What seguro-desemprego is
Seguro-desemprego is a cash benefit the government pays to people who lost their job through no fault of their own. It lasts 3 to 5 months and keeps you going while you look for other work.
What the law says
II - seguro-desemprego, em caso de desemprego involuntário;
In English
The Constitution lists the benefit among the rights of every worker. Desemprego involuntário means losing your job without wanting to, by the employer's decision.
It is paid by the Fundo de Amparo ao Trabalhador, the FAT (fund that pays seguro-desemprego and the abono salarial), not by the employer. The employer only has to record your exit correctly so that the claim can go ahead.
Foreign workers with carteira assinada have the same right. They need a CPF (individual taxpayer number in Brazil) and up-to-date residence documents.
Who has the right to seguro-desemprego
What the law says
Terá direito à percepção do seguro-desemprego o trabalhador dispensado sem justa causa que comprove: I - ter recebido salários de pessoa jurídica ou de pessoa física a ela equiparada, relativos a: a) pelo menos 12 (doze) meses nos últimos 18 (dezoito) meses imediatamente anteriores à data de dispensa, quando da primeira solicitação; b) pelo menos 9 (nove) meses nos últimos 12 (doze) meses imediatamente anteriores à data de dispensa, quando da segunda solicitação; e c) cada um dos 6 (seis) meses imediatamente anteriores à data da dispensa, quando das demais solicitações; [...] V - não possuir renda própria de qualquer natureza suficiente à sua manutenção e de sua família.
In English
You have the right if you were dismissed without justa causa (serious misconduct) and worked with carteira assinada for a minimum time. On the first claim, that is 12 months of salary in the 18 months before the dismissal. On the second, 9 months in the last 12. From the third on, the 6 months right before the dismissal. You also must have no other income that supports you and your family.
Rescisão indireta also gives the right. That is when you leave because of a serious fault by the employer, such as paying the salary late. The law treats that exit as dismissal without justa causa.
What the law says
A extinção do contrato por acordo prevista no caput deste artigo não autoriza o ingresso no Programa de Seguro-Desemprego.
In English
If you leave by agreement with the employer, you get no seguro-desemprego. The agreement gives other rights, such as withdrawing part of the FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço, a severance savings fund), but not this one.
People who resign, people dismissed for justa causa and people whose fixed-term contract ends, such as a trial contract, do not get the benefit either.
How many installments you get
The number of installments depends on two things. The first is your months of carteira assinada in the 36 months before the dismissal. The second is which claim this is, the first, the second or a later one.
| Months of carteira in the last 36 | 1st claim | 2nd claim | 3rd claim on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 8 months | No right | No right | 3 installments |
| 9 to 11 months | No right | 3 installments | 3 installments |
| 12 to 23 months | 4 installments | 4 installments | 4 installments |
| 24 months or more | 5 installments | 5 installments | 5 installments |
What the law says
A fração igual ou superior a 15 (quinze) dias de trabalho será havida como mês integral para os efeitos do § 2º.
In English
If the last month had 15 days or more of work, it counts as a full month when counting installments.
Months of carteira can add up different jobs, if they fall within the 36 months and were not used in an earlier claim.
How the installment amount is worked out
What the law says
O valor do benefício será fixado em Bônus do Tesouro Nacional (BTN), devendo ser calculado segundo 3 (três) faixas salariais, observados os seguintes critérios: I - até 300 (trezentos) BTN, multiplicar-se-á o salário médio dos últimos 3 (três) meses pelo fator 0,8 (oito décimos); II - de 300 (trezentos) a 500 (quinhentos) BTN aplicar-se-á, até o limite do inciso anterior, a regra nele contida e, no que exceder, o fator 0,5 (cinco décimos); III - acima de 500 (quinhentos) BTN, o valor do benefício será igual a 340 (trezentos e quarenta) BTN. [...] § 2º O valor do benefício não poderá ser inferior ao valor do salário mínimo.
In English
The installment comes from the average of the last 3 salaries, in three brackets. In the first, it is 80% of the average. In the second, the part of the average above the first bracket counts by half. In the third, it is a fixed amount, the ceiling. No installment is below the minimum wage.
The BTN (old National Treasury bond) was an index used when the law was written and no longer exists. Today the brackets are in reais, in a table the Ministry of Labor updates every year.
The 3 salaries in the average are the 3 months before the dismissal. The gross salary counts, the amount before INSS (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social, Brazil's social security) and income tax.
- Add the last 3 gross salaries before the dismissal and divide by 3.
- If the average is up to R$ 2.222,17, multiply by 0,8.
- If the average is above R$ 2.222,17 and up to R$ 3.703,99, take R$ 2.222,17 off the average. Divide what is left by 2 and add R$ 1.777,74.
- If the average is above R$ 3.703,99, the installment is the ceiling of R$ 2.518,65.
- If the result is below R$ 1.621,00, the installment goes up to the minimum wage.
Benefit for an average of R$ 3.000,00 and 24 months of carteira
- Bracket of the table
- second, up to R$ 3.703,99
- Bracket calculation
- R$ 1.777,74 plus half of R$ 777,83
- Each installment
- R$ 2.166,66
- 5 installments on the first claim
- R$ 10.833,30
The installment stays below the average, because the benefit covers only part of your income.
In the first bracket, when 80% falls below the minimum wage, the installment goes up to R$ 1.621,00. That happens with an average of up to R$ 2.026,25. At the other end, five installments at the ceiling add up to R$ 12.593,25.
How and when to claim seguro-desemprego
What the law says
O seguro-desemprego é direito pessoal e intransferível do trabalhador, podendo ser requerido a partir do sétimo dia subseqüente à rescisão do contrato de trabalho.
In English
Only you can claim and receive your benefit, nobody can claim it for you. The claim opens on the 7th day after the contract ends.
The window to claim runs from the 7th to the 120th day after the dismissal. After that, you lose the right for that dismissal. You claim in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital (digital work card) app, on the gov.br portal or at a Ministry of Labor service desk.
The first installment usually comes about 30 days after the claim, and the others every 30 days.
Common employer mistakes and what to do
- Recording a resignation when the employer did the dismissing.
- Claiming justa causa without a serious fault, just to avoid paying the full rescisão (termination and final settlement).
- Taking too long to close the carteira or to report your exit to the government.
- Reporting lower salaries than the real ones, which lowers the average and the installment.
- Calling it an agreement when you did not want to leave.
In all these cases, the benefit gets stuck or comes out smaller. Keep the rescisão document, your contracheques (pay slips) and any message about the dismissal.
If the claim is denied, the Ministry of Labor service tells you why and accepts an appeal. If the mistake is the employer's, go to the union or the Superintendência Regional do Trabalho (regional labor inspection office). The severance calculator shows the rest of what you are owed.
How many installments of seguro-desemprego do I get?
On the first claim, you get 4 installments with 12 to 23 months of carteira and 5 with 24 months or more. On the second, 3 with 9 to 11 months, 4 with 12 to 23 and 5 with 24 or more.
From the third claim on, you get 3 installments with 6 to 11 months, 4 with 12 to 23 and 5 with 24 or more.
A part of a month with 15 days or more counts as a month. Months already used in an earlier claim do not count again.
How much of your income does the benefit cover?
Each installment is 72% of the average of R$ 3.000,00. That makes 5 installments, R$ 10.833,30 in total.
The benefit covers only part of your income. Above the first bracket, that share drops with each extra real of average, until it stops at the ceiling of R$ 2.518,65.
Do people who resign or leave by agreement get it?
No. The benefit is for people dismissed without justa causa, including rescisão indireta, when the serious fault is the employer's. Leaving by agreement with the employer gives no right either, as the CLT (Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho, Brazil's labor code) says.
People with their own income enough to live on, or who already get an ongoing INSS benefit such as a retirement pension, do not get it either.
What makes seguro-desemprego stop halfway?
Law 7.998 suspends payment when you start a new job or begin to get an ongoing INSS benefit. Suspending means stopping payment while that lasts.
The benefit also stops if you turn down, without a reason, a job that fits your trade and your former salary.
Lying or committing fraud in the claim cancels the benefit and takes away the right for 2 years.
How much is the installment for each average salary?
| Average salary | Each installment | All installments |
|---|---|---|
| R$ 1.621,00 | R$ 1.621,00 | R$ 8.105,00 |
| R$ 2.000,00 | R$ 1.621,00 | R$ 8.105,00 |
| R$ 2.500,00 | R$ 1.916,66 | R$ 9.583,30 |
| R$ 3.000,00 | R$ 2.166,66 | R$ 10.833,30 |
| R$ 4.000,00 | R$ 2.518,65 | R$ 12.593,25 |
| R$ 5.000,00 | R$ 2.518,65 | R$ 12.593,25 |
How this calculation works
The installment follows the Ministry of Labor table in force since January 2026, by the average of the last 3 salaries.
An installment below the minimum wage goes up to R$ 1.621,00, and none goes over R$ 2.518,65.
The number of installments follows art. 4º of Law 7.998, by your months of carteira and by which claim this is.
The calculation treats all the months you type in as falling inside the period the law requires for each claim.
The full method and the data behind this calculation (in Portuguese)