What are the benefits if you do not work?
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In the Netherlands, you can get a benefit if you do not have a job, have no income or cannot work due to limitations. In this article you can read what benefits there are, when you are entitled to them and where you can apply for them.
Welfare benefits (Dutch Participation Act)
Welfare benefits are benefits for people who have no or too little income to live on. The municipality pays the welfare benefits. You can get these benefits if you are not entitled (or no longer entitled) to other benefits and have no money or assets to make ends meet. Welfare benefits fall under the Dutch Participation Act.
You can receive welfare benefits if:
You are 18 years of age or older
You live in the Netherlands
You have no or too little income
You have little savings or assets
You are not entitled to any other benefit
And you want to look for work and accept guidance
You get welfare benefits as long as you meet the conditions. The municipality checks your situation regularly. If you work and have income then the benefit stops or changes.
The amount of the benefit depends on your living situation and age. There are different welfare benefit standards. There is a standard for people who live together or are married. Singles receive about 70% of the married standard. If you are younger than 21, you receive lower amounts.
Welfare benefits are based on a separate
If you receive welfare benefits, you must:
Actively search for work
Accept appropriate work
Cooperate with reintegration
Report changes in your situation to the municipality immediately.
Employment benefit
If you are totally or partially unemployed, you can apply for unemployment benefits. This is a temporary benefit. This benefit helps you with income between jobs while you are looking for new work. You apply for this benefit from the Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen (
Conditions for unemployment benefit:
You were insured for unemployment. This is usually true if you were employed.
You have worked at least 26 weeks in the last 36 weeks. This may also be with different employers.
You worked an average of at least 10 hours per week and you lose 5 hours or more of work per week.
You are immediately available for paid work.
How much unemployment benefit will you receive?
The amount of your unemployment benefit depends on your last wage. In the first 2 months you will receive 75% of your last daily wage. From the 3rd month, you will receive 70% of your last daily wage.
How long will you receive unemployment benefits?
How long you get unemployment benefits depends on how long you worked before you became unemployed.
The minimum duration of unemployment is 3 months and the maximum duration is 24 months. For every year you have worked, you accrue 1 month of unemployment.
During the unemployment you must continue to actively look for work and report this to the UWV.
As a
For example:
Whether you were previously employed
Whether you had previous unemployment benefits
How you became unemployed.
Not every self-employed person is entitled to unemployment benefits. The UWV assesses the situation for each person.
BBZ decree
The Decree on Social Assistance to the Self-Employed ('Besluit bijstandsverlening zelfstandigen', BBZ) is a scheme for self-employed individuals and business owners who are temporarily short of income.
With the BBZ, you can get support to continue, start or wind down your business.
The BBZ is there to prevent business owners from falling directly into welfare benefits. The BBZ is administered and paid for by the municipality where you live.
The BBZ is there for:
Starting business owners
Existing self-employed individuals with temporary financial difficulties
Older self-employed individuals who quit their businesses (sometimes as a temporary bridge)
Self-employed individuals with insufficient income from their businesses.
The municipality looks to see if your business is or was healthy.
How long will you get BBZ?
Usually you get BBZ temporarily, often for up to 12 months.
In some situations, this can be extended.
Different deadlines sometimes apply for older self-employed individuals or for companies that are shutting down.
The BBZ supplements your income up to the welfare benefit level.
This is about:
70% of the minimum wage for single persons
100% of the minimum wage for cohabitants or families.
Support may include:
A benefit
A loan
Or a combination of both.
If you receive BBZ, you must:
Cooperate with guidance from the municipality
Provide insight into your administration
Work actively to improve your income
Report changes immediately.
Wajong benefit
Wajong is the Dutch Act on Invalidity Insurance for Young Disabled Persons ('Wet arbeidsongeschiktheidsvoorziening jonggehandicapten').
The Wajong is a benefit for young people with an illness or disability who have little or no ability to work. It is intended for people who have become disabled at a young age.
Wajong benefits are paid and administered by the UWV.
You can get Wajong if you:
Have an illness or disability
Got this before your 18th birthday, or between the ages of 18 and 30 during your studies
Cannot work now or only with a lot of support
Live in and are insured in the Netherlands.
You receive Wajong as long as you remain disabled and meet the conditions. The UWV regularly assesses whether your situation changes.
If you can work (more), benefits may be reduced or stop.
The amount depends on your situation:
Can you not work? About 75% of the minimum wage
Can you work part time? Supplement to your wages up to a maximum of 70% of the minimum wage
Do you work (part-time)? Then working always pays off: you have more money left over
If you receive Wajong:
Cooperate in mentoring or development when possible
Report changes in your situation to the UWV
Try to work your way up if possible, with support.
Sickness benefit
You can get sickness benefits if you are sick and unable to work, and have no employer to continue paying your wages. That is paid by the UWV. You usually get 70% of your daily wage. This applies, for example, if you:
Had a temporary contract that has expired
Have been dismissed and then become ill
Are a temporary employee
Are an on-call employee
Become ill during or after receiving unemployment benefits.
The Dutch Sickness Act lasts up to 2 years. During this period, you work on recovery and reintegration. The UWV expects you to cooperate with guidance and suitable work.
WIA benefit
WIA is the Dutch Work and Income (Capacity for Work) Act (Wet werk en inkomen naar arbeidsvermogen).
The WIA benefit is a benefit for people who are long-term sick. You can get this benefit if you are still unable to work (fully) after 2 years of illness. The WIA benefit is paid by the UWV.
You can get WIA if:
You have been ill for 2 years
You are at least 35% incapacitated for work
You were insured in the Netherlands for employee insurance.
There are two types of WIA:
Resumption of Work for Partial Occupational Disability ('Werkhervatting Gedeeltelijk Arbeidsgeschikten', WGA): if you can work partially.
Income for Full Occupational Disability ('Inkomensvoorziening Volledig Arbeidsongeschiktten', IVA): if you are almost unable to work and this is permanent.
The benefit is usually 70% of your former salary. How long you receive WIA depends on your situation, sometimes temporarily and sometimes for a longer period of time. The UWV regularly assesses whether your situation changes.
Unemployment benefit in case of weather conditions in which you cannot do your job
Unemployment benefit in case of weather conditions is a special arrangement for employees who are temporarily unable to work due to extreme weather. For example, due to heavy snow, frost, storm, flooding or black ice.
Your employer can then apply for unemployment benefits for unworkable weather. This way, you still get income even though you are temporarily unable to work. The benefit is paid by the UWV.
When does unworkable weather apply?
When the weather is extreme
When working is impossible
If the work cannot be made up
If the situation is beyond the employer's risk
This often involves sectors such as construction, agriculture and outdoor work.
You get this unemployment benefit as long as the unworkable weather lasts. It is usually a few days or weeks. As soon as working is possible again, the arrangement stops.
You get an unemployment benefit according to the normal unemployment rules. 75% of your daily wage in the first 2 months thereafter 70% of your daily wage. The benefit applies only to the hours you cannot work.
If you do work part of the time, then you get unemployment benefits only for the hours not worked.
What is expected of you?
You will remain available to work as soon as things return to normal.
You follow your employer's instructions.
You do not have to look for a new job during this period.