Seven important questions if you are in Social benefits in the Netherlands

Seven important questions if you are in Social benefits in the Netherlands. If you receive the ‘uitkering’ Social Benefits and Earning Extra in Nijmegen Netherlands and you are offered a job, you will have to accept it. If you have earned money, you have to report it directly to your municipality. Why is this? And what consequences do changes of income have for your ‘uitkering’? A number of situations are explained below.

Someone wants to give me some money for an incidental service. For example, because I helped him. Can I keep the money?

No. All the money you receive is income. It is your responsibility to report everything at your municipality. This amount of money will be held back from your ‘uitkering’ in the next month. This is mandatory. If you do not report to the municipality, it may have consequences for your ‘uitkering’.

For example: if you receive 25 euro from someone for helping in the garden, you have to report it at your municipality and the next month you will receive 25 euro less ‘uitkering’. Also if you sell your car, you have to report it.

I want to do voluntary work for an organization that pays me expenses for my travel costs. Does this influence my ‘uitkering’?

Voluntary work is helping at a non-profit organization, or non-commercial event. It contributes to society. If you start doing voluntary work and you receive money for it, you can keep the money up to 170 euro per month and 1700 euro per year. You always have to tell the municipality when you do voluntary work.

Can I earn extra money next to receiving the uitkering and keep the money? Or do I have to hand in everything I earn back to the municipality?

You receive the ‘uitkering’ because you are not earning (enough) money to take care of yourself. If you (partly) can, you need less money from the ‘uitkering’. Everyone who can work, has to work. If you receive the ‘uitkering’ and you partly work, you can sometimes keep a part of the money you have earned. Here follow some examples.

I am 26 years old. Can I keep the money I earn on top of my ‘uitkering’?

No. Our governent believes that young people and young adults up to 27 years, should try to study. That is why only people who are 27 years or older can keep (part of) what they earn on top of the ‘uitkering’. Do you earn money at the age of 26? You will have to report all you earn at the municipality. One month later your ‘uitkering’ will be lowered exactly with that amount.

I am 28 years old and I would like to earn extra (with a legal contract). I do not have kids. How much of what I earn can I keep?

If you are older than 27 you will be able to ‘keep’ 25% of the amount you earn, with a maximum of 200 euro per month in the next month. So 75% will be taken from your uitkering in the next month. This can happen only for 6 months, during the total period you will receive the ‘uitkering’.

Example:

Samer is single, has no kids and is 29. He receives the ‘uitkering’. He earns 500 euro per month through a contract in construction. In total, Samer can keep 25% of this 500 euro. So his income will increase with 125 euro every month, for a maximum of 6 months during his entire period he needs the uitkering.

I am 27 (or older), single parent and care for a child below 12 years old. I have a work contract. Do the same rules apply on me?

If you:

• are 27 years or older and;
• are a single parent and;
• taking care for a child below 12 years old

then the municipality will cut your uitkering the first 6 months with 75% of what you earn. These months do not have to be consecutive. You can keep up to a maximum of 200 euro per month on top of the ‘uitkering’.

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