Information for entrepreneurs

Full-time entrepreneurs cannot join Aaria Unemployment Fund. If you run a business full-time, you can protect yourself against unemployment by joining the Entrepreneur Fund. For more information on, for example, the Unemployment Allowances Act’s definition of ‘entrepreneur’, see Entrepreneurship.

Running a business part-time is not an obstacle to joining or belonging to a wage-earners’ unemployment fund. You can be classed as a part-time entrepreneur if, for example, you work full-time and run a business on the side. Family members of entrepreneurs can also join Aaria Unemployment Fund as long as they have no ownership in the business themselves.

If you start running a business full-time

If you start a business, you can join the Entrepreneur Fund. The time you accumulated towards the membership requirement with your previous unemployment fund can be transferred to your new unemployment fund if the gap between the two memberships is no longer than one month.

If you are a member of Aaria Unemployment Fund and you start running a business full-time, you can stay with us for up to 18 months. This 18-month period is referred to as the employee’s post-protection. If you close your business and you become unemployed during the post-protection period, you can apply for earnings-related allowance from us based on your income from employment before you started your business, you will still be deemed to satisfy the employment requirement based on work that you performed before you started your business.

If you are still in business after the first 18 months, you will no longer satisfy the employment requirement based on having been a wage-earner and can no longer be a member of Aaria Unemployment Fund. Your business only counts towards the employment requirement if you are a member of the Entrepreneur Fund.

Wage-earner’s post protection

If you you switch from a wage-earner fund to the Entrepreneur Fund, it is possible to retain the right to unemployment allowance based on the earnings of your previous employment without interruption. Your uninterrupted right to unemployment allowance is protected by a period of post-protection of up to 18 months from starting your business activities. You have right to receive unemployment allowance based on the earnings of your previous employment if business activities are terminated within the period of post protection. Entrepreneur Fund pays Post-protection based daily allowance, if you

• have not yet met the entrepreneurs’ work requirement,
• have been working as an entrepreneur for under 18 months,
• have valid wage-earner’s work requirement, and
• have joined the Entrepreneur Fund within one month of resigning from the wage-earner fund.

More information about entrepreneurs’ unemployment security and membership is available from the Entrepreneur Fund’s customer service and website.