Estonian unemployment insurance benefit capped at €1,446 in 2018
As of Jan. 1, 2018, the effective maximum size of the monthly unemployment insurance benefit in Estonia is capped at €1,446.15, up from €1,347.57 last year, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF) said on Wednesday.
The minimum size of the payout this year is €242.73 per 31 calendar days, while the minimum daily rate is €7.87.
In 2017, in comparison, the minimum monthly payout was €222.27 per 31 calendar days, while the minimum daily rate was €7.17.
The basis for calculating the ceiling is three times the average daily rate in Estonia, which for this year is €31.10. The indicator is calculated by the EUIF on the basis of unemployment insurance payments made during the past year.
Under law, the size of the unemployment insurance benefit during the first 100 days of payment is 50 percent, and after that 40 percent, of the insured person's average pay per calendar day during the nine months of employment prior to the last three months of employment from which unemployment insurance premiums have been withheld.
This year's payout caps are €46.65 per day during the first 100 days of payment and €37.32 per day after that.
The number of persons covered by unemployment insurance in Estonia totaled 617,297 in 2017, up 9,200 compared to 2016.
Beginning Jan. 1, the size of the unemployment allowance was increased from €4.86 per day in 2017 to €5.31 per day. The new size of the allowance for 31 days is €164.61.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS