When can I apply for Anw after my partner dies?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Dutch Anw is not automatically paid to every surviving partner. First check your age, family or incapacity situation and your deceased partner’s insurance. Apply to SVB; income and additional conditions also affect whether money is payable.
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1. Check the basic conditions
Anw is a Dutch statutory survivor benefit administered by SVB, separate from an occupational partner pension. You must be below your AOW age. You must also care for a child under eighteen living with you, or be at least 45% incapacitated for work. Your partner’s Anw insurance on the date of death matters; living or working in the Netherlands usually means insurance, but exceptions exist. SVB assesses the relevant circumstances on the date of death; have later changes and their effect on entitlement assessed separately.
2. Identify special circumstances
Record whether the deceased was your partner or former partner. For a former partner, a duty to pay spousal maintenance is among the conditions. Cross-border residence or work, a child in an institution or uncertainty about incapacity require further assessment. UWV assesses incapacity for SVB. Additional exclusions exist, including circumstances involving death soon after forming a relationship with an existing illness; have your specific facts checked.
3. Separate income categories
List each income type separately: wages, business income, another benefit and survivor pension. Some income is partly deducted, some fully, and some not at all. An occupational partner pension differs from a foreign statutory survivor benefit. Consult the current SVB explanation for each category; a single undifferentiated total cannot establish your Anw payment.
4. Prepare your application
Prepare income records and your IBAN, plus information about your deceased partner’s residence or work abroad. Identify missing documents. SVB says requested documents can also be supplied later; then check the actual deadline given for completion. Send medical or other sensitive evidence only through the SVB or UWV route specified, not in public comments or this checklist.
5. Apply and keep confirmation
Apply in Mijn SVB through the official SVB website. If you cannot apply online, contact SVB for an application form. If you live abroad, first check the foreign-residence route and responsible institution. Keep acknowledgement and answer follow-up questions. Preparation saved with us or an assistance request is not an application and does not start payment.
6. Check the start date and next step
Apply promptly; applying late may not cover all previous months. The normal retroactive period is one year, with potentially longer coverage in exceptional individually assessed cases. Check the decision’s start date, income and household information. For refusal or disagreement, use the objection route and deadline in the decision. Request our preparation help if needed or urgent, while submitting required documents on time yourself.
7. Check insurance in cross-border situations
A Dutch address does not prove Anw insurance. Work in an EU, EEA or treaty country without Dutch posting coverage, foreign posting certificates, certain foreign government or international posts and temporary study without work can exclude insurance. Conversely, Dutch employment with Dutch contributions, a Dutch business, Dutch posting or government service, certain transport situations, temporary study abroad and certain foreign care institutions can preserve coverage. International transport has special exceptions. Previous Dutch residence or work and insurance on the death date in an EU, EEA or treaty country may create proportional entitlement. A statutory survivor benefit from the EU/EEA/Switzerland can also matter in the foreign route. Have SVB assess countries, employers, certificates and insurance periods together; Dutch working years influence the proportional amount.
Is Anw the same as an employer’s partner pension?
No. Anw is the statutory SVB benefit with its own conditions. A pension fund or insurer may separately provide a partner pension. Contact that provider and identify each income category correctly to SVB.
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Contact with a lawyer
You can use the chat and information without a phone number. A contact request requires a phone number, a verified email address and your wish for telephone contact. Our team assesses which partner fits your question. Data is shared only under the stated consent procedure. A partner or engagement is not guaranteed.
View the current application processSources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
SVB · Voorwaarden Anw ↗SVB · Anw aanvragen ↗SVB · Benodigde gegevens ↗SVB · Inkomsten per soort ↗Rijksoverheid · Anw en aanvullend nabestaandenpensioen ↗SVB · Ingangsdatum SB1403, geldige versie 3 ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.