What do we need to know about the right to cash unemployment benefit?

The right to cash unemployment benefit shall be paid to persons to whom social security contributions have been paid or payable to the Unemployment Fund at least 12 months in the last 18 months prior to termination of the insurance and who:

  1. have registered as unemployed at the Employment Agency;
  2. have not acquired the right to a retirement pension for length of insurable service in the Republic of Bulgaria or an old-age pension in another country or do not receive a retirement pension for length of insurable service and age under a reduced amount under Article 68a or professional pension under Article 168 of the Social Security Code (CSC);
  3. they do not exercise work activity for which they are subject to compulsory insurance under the Social Security Code or under the legislation of another state, except for the persons under Article 114a, paragraph 1 of the Labor Code (concluded an employment contract for short-term seasonal agricultural work for one day).

In order to acquire the right to cash benefit, it is also considered the time of:

  • paid and unpaid parental leave;
  • paid and unpaid leaves for temporary incapacity for work and for pregnancy and childbirth as well as the adoption leave for a child up to the age of 5;
  • unpaid leave up to 30 working days in one calendar year;
  • a period of insurable length of service under the legislation of another country on the basis of an international treaty to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party or of the European regulations for the coordination of social security systems.
What documents are needed to assess the right to cash unemployment benefit?

The cash unemployment benefit under Article 54a, pargraph. 1 of the Social Security Code shall be granted on the basis of a template application in accordance with Annex № 1 to the Regulation on granting and payment of cash unemployment benefits to which shall be attached:

  • identity document (for reference);
  • act of termination of the work (legal) relations (fore reference);
  • documents certifying insurable length of service, based on an international social security treaty to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party.

If a document certifying insurable length of service and/or income under the legislation of a country to which the European social security regulations apply, it is necessary to clarify the insurable length of service and/or income until the reply from the competent institution of the other country, the assessment of the right and determination of the amount of the cash unemployment benefit shall be made on the basis of the available regular documents and the data under Article 5, paragraph 4, item 1 from the Social Security Code.

The application-declaration in accordance with Annex 1 shall be submitted personally by the person in a chosen by him territorial division of the National Social Security Institute by electronic means by using a qualified electronic signature or a personal identification code of the sender issued by the National Social Security Institute.

The financial unemploymen benefit, acquired under the terms of Article 230 and 231 of the Law on Defense and Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria shall be granted on the basis of a application-declaration - Annex No. 3 to the Regulation on granting and payment of cash unemployment benefits to which shall be attached:

  • identity document (for reference);
  • original (for reference) and copy of the act of termination of the work (legal) relations;
  • certificate of the commander (chief) of the military formation to which the soldier has been transferred to, the date of transfer and/or the time of participation in an international operation (mission).

The application-declaration - Annex shall be submitted personally by the person in a chosen by him territorial division of the National Social Security Institute.

If an application is received with irregular or missing documents, the territorial division of National Social Security Institute shall notify the person within 7 days of receipt of the application, giving him the necessary instructions for correcting the irregularities. The notification shall be made through a licensed postal operator with a return receipt at a specified exact address or electronically to a specified electronic address. Notifications may also be made by telephone, which shall be certified by a signature of the official who performed it.

On the basis of which data the unemployment benefits are granted and calculated?

The granting, calculation, modification, refusal, suspension, termination, resumption and reimbursement of cash unemployment benefits are made on the basis of the data on the social security income, the social security contributions for the state public insurance, the days of insurance of the insured persons, which the insurers, the social security cash desks and employers periodically submit to the National Revenue Agency and the data, declared in the documents submitted by the persons for granting the cash benefits.

What are the time limits for payment of the cash unemployment benefit?

It is paid from the date of the last termination of the social security if:

  • the application was filed at a Territorial Unit of the NSSI within three months from that date;
  • the person has registered as unemployed at the Employment Agency within 7 working days of that date.

If the application is filed for unjustified reasons after the expiration of the three-month period, the cash benefit is paid from the date of the application for the specified period less the delay.

If the application is filed within 3 months, and the person's registration as unemployed at the Employment Agency is made after the expiry of the 7-day working day for unjustified reasons, the financial benefit is paid from the date of registration for the specified period less the delay.

