Exclusion from the Labour Office

Quick overview

• The Jobcentre Plus can disqualify you for things like failing to attend an appointment, refusing suitable employment or failing to report important changes.
• You will usually lose unemployment benefits and the state will stop paying your health insurance for you.
• You can appeal the disqualification within 15 days of receiving the decision.
• If you had a good reason (such as illness, child care, or health complications), the disqualification may not be justified.
• In some cases, you may be able to re-join the register of jobseekers after a few months.

If you are in dispute with the Jobcentre Plus or are at risk of being struck off the register, a well-written appeal and supporting evidence can make all the difference. We can help you assess whether the Job Centre acted lawfully and help you defend yourself if necessary.

What is the purpose of registering with the Jobcentre

The Job Centre is most often used by people who find themselves out of work and because they want help finding a new job and also want to receive financial support while they are unemployed. Once you have registered, the Job Centre will start looking for a new job that matches your qualifications, experience and health. It will also take into account your ability to commute to work.

This work should be at least 80 per cent of your normal working hours. Only if it is not possible to find a job for you after a year can the authority offer you part-time work. At the same time, the job centre should offer employment with an open-ended or even fixed-term contract, which must last at least three months.

As regards entitlement to unemployment benefit, this is not automatic. You must have paid pension contributions for 12 months in the past two years.

Important news as of 1 January 2026: the scheme of support has changed (higher percentage at the beginning) and the age limits for the length of the support period have also been adjusted. The support is now 80% of average net earnings (or assessment base for self-employed workers) in the first months, 50% thereafter and 40% for the rest of the support period.

When can you be excluded from the labour office

You must meet certain obligations to be eligible for benefits. Therefore, there is a possibility that if you do not comply with your obligations, you will be struck off the unemployment register and thus lose your entitlement to unemployment benefits. Your disqualification may occur in the following cases:

Failure to comply with the notification obligation

First of all, as a jobseeker, you are obliged to provide the Job Centre with all the necessary information. This includes information about your health limitations and other information needed to find suitable employment. In addition, you must notify the Job Centre of any changes within 8 days of their occurrence (e.g. disability, etc.)

Failure to comply with the temporary incapacity scheme

Temporary incapacity to work can occur in the event of illness, injury, treatment or examination in a health care facility. If this happens, you are obliged to report your temporary incapacity to the employment office within three days and to provide a certificate of temporary incapacity issued by a doctor within eight days.

Your disqualification may occur in this case if you do not report your temporary incapacity in time and do not provide the certificate. Similarly, you may be struck off if you do not comply with the temporary incapacity scheme . This obliges you to stay at the place of residence except for authorised outings.

Working on unemployment benefit

The coincidence of registration and earnings has strict rules. In practice, we talk about so-called non-colluding employment – in simple terms, this is work/activities where your monthly earnings (remuneration) do not exceed half the minimum wage.

For 2026, the minimum wage is CZK 22,400, so half of that is CZK 11,200 gross per month. If you exceed the limit (or do illegal work) you may be removed from the register.

The performance of non-colliding employment must be reported to the employment office no later than the day of commencement. If you earn more than CZK 11,200 in a non-colluding job, you will be removed from the register of applicants. You will also be excluded if you are found to be working illegally.

It is a common mistake for applicants to miscalculate their remuneration from a DPP or DPT and exceed the limit by a few hundred crowns. The Labour Office assesses the actual income earned, not just the agreed remuneration in the contract.

If you are not sure whether your temporary work or agreement meets the conditions of non-colluding employment, have a lawyer assess the situation before you sign the contract.

Failure to show up for a scheduled appointment

If you have an appointment with the Job Centre and you do not turn up for it, you will be removed from the register of jobseekers. This is because the Job Centre sees this as a failure to cooperate. The exception is if you have serious reasons for not turning up. These serious reasons are regulated by the Employment Act.

In practice, we often see situations where a candidate misses an appointment not on purpose, but for example because of hospitalisation, psychological problems or miscommunication with the Labour Office. Nevertheless, the automatic initiation of the exclusion procedure may occur. If you are at risk of being sanctioned for missing an appointment, we recommend that you respond immediately and document all relevant circumstances. We can help you prepare an appeal against the removal from the register and check that the Jobcentre has acted correctly.

Failure to cooperate

Candidates can also be excluded if they fail to cooperate in the preparation of an individual action plan, its update or evaluation, or fail to comply with its conditions. Similarly, he/she may be excluded if he/she refuses to undergo a medical or psychological examination.

