2026 unemployment benefit guide: eligibility conditions, the formula based on the ISR and on seniority, the 10% CASS withholding, the 6/9/12-month duration and the file documents.
Translated from Romanian. This article covers Romanian labour and tax law; the Romanian version is canonical and is updated first.
When an employee leaves the company, their first question is often whether they are entitled to unemployment benefit and how much they would receive. The answer depends on their seniority, on the reason for the termination and on the value of a reference indicator. For the employer, the subject matters because the documents you issue on departure decide whether the former employee can open their claim. Here are the rules for 2026.
To receive unemployment benefit, the following must be met cumulatively:
The reason for the termination is essential: dismissal for reasons not attributable to the employee gives entitlement to unemployment benefit; resignation or disciplinary dismissal, as a rule, does not.
The amount of the benefit is related to the social reference indicator (indicatorul social de referință — ISR). In 2026 the ISR is 660 lei — a value frozen at its 2025 level by the fiscal-budgetary measures, with no indexation for inflation. That means a basic benefit of 495 lei gross (75% of the ISR), of which, after the 10% CASS withholding, 445.50 lei net remain for those with no seniority component. The ISR may be updated through legislation — check the value in force at the date the claim is opened.
The benefit has a fixed component and a variable one, depending on seniority:
The greater the length of service, the more substantial the percentage added on top of the base of 75% of the ISR.
Since the 2025 reform (Legea 141/2025), CASS of 10% is withheld from the unemployment benefit. In practice, the person receiving benefit contributes to health insurance out of the benefit, and the net amount received is lower than the gross amount set. The withholding is made at source, by the paying agency.
The duration of payment depends on the contribution record:
Graduates looking for their first job have a special regime and a longer registration deadline.
The claim file is submitted to AJOFM and includes, as a rule: the identity document, the documents terminating the employment relationship (the termination decision), the seniority and income certificates issued by the employer, and the education documents. The registration deadline matters — missing it can shorten the payment period. Graduates have an additional deadline (around 60 days) for registration.
The former employee cannot open their claim without the correct documents from the company. The seniority and income certificates, as well as the termination decision, must be issued on time and with accurate data — otherwise the claim stalls, and in the employee’s perception the responsibility lies with the employer.
On termination of the contract, Workly generates the seniority and income certificates and the termination decision from the time-tracking and payroll data, with figures consistent with what was reported in REGES (the General Register of Employee Records) and with the bases in the payroll export. That way the former employee leaves with the full set of documents for the unemployment claim, and the company avoids repeated requests and manual reconstructions. For questions such as “what contribution record do I need” or “what documents do I need”, the internal assistant Modi answers deterministically, on the basis of the configured rules — without inventing figures.
Informational article, accurate at the date of publication. Not legal advice. The value of the ISR, the formula and the duration of unemployment benefit may change through legislation — always check the framework in force at source (ANOFM/AJOFM, the Official Gazette) or consult a specialist before taking a decision.
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