• work for at least 18 hours (teach for at least 8 hours), which, if performed during one calendar week, would mean that you meet the work requirement
• engage in entrepreneurial activity and earn at least 23% of the monthly income needed to meet the work requirement for self-employed persons (in 2018 = 241 euros)
• participate in employment promoting services on five days
• participate in other employment promoting services or activities organised by the employment authorities on five days
• participate in other activities promoting recruitment that are organised at a workplace or related to finding employment on five days, for which time unemployment allowance is paid.

The above forms of activity cannot be combined. In other words, you can only show that you are active by meeting one of the above-mentioned requirements. For example, if you have worked part-time for seven hours in the teaching sector and participated in employment promoting services on three days, neither of the forms of activity is met in full.

If you are not sufficiently active, i.e. you do not meet any of the above-mentioned requirements, the benefits paid to you after the period of 65 payment days will be reduced for the following period of 65 payment days. The reduction is 4.65%, which equals roughly one day of earnings-related allowance for each payment period. If your level of activity remains insufficient during the following period of 65 payment days, you will continue to receive reduced allowance. The level of allowance will not, however, be reduced cumulatively; your reduced allowance will not be more than 4.65% lower than normally. 

If you are active during the period of 65 payment days, within the meaning of legislation, you will receive the usual amount of allowance without any reductions for the following period of 65 payment days. 

Activity not required under exceptional circumstances

The following are considered as exceptional circumstances in legislation:

• you have an application for disability pension pending
• you work as a family caregiver
• you receive a welfare benefit granted on the basis of disability or an injury 
• a continuous period of unemployment allowance granted on the basis of a full-time lay-off or shortened working week lasts fewer than 65 payment days.

Under these exceptional circumstances, your level of activity is not monitored. However, monitoring can begin when, for example, a decision is made on your application for disability pension or when a continuous period of lay-off lasts for at least 65 payment days. 

A waiting period of five working days

From 1 January 2018, the entry into force of the activation model will shorten the waiting period applied at the beginning of unemployment to five days from the previous seven days. The waiting period was extended to seven days from 1 January 2017.