Refusal or obstruction of work or retraining

You will also be excluded if the employment office finds you suitable work that you do not accept. The same applies if you deliberately obstruct your chances of getting a new job, for example by trying to make the worst possible impression at interview and by listing fictitious reasons why you should not be hired. The same applies if you have already arranged for retraining.

If you decide not to take the retraining course, do not complete it or fail the final exam, you will be struck off the register. In both cases there is an exception, again only in the form of serious reasons.

In practice, the main problem is assessing what is still ‘suitable employment’. Job centres and courts may assess some situations differently – for example, if the job offered does not match the applicant’s health, qualifications or realistic commuting options.

Other reasons

Other reasons for being removed from the register of jobseekers naturally include finding a job or having to remove oneself from the jobseeker‘s register. But in addition, this also includes factors preventing the keeping of the register of jobseekers. These include serving a prison sentence, detention in custody, detention in custody, withdrawal of consent to the processing of personal data, or receiving maternity allowance in the period before and 6 weeks after childbirth.

Serious reasons

As promised, we deliver and bring you serious reasons for failure to attend a scheduled appointment at the Jobcentre, refusal of employment, failure to complete retraining and similar cases. These serious reasons may include:

1. Necessary personal care of a child under the age of 4.
2. Necessary personal care for an individual who is dependent on the assistance of another individual in the second degree of dependence or higher. However, this only applies if the jobseeker lives permanently with the jobseeker and jointly pays the living costs, or if the jobseeker is a close relative for the purposes of pension insurance.
3. The child’s attendance at pre-school (kindergarten) or primary school.
4. Your spouse’s or civil partner’s place of work or nature of employment.
5. Immediate termination of employment by the employee. This is only possible in two cases: either if you cannot continue to do your job without endangering your health or the health of other employees and your employer has not allowed you to do other work. However, for this you need to get a medical certificate or a decision from the competent administrative authority first. Or if you have not been paid your wages or wage compensation or part of it within 15 days of the due date.
6. Health reasons that prevent the applicant from performing the job or other duties as defined by the employment authority. However, this only applies if you have a medical certificate.
7. Other serious personal reasons relating to, for example, religion, ethics or morals.

In practice, disputes often arise as to whether the serious reason has been sufficiently substantiated. A telephone notification or a general statement is not enough. The Job Centre usually requires specific documents – for example, a medical report, a school certificate or proof of care for a loved one.

What to do after you have been excluded from the Job Centre

The first thing to note is that the removal does not happen the moment the Job Centre finds out that you have not fulfilled your obligations. It is backdated to the date on which you actually failed to meet your obligations. From that date, you will no longer receive benefits and must start paying insurance. Similarly, if you claim benefits for material hardship, such as housing benefit, you will not be eligible.

You can appeal against being struck off the Jobcentre’s register within 15 days of receiving the striking off decision. The appeal must state why you disagree with the decision to remove you. If the appeal is rejected, you still have the option of taking an administrative action to court within two months of receiving the appeal decision. In addition, you can also complain to the Ombudsman or ask the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs to initiate a review procedure.

Many people make the mistake of not responding for several weeks after being struck off, only to find out later that they have missed the deadline for appealing. In administrative procedures, it is the observance of deadlines that is often crucial. We will prepare a legal assessment of your case quickly so that you can file your appeal on time.

Checklist: what to do after receiving a decision

• Check the date of service of the decision.
• Calculate the 15-day time limit for appealing.
• Prepare evidence and documents.
• Communicate with the Job Centre in writing.
• Check your obligation to pay health insurance.

If you do not want to appeal, you can reapply to be included in the register of jobseekers. However, this can be done after 3 or 6 months at the earliest, depending on the reason for your removal.

Summary

Being removed from the jobseeker’s register at the Jobcentre represents a significant financial and personal hit. It typically means losing unemployment benefits, having to deal with health insurance, and limited access to certain social benefits. In particular, exclusion can occur if the applicant fails to fulfil his or her obligations to the Labour Office, does not provide the necessary cooperation, fails to attend appointments, refuses suitable employment or retraining, or violates the rules for the exercise of gainful activity during registration.

However, the law also takes into account life situations where the applicant cannot objectively fulfil his/her obligations. In such cases, so-called serious reasons may be invoked which may prevent the exclusion or serve as a strong argument on appeal. If the exclusion has already taken place, it is not final – the decision can be defended against by appeal or administrative action, and it is possible to reapply for inclusion in the register after the expiry of the statutory time limit.

In practice, it pays to act quickly, keep an eye on deadlines and do not underestimate the formality of communication with the Labour Office. It is often these details that determine whether the exclusion is confirmed or whether the situation can be successfully reversed.