Applying for unemployment benefits in the Netherlands

You can get WW in the Netherlands if you meet these conditions:

• You are allowed to be in the Netherlands. As long as your asylum procedure is ongoing you are allowed.

• You worked for 26 consecutive weeks in the 36 weeks before you became unemployed

• You have worked in salaried employment

• You live in the Netherlands

• You worked an average of at least 10 hours per week

• You lose 5 hours or more of work per week and also lose pay for this

• You did not become unemployed through your own fault; therefore, you did not resign yourself either

• You can immediately start looking for other gainful employment

• If your asylum application is rejected at the time you receive benefits, the benefits will also stop. Because then you no longer have the right to be in the Netherlands.

If you meet all the conditions for WW benefit, you can apply for WW. You will then be entitled to benefit for 3 months. Only when you have worked in the Netherlands for 4 years in the past 5 years, you may be entitled to a longer WW benefit.

1. You apply for unemployment benefits from the

   Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen (UWV)
   . This is the organisation that provides benefits in the Netherlands.

2. You can log in online to your UWV profile with your

   DigiD
   . There you can apply for the benefit.

3. Enter your email address and phone number in your UWV profile if you have not already done so.

You can apply for benefits starting 1 week before your first day of unemployment. You can do this until 1 week after your last day of work. If you do this later, and you are still entitled to the benefit, you will receive a lower amount at the beginning of the benefit.

The UWV will send you a letter after your application to let you know if you are entitled to WW benefits. If you receive benefit, the letter will also state the amount you will receive each month. And how many months you will receive benefits.

How much WW benefit you get depends on your salary. In the first 2 months it is 75% of your monthly wage, then 70%. Any income you may have in addition to your WW benefit is also taken into account.

Are you staying in the COA reception centre? And do you have your own income from salary or benefits? Then you must report this income to COA. You must then contribute to the costs of the reception centre. You can keep 25 percent of your own income up to a maximum of € 264 per month. Do you receive more than the amount you have to pay for the reception centre? Then you can also keep the rest of the income yourself.

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