Unemployment Benefits (WW)

The WW benefit (Werkloosheidswet — Unemployment Insurance Act) is a safety net for employees who lose their job. The benefit provides a temporary income while you search for a new position. In this article you will read when you are entitled to unemployment benefits, how to apply, how long and how much you receive, and what obligations apply.

Conditions for WW

You are entitled to a WW benefit if you meet the following conditions:

1. You are unemployed

You have lost at least 5 working hours per week, ór — if you worked fewer than 10 hours per week — at least half of your working hours. You are available for work.

2. You are not culpably unemployed

You must not have become unemployed through your own fault. Culpable unemployment leads to refusal or reduction of the benefit.

3. You meet the weeks requirement (wekeneis)

You must have worked in at least 26 weeks during the 36 weeks before your first day of unemployment (Article 17 WW). This is known as the weeks requirement (wekeneis) or reference requirement (referte-eis).

Amount of the WW Benefit

The WW benefit is calculated on the basis of your daily wage (dagloon):

• First two months: 75% of the daily wage
• From the third month: 70% of the daily wage

The daily wage (dagloon) is calculated on the basis of your SV wage (social insurance wage) in the reference period before your unemployment. The UWV uses a fixed calculation method that may differ from an exact calendar year. The maximum daily wage is adjusted twice a year (1 January and 1 July). Consult the UWV website for the current maximum daily wage and the resulting maximum WW benefit.

Duration of the WW Benefit

The duration of your WW benefit depends on your employment history:

Basic duration: 3 months

If you meet the weeks requirement (wekeneis) but not the years requirement (jareneis), you are entitled to 3 months of WW.

Extended duration via the years requirement (jareneis)

If you also meet the years requirement (jareneis) — in at least 4 of the 5 calendar years before your unemployment you received sufficient wages from employment — you receive 1 month of WW benefit per full calendar year of employment history. The maximum duration is 24 months. The criterion is not only hours, but whether you received wages as an employee in the relevant year on which social insurance contributions were paid.

Applying for WW

You apply for the WW benefit through the UWV. The procedure is as follows:

1. Register as a jobseeker — register with the UWV via werk.nl, no later than your first day of unemployment.
2. Apply for WW — submit the WW application via uwv.nl, preferably within one week after your first day of unemployment. Applying later is possible, but may result in your benefit starting later.
3. UWV assesses your application — the UWV checks whether you meet the conditions and whether there is any culpable unemployment.
4. Decision and payment — you receive a decision and the first payment usually within four weeks.

Obligations During WW

During the WW benefit you have obligations:

• Apply for jobs — you must actively search for work and apply for positions. The UWV may carry out checks.
• Be available — you must be available for work and may not go on holiday without permission.
• Accept suitable work — you must accept suitable work. In the first six months you may search for work at your level; after that the definition of “suitable work” is broadened.
• Report changes — you must report changes in your situation (work, income, illness, holiday) to the UWV immediately.

Culpable Unemployment

When processing the WW application, the UWV assesses whether you have become culpably unemployed. Culpable unemployment can lead to a temporary or permanent refusal of the WW benefit:

• Resigning yourself — if you resign without a valid reason, you are culpably unemployed.
• Summary dismissal — is in principle considered culpable.
• Seriously culpable conduct — if you were dismissed due to your own actions (theft, fraud, etc.).

The following situations are in principle not considered culpable by the UWV, but the UWV always assesses the specific circumstances:

• Dismissal due to reorganisation
• Dismissal due to underperformance — provided you did not act culpably (for example by structurally refusing to cooperate with improvement plans)
• Dismissal due to a disrupted working relationship — provided you are not the cause of the disruption yourself
• Dismissal by mutual consent (provided the agreement is drafted in a WW-safe manner and there is no urgent cause in the file)
• Expiry of a temporary contract
• Dismissal during the probationary period by the employer

WW After a Settlement Agreement

After dismissal via a settlement agreement you are entitled to WW, provided the settlement agreement meets certain conditions. Read more in our detailed article on unemployment benefits and settlement agreements.

The main conditions are:

1. The initiative for termination lies with the employer
2. There is no urgent cause in the file
3. The fictitious notice period has been correctly observed
4. There is no detrimental act (you did not help the employer dismiss you more cheaply than necessary)
5. The UWV judges on the basis of the overall circumstances that you are not culpably unemployed

Additional Income During WW

You are allowed to earn additional income alongside your WW benefit. If you earn income from new employment, an income exemption applies in the first two months: 25% of your income is not offset. From the third month, your income is fully offset against your WW benefit. Please note: the income exemption only applies to income from employment, not to other forms of income (such as pension or alimony).

Earning additional income from work is generally advantageous, as your net income will be higher than the WW benefit alone. Always report your additional earnings to the UWV to avoid sanctions.

Practical Tips

1. Apply for WW immediately — register at werk.nl on your first day of unemployment and submit the application within one week.
2. Keep all documents — your employment contract, settlement agreement, payslips and the dismissal letter are needed for the application.
3. Verify your daily wage — the UWV calculates your daily wage based on your salary in the reference year. Check that this is correct.
4. Apply actively — the UWV monitors your job application efforts. Insufficient efforts may lead to a reduction.
5. Report changes — if you start working, earn additional income, fall ill or go on holiday, report this to the UWV immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions