Unemployed Archives

In what situation does the employer have to apply for dismissal from the UWV for me?

If your employer has economic reasons for wanting to dismiss you, your employer must apply for a dismissal permit from the UWV. The UWV will assess your employer's application and you will receive a copy of the application with the option to lodge an objection. The UWV assesses the application and any objection whether or not to grant permission to your employer on that basis. If your employer wants to dismiss you because of long-term incapacity for work (for example after 2 years of illness), permission must also be requested from the UWV.

Am I entitled to unemployment benefit?

The UWV checks whether you meet the conditions for unemployment benefit. The UWV then decides whether you are eligible for a benefit after dismissal.

What can I expect when I apply for WIA benefit?

Are you still sick after 88 weeks? Then you will receive an application form from the UWV. As an employee, you apply for the WIA benefit yourself from the UWV. This completed application, of course provided with the necessary information, must be received by the UWV no later than the 93rd week of illness.

The UWV then assesses whether the reintegration activities have gone well. Does the UWV think that your employer has made insufficient effort for your reintegration? Then the UWV may impose a wage sanction on your employer for a maximum of 1 year. This means that your employer is obliged to continue to pay your wages for a maximum of 1 year. Dismissal after two years of illness is not possible in this case.

What is unemployment benefit?

An unemployment benefit is a temporary safety net in the event of loss of income where you are not culpably unemployed. Reasons for unemployment benefit are, for example, dismissal due to reorganization or a fixed-term contract that is not renewed. WW stands for the Unemployment Insurance Act. Whether you are eligible for unemployment benefit depends on a number of factors. These factors are mentioned in the next question.

Am I eligible for unemployment benefit?

Whether you are eligible for unemployment benefit depends on a number of conditions. The conditions for unemployment benefit are as follows:

You must be insured for unemployment. This is usually the case if you are working as an employee and have not yet reached the official state pension age;
You will lose at least 5 hours per week or, if you worked less than 10 hours per week, at least half of your hours per calendar week. You also lose wages for these hours;
You must be available immediately for paid work;
You have not become unemployed through your own fault (for example: you have been dismissed due to reorganization or your fixed-term contract is not extended);
You must meet the week requirement (you worked at least 36 weeks in the 26 weeks before you became unemployed).

For how long can I get unemployment benefit?

How long you can receive unemployment benefits depends on your situation. To assess how long you are entitled to unemployment benefits, we first check whether you meet the weeks requirement. If you meet the weeks requirement, you are in any case entitled to a basic benefit of 3 months. After the weeks requirement, the years requirement is looked at. If you also meet the years requirement, your unemployment benefit can be extended. How long you are entitled to unemployment benefits in total depends on your employment history.

What does the weeks requirement and the years requirement entail?

When it comes to unemployment benefit, the weeks and years requirement play a major role. These two requirements reflect your employment history and thus determine whether you are entitled to unemployment benefit, under what conditions this is done and for how long you are entitled to unemployment benefit. You will receive unemployment benefits for 3 months if you meet the weeks requirement. The following applies to the years requirement: the longer you have worked, the longer you are entitled to unemployment benefits.

How is the amount of my unemployment benefit calculated?

In connection with future expenses, it is important to know the amount of your unemployment benefit. That is why it is good to know how the amount of this benefit is calculated. The amount of your unemployment benefit is calculated on the basis of your earned social security wages - your social security wages.

The amount of your unemployment benefit is calculated on the basis of your earned taxable wages. For this, the taxable wage you earned on average in a period of 12 months before you became unemployed is taken into account. This 'reference period' determines your daily wage. This daily wage can never exceed the statutory maximum daily wage. As of January 1, 2024, the maximum daily wage is € 274,44. During the first 2 months, your unemployment benefit is 75% of your daily wage. In the following months of your unemployment benefit, you will receive 70% of your daily wage.

When and where can I apply for unemployment benefit?

When you hear that you will become unemployed, the first thing you think is: how do I apply for unemployment benefit. Fortunately, applying for unemployment benefits is relatively simple. First of all, it is important that you have a DigiD. In addition, it is important that you have the following information at hand:

Your last pay slip;
Your last employment contract;
Your account number.

Sign up uwv.nl and fill in all necessary information. After your request, you will receive an email confirming your request. It is not necessary to register as a job seeker. This happens automatically when you apply for unemployment benefits.