Unemployment benefits in the Netherlands - All you need to know

Have you recently lost your job? Is your employment contract not renewed? Have you been made redundant?

Anyone who loses a job struggles through stressful times till they land another well paying one. However, working professionals in the Netherlands have an added advantage of applying for an unemployment benefit in the Netherlands. Also known as the WW-uitkering, the unemployment benefit is sponsored by thebureaucrats at the Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen (UWV)

It does not matter if a person is a local citizen of the country or an expat because everyone is entitled to take leverage of the unemployment benefits. Let’s move forward and read everything there is to know about the unemployment benefits in the Netherlands. To start with, let’s find out if you are eligible?

Am I eligible to claim unemployment benefits?

1. As long as you are a legal resident of the country, you are eligible to claim unemployment benefits.

2. You must have worked for at least 26 weeks out of the last 36 before you have lost your job.

3. If you lose more than 5 hours of your workweek, without access to financial compensation, you are eligible to apply for WW-uitkering.

4. The reasons behind losing your job must be external. If you are fired for personal misconduct, you are not eligible to claim unemployment benefits.

5. You can only apply if you are available to apply for another paid employment. Thus, no vacations shall be enjoyed during this time.

How much money can I claim through unemployment benefits?

The benefits you can claim are 75% of your daily wage for the first two months. After the first two months, your benefits will go down to 70% of your daily wage and the payment cycle will be every four weeks.

You may also like to read about the pension system in the Netherlands.

For how long can I claim the unemployment benefits?

The tenure of claiming unemployment benefits is determined by the history of past employment and personal circumstances. Generally, a distinction between wekeneis (short-term) or jareneis (long-term) is made.

De wekeneis

As stated earlier, you can claim the benefits provided you have worked for 26 weeks out of 36 weeks prior for a period of three months up until a year. This is known as de wekeneis - short-term support for unemployment.

De jareneis

You become eligible to claim long-term support for unemployment if you have worked for four years out of five, before losing your job. This also applies if you have worked in any other EU country, as long as you are able to provide evidence for the same.

How can I apply for unemployment benefits?

You can apply for unemployment benefits either online or by visiting the local UWV office.

You will be required to fill in an application form and, as part of this application process, you must be able to provide:

- Your BSN number

- Date of employment (last known)

- A DigiD code

- A contract or letter of termination

- Certified salary slips

- Original employment contract

- Valid proof of identity - Residence permit, passport, etc.

- The process may take up to four weeks and can be back paid to your first date of unemployment.

So this is pretty much everything you need to know about the unemployment benefits in the Netherlands. However, seeking financial advice can be of better use to you when working abroad.

Understanding the fact that finding jobs during the period of unemployment can be a little daunting, here are 2 options for you.

Option 1

You may consult staffing companies in the Netherlands and look for job opportunities.

Option 2

In case you wish to find a desirable job in the tech field, you may consider specialized staffing companies offering exceptional tech placement solutions and look for exclusive tech job opportunities. The specialized tech staffing companies may help you find both contract-based & permanent jobs.

Wondering how to leverage the services of specialized tech staffing companies?

You may directly visit here, explore the available tech job opportunities, and apply for the desired jobs.

To seek advice on financial concerns, you may connect with us at experts@adtsolution.com and get answers to all your queries.

NOTE: As a highly skilled migrant, you must find a new job in the Netherlands in a span of 3 months from the termination date of unemployment. If you fail to find a new job during this period, the Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND) will curtail the validity of your residence permit.