What is the amount of the cash unemployment benefit?

The daily cash unemployment benefit amounts to 60 per cent of the average daily wage or average daily social security income on which social security contributions have been paid or payable to the Unemployment Fund for the last 24 calendar months preceding the month of termination of the social security and can not be less than the minimum and bigger than the maximum daily amount of the unemployment benefit.

The monthly amount of the cash unemployment benefit is determined by multiplying the number of working days in the month to which it relates by the above daily rate.

The minimum and maximum daily amount of the unemployment benefit is determined annually by the State Social Security Budget Act. For 2019 the daily minimum amount of the unemployment benefit is BGN 9 and the daily maximum amount - BGN 74.

Unemployed persons whose legal relations have been terminated at their request or with their consent or due to their guilty conduct, on the grounds of Art. 325, items 1 and 2, Art. 326, 330 and 331 of the Labor Code, Art. 103, para. 1, items 1, 2 and 5, Art. 105, Art. 107, para. 1, items 1-4 and Art. 107a of the Civil Servant Act, Art. 162, items 1 and 6, Art. 163 and Art. 165, item 2 and 3 of the Law on Defense and Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria, Art. 226, para. 1, item 4, 6, 8 and 16 of the Law on the Ministry of Interior, Art. 101, para. 1, item 5, 7 and 9 of the State Agency for Intelligence Act and Art. 165, para. 1, items 2, 3 and 5 and Art. 271, items 2, 3 and 5 of the Judicial System Act or other laws, receive the minimum amount of unemployment benefit for a period of 4 months (Article 54b (3) of the Social Security Codе). From January 1, 2018 within the scope of the aforementioned par. 3 of Art. 54b of the Social Security Code also fall the persons whose legal relations have been terminated on the grounds of Art. 331 of the Labor Code and Article 107a of the of the Civil Servants Act.

Unemployed persons who have acquired the right to cash unemployment benefit before the expiration of three years from the previous exercise of the right to such benefit receive the minimum amount of the benefit for a period of 4 months.

The persons employed part-time within t he period for payment of the cash benefit and receiving less than the minimum salary established for the country, receive unemployment benefit in the amount of 50 per cent of their cash benefitfor the remaining period of the repayment.

Where, during the period of 24 calendar months from which the average daily remuneration or average daily insurance income is determined, time is taken into account which is considered for the length of insurable service without the payment of social security contributions or during which the person is not insured for unemployment, during determination of the social security income shall be taken respectively:

  • for the time of paid and unpaid parental leave unpaid leave for temporary incapacity for work and for pregnancy and childbirth and unpaid leave of up to 30 working days in one calendar year - the average daily minimum salary established for the country for the relevant period;
  • for the period of paid leave for temporary incapacity for work and for pregnancy and childbirth, as well as leave for adoption of a child up to the age of 5 - the income from which the cash compensation is determined according to the legal relations under which the person is insured for unemployment;
  • for the period considered as a length of insurable service under the legislation of another country on the basis of an international treaty to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party - the average daily minimum wage established for the country for the relevant period;
  • for the period during which the person is not insured for unemployment - the average daily minimum salary established for the country for the respective period.
What are the time limits for the payment of cash unemployment benefits?

Cash benefits for unemployment are paid for a period,determined according to the duration of the length of insurable service, during which the persons were insured for unemployment for the period after 31 December 2001. The time limit for payment of the unemployment benefit, granted on the ground of Art. 54a of the Social Security Codе is between 4 and 12 months (see the table on the right)

Length of insurable service with unemployment insurance for the period after 31 December 2001 (years) Time limit for compensation payment (months)
up to 3 years 4
from 3 years and 1 day to 7 years 6
from 7 years and 1 day to 11 years 8
from 11 years and 1 day to 15 years 10
over 15 years 12 12
How to pay cash unemployment benefits?

Cash unemployment benefits are paid to the entitled persons to their declared personal payment or saving indefinite bank account, monthly in the month following that for which they are due.
Upon change of the bank account within 7 business days, the person shall submit a new declaration according to the model in Annex 5 of the Regulation on granting and payment of cash benefits for unemployment.

When is the payment of cash unemployment benefits suspended?

The payment of the cash unemployment benefit shall be suspended for the period during which the person receives a temporary incapacity for work benefit or unemployment benefit on the basis of a statutory instrument.
The unemployed person is obliged to declare before the respective territorial division of the National Social Security Institute the occurrence and dropout of these circumstances within 7 working days.
Payment is resumed from the date of dropping out the reason for suspension for the remaining period as of the date of suspension.

The official who is entrusted with the management of the unemployment insurance or another official designated by the Head of the territorial division of the National Social Security Institute shall suspend by disposition the procedure for granting or paying the unemployment benefit when there are data that may lead to the issuance of an order for refusal or termination of the payment of compensation and/or a clarification of insurance period and/or insurance income is necessary in application of the provisions of an international treaty to which the Republic of Bulgaria is a party or of the European regulations on the coordination of social security systems.

In which cases does the payment of unemployment benefits terminate?

The payment of the cash unemployment benefit is terminated at:

  1. commencement of employment for which the person is subject to mandatory insurance under the Social Insurance Code or the legislation of another state, except for the persons under Art. 114a, para. 1 of the Labor Code (concluded an employment contract for short-term seasonal agricultural work for one day);
  2. termination of registration by the Employment Agency;
  3. acquisition of the right to a retirement pension for insurance period in the Republic of Bulgaria or an old-age pension in another country or to the granting of a pension for insurance period and old age under a reduced amount under Art. 68a or a professional pension under Art. 168 of the Social Insurance Code;
  4. death of the unemployed.

The person is obliged to declare to the Territorial Division of NSSI the occurrence of the circumstances under the above items 1, 2 and 3 within 7 working days.
If, at the time of receipt of the cash benefit, the person starts to exercise l activity - a reason for mandatory insurance under Art. 4 of the Social Insurance Code or work under the legislation of another state which is terminated after less than 12 months, the payment of the cash benefit shall be reimbursed for the remaining period at the date of the termination period, if the registration of the person at the Employment Agency is made within the time limit of 7 working days from termination of employment. If the registration is made after this period for unjustified reasons, the payment of the cash benefit shall be reimbursed from the date of the new registration for the remaining period as of the date of termination less the delay.

Is a cash unemployment benefit reimbursed in good faith?

Paid cash unemployment benefits are reimbursed by the persons for the period of compensation received for the purpose of remaining unemployed due to unlawful dismissal determined by a statutory instrument.
Within 7 days from the payment of the compensation for the loss of work due to unlawful dismissal the insurer is obliged to submit copies of the court decision and payment documents in the respective territorial division of the National Social Security Institute.
Paid cash unemployment benefits are reimbursed by the persons for the period for which they have been granted a retirement pension for length of insurable service and age in the Republic of Bulgaria, or an old-age pension in another country, a retirement pension for length of insurable service and age at a reduced amount under Art. 68a or professional pension under Art. 168 and for the period during which they have received cash benefit for temporary incapacity for work, pregnancy and childbirth or unemployment compensation, determined according to a normative act.
For reimbursement of the paid unemployment benefits, the official assigned to the management of the unemployment insurance in the Territorial Division of the National Social Security Institute or another official appointed by the Head of the division, shall issue an order subject to forced enforcement under the Tax-Insurance Procedure Code.

What is the order for granting, paying, modifying, suspending and terminating cash unemployment benefits?

Unemployment cash benefits are granted, modified, refused, suspended, terminated, resumed and reimbursed by an order of the official who has been assigned to the management of the unemployment insurance or another official appointed by the Head of the territorial division of the National Social Security Institute. The official shall pronounce himself within 14 days of the submission of the application or from the occurrence of the relevant circumstances.
The order in force may be amended or canceled by the authority which has issued it when:

  • new documents or evidences relevant to determining the right, amount and period of the cash unemployment benefit have been submitted;
  • the cash unemployment benefit is improperly granted or its granting has been wrongly refused.

For more information, use the appropriate sections in the website of the National Social Security Institute (www.nssi.bg), or contact the relevant local office of the Institute. 

Last update: 10.06.2019