum amount will not be applied to self-employed workers who contribute for a base less than the minimum.