The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) has clarified that beneficiaries of unemployment benefits who suffer a temporary incapacity do not see their aid amount modified. During the first 180 days, 70% of the regulatory base is maintained, and from day 181, it drops to 60%, without changes due to the leave.
The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) has dispelled one of the most common doubts among the unemployed: what happens to unemployment benefits if I fall ill and go on leave? The answer is clear: the benefit is neither reduced nor interrupted while the temporary incapacity lasts, provided the beneficiary was already receiving unemployment benefits before the leave.
The amount of unemployment benefits remains unchanged
According to SEPE, during the first 180 days of unemployment, 70% of the regulatory base is received, a percentage that drops to 60% from day 181. This amount remains unchanged even if the beneficiary is on sick leave due to illness or accident. The agency also continues to contribute to Social Security on behalf of the unemployed person, which protects future rights such as retirement.
The medical diagnosis does not interrupt or modify the amount of the benefit, SEPE sources emphasize. That is to say, the unemployed person continues to receive exactly the same amount as if they were actively seeking employment.
No obligation to renew the job search
While the temporary incapacity lasts, the beneficiary does not have to renew their job search or attend courses or job interviews, procedures that are normally mandatory to demonstrate that they are actively seeking work and to maintain their right to unemployment benefits. Medical leave temporarily exempts them from these obligations without affecting the receipt of the benefit.
However, the duration of the subsidy continues to be consumed at the usual rate: the leave does not extend or freeze the remaining unemployment time for the beneficiary; it only frees them from the associated job search procedures.
What happens if unemployment benefits run out and the leave continues
If the contributory benefit runs out while the person is still on leave, SEPE distinguishes whether the temporary incapacity is a relapse from a previous leave that started during a work contract. If it is not a relapse, upon exhausting the unemployment benefit, the beneficiary stops receiving it and starts receiving, through the INSS, 80% of the IPREM.
If it is a relapse from a previous temporary incapacity that had already begun while the worker was active, the beneficiary continues to receive the same amount as their unemployment benefit until they are medically cleared, without the reduction to 80% of the IPREM being applied.
“The medical diagnosis does not interrupt or modify the amount of the benefit,” the agency states.
A different scenario: leave starts while still active
It is important not to confuse the previous case — that of someone who is already receiving unemployment benefits and falls into temporary incapacity — with that of someone who is on leave while still working and whose contract ends or is terminated during that leave. In that second scenario, SEPE does apply a different criterion depending on the origin of the incapacity.
For common contingencies (common illness or non-work-related accident), the leave time after cessation is deducted from the recognized unemployment period, although SEPE pays the corresponding contributions for that period. For professional contingencies (work accident or occupational disease), that time is not deducted from the unemployment period, although SEPE does not contribute for it.
Overall, SEPE's confirmation clears up one of the most frequent doubts among those who combine a situation of unemployment with a health problem: as long as the contributory benefit is in effect, neither the amount nor the duration is adversely affected by medical leave. Nevertheless, it is advisable for each beneficiary to check with their employment office regarding their exact situation — whether they were already unemployed when they went on leave or if the leave was from a previous contract — as this determines which agency (SEPE or INSS) will pay them the benefit once the unemployment runs out.
You may also like
