The Directorate of Labour notes that it is now being completed to send all older claims to the collection centre. The District Commissioner of Northwest Iceland is responsible for collecting overpaid unemployment benefits. The claims were incurred due to overpaid unemployment benefits in 2022-2024.

After the debt has been sent to the collection centre, a claim is created in the home bank of the claimant. It is pointed out that it is possible to request payment distribution from the District Commissioner. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the e-mail: innheimta@syslumenn.is. The District Commissioner's office provides all information on the process of collection and payment distribution. All questions about the creation of debts should be addressed to the Directorate of Labour by phone 515-4800 or to the e-mail: postur@vmst.is.

This is a continuation of work that began in October 2024 and was discussed in a report on the Directorate of Labour's website and can be accessed here. It is estimated that all claims for 2022 will be collected by the end of January and that claims for 2023 until May 2024 will be sent in the first weeks of February 2025. The last claims will therefore be sent for collection by 17 February 2025.

The main reason why the claims in question have not been sent earlier for collection is the cumulative pressure surrounding covid and the introduction of a new computer system. The issue was discussed in Rúv, which can be accessed here. It is noted that the circumstances that led to the fact that it was not possible to send claims earlier for collection should not arise again as claims now automatically go to collection 30-60 days after deregistering of unemployment benefits.