Can I get money from the wage guarantee if my employer goes bankrupt?
All employees, regardless of employment form, are covered by the state wage guarantee. You can receive compensation even as a CEO.To be entitled to the wage guarantee, you must be available to the labor market. Unionen's recommendation is that you register as unemployed with the Employment Service.
- How much can I get?
The maximum amount you can receive is four price base amounts, which means 235,200 kronor at the 2025 level.
You can never receive more than this, regardless of how high your salary has been.
The wage guarantee applies to wages earned three months back from the date of the bankruptcy application.
The guarantee also applies to the time between the bankruptcy application and the bankruptcy, as well as during the notice period. You can only receive money for a maximum of eight months, but the length depends on how much you earn. Many Unionen members have salaries that hit the ceiling and cannot receive money for the entire period. For example, someone earning 45,000 kronor a month can only receive wage guarantee for just over five months.
- When will I get the money?
Generally, it often takes between one and six months. How quickly you can receive money depends on several factors, such as how complicated the bankruptcy is and how cooperative the company is with the bankruptcy trustee. The bankruptcy trustee must determine the amounts to be paid out.
- What should I do myself?
If you do not receive your salary, it is important to contact your union as soon as possible. You should also ask the employer why the salary has not been paid.
Do not wait to contact the union to be nice to the employer or because they say they will turn the downturn around. Unionen's firm belief is that employees must act quickly.
- What happens to my vacation?
For vacation, the three-month rule does not apply, and you can go further back in time.
You can get paid for the days you have earned during the current earning year, remaining days from the previous earning year, and the days you were entitled to save from the year before last according to the vacation law. For example, if you had 25 vacation days in 2023 and chose to save five, you can get paid for them.
This is a translation of an article originally written in Swedish. For the Swedish version, please see the link below.
