Terminating a contract does not always mean power sign up for unemployment immediately. The State Public Employment Service (SEPE) has recalled that those who still have paid vacation without taking they must wait until that period ends before requesting the benefit. Even if the contract has ended, those vacation days count as quoted time. During that period, The company continues to pay the corresponding contribution to Social Security, so the worker is still registered and is not yet officially in a “legal unemployment situation.”
Only when that stretch of vacation ends not enjoyed, which are usually paid in the settlement, the process can be started. From that moment on, the interested party you have 15 business days to request the contributory benefit, either through the electronic office or at a SEPE office, prior registration as a job seeker in the corresponding regional service.
🔷 Can you request your benefit if you have vacation days to enjoy?
🔶 You cannot request your benefit because you are not yet in a ‘legal unemployment situation’.
📅 Then you will have 15 business days to process.
🔵 Request with PRE-REQUEST 👉 https://t.co/GFjCvG2pFI pic.twitter.com/XiVtFEv64f
— SEPE (@empleo_SEPE) September 30, 2025
The same goes for a medical leave.
The same criterion applies to those who are in go down for inability temporary either maternity or paternity leave when your contract ends. In these cases, the right to unemployment is not activated until the leave ends. Meanwhile, the person continues to receive the temporary or birth disability benefit, managed by the National Social Security Institute (INSS).
When the medical discharge arrives, the worker can go to receive unemployment benefitsas long as it meets the usual requirements. If the leave was due to a common illness, the time elapsed between the end of the contract and discharge is deducted from unemployment. On the other hand, if it was due to a work accident or occupational disease, that period is not subtracted, and the SEPE contributes for it.
