Applying for unemployment benefits for young school-leavers

If, as a resident, you find yourself unemployed after giving up or completing your study programme, you may, under certain conditions, be entitled to full unemployment benefits.

Prerequisites

To be eligible for full unemployment benefits, you must:

• be registered as a jobseeker with the Employment Development Agency (ADEM) and submit a claim for full unemployment benefits;
• be at least 16 and no more than 27 years old;
• be fit for work, available on the labour market and willing to accept any suitable job. Suitability is defined by Grand Ducal regulation and takes into account pay, physical and mental fitness, daily travel time, family situation, working conditions and similar criteria;
• be domiciled in Luxembourg.

You should not, in principle:

• hold the position of manager, director, managing director or person responsible for the day‑to‑day management of a company;
• be the holder of a business permit.

If you hold such a position or permit, you may still receive financial assistance by specifying in your application that you are entitled to it under Article L.521‑18 of the Labour Code (secondary occupation or other income). Any income from this activity above a set threshold will be deducted from your unemployment benefits.

Eligibility for a young person leaving school

The age considered for these conditions is your age on the day you register as a jobseeker.

Important! No benefits will be paid if you give up your job or apprenticeship contract without a valid reason, or if your apprenticeship contract or employment contract is terminated for serious misconduct.

Procedure

After registering with ADEM as a jobseeker and if you meet the eligibility conditions for full unemployment benefits, you will receive a letter inviting you to complete your claim via MyGuichet.lu.

If you do not receive any communication within eight days of registering, or if you need assistance, ADEM’s Contact Centre, available by telephone on (+352) 247‑88888, can answer your questions and guide you to the most appropriate way of completing this formality.

Once your claim has been sent via MyGuichet.lu, a competent officer will assess it and manage your file.

Documents required to submit your application for full unemployment benefits via MyGuichet.lu:

• a bank account identification (RIB) showing your IBAN, the BIC/SWIFT code and the name of the bank; 
• if you have one or more dependent children, proof of family allowance (a copy of a credit advice or a certificate from the Caisse pour l’avenir des enfants) or a copy of the AideFi grant agreement; 
• any documents relating to your last school situation.

Start of payments

If you qualify for full unemployment benefits, payment begins 26 weeks after your registration as a young jobseeker. If you leave your studies partway through the school year, the period taken into account starts at the earliest six months after the end of the school year.

Duration of benefits

The benefit period is normally 365 days. It may be extended as follows:

Amount of benefits

• The benefit is set at 70 % of the social minimum wage. However, if you are 16 or 17 years old, the benefit is set at 40 % of the social minimum wage.
• The rate increases by 5 % if you have one or more children for whom you receive the tax moderation.

End of your right

Your right to unemployment benefits ends:

• when the limits set for the duration of payment are reached;
• when one or more of the granting conditions are no longer fulfilled;
• if you unjustifiably refuse an appropriate job; 
• if you unjustifiably refuse to take part in internships, courses or public‑utility work assigned by ADEM.

Your obligations

To receive your benefits, you must:

• attend the appointments indicated by your ADEM adviser; 
• immediately inform your adviser of any change in your personal situation.

In special circumstances such as illness, a stay abroad, absence for personal reasons, participation in training or the acceptance of part‑time or temporary work, you must inform your adviser, respecting the following conditions:

• in the case of incapacity for work: provide a certificate of incapacity; 
• for a stay abroad or an absence: a leave request must be signed and validated before your departure; 
• when taking up part‑time or temporary work: provide a copy of the contract; 
• when attending training: provide a certificate of enrolment for the training.

If you do not report to ADEM and have no valid excuse, sanctions may be applied, ranging from a loss of entitlement to benefits for seven days to 30 days in the event of repetition, or even removal from the list of benefit recipients.