How do I apply for Dutch IOW when my WW ends?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
If your Dutch WW reaches its maximum duration before your AOW age, IOW may be available through UWV. Your age on the first unemployment day and the WW start date matter; your current age alone is not enough.
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1. Check the WW dates
This explanation covers WW beginning between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2027. You must have been at least 60 years and 4 months old on the first unemployment day. WW must have reached its maximum duration; dismissal or a stopped payment alone does not establish this.
2. Check the reason for longer WW
You received more than three months of WW because you met the employment-years requirement, or received a remaining period of earlier WW after three months. Collect the award and end decisions.
3. IOW after earnings-related WGA
IOW may also be possible after earnings-related WGA. For a phase starting from 1 January 2020 through 31 December 2027, you must have been at least 60 years and 4 months old when that phase began, and its maximum duration must have expired. A stopped payment or the end of a different WGA phase is not enough. Note the phase start, your age then and the end date in the decision. Did you receive WW before becoming unable to work, or is this an older entitlement? Ask UWV to assess the earlier decisions and additional or transitional conditions. The other IOW conditions still apply. Use UWV’s application letter; if it is missing near the phase’s end, ask UWV for the correct route.
4. Prepare the relevant income details
Your own income, including pension, can reduce IOW. Your own assets and your partner's income and assets are not counted for IOW. Do not transfer this rule automatically to an additional UWV supplement. Being abroad other than for a holiday prevents IOW; have cross-border circumstances checked. Gross IOW starts at 70% of the WW or earnings-related WGA monthly wage, capped at the single-person social minimum. UWV treats wages and self-employment income differently from pensions or another benefit. Report each income type separately; use the payment statement for actual gross and net amounts.
5. Use UWV's invitation
If you meet the conditions, UWV sends a letter with the application link a few weeks before WW ends. Check your post and Berichtenbox. If no letter arrives as WW approaches its end, ask UWV for the application route. Our preparation does not submit an application.
6. Check receipt and decision
Keep the submission receipt. UWV states it will send a decision within eight weeks of application. Check the starting date, income deductions and requests for information. IOW ends no later than your AOW age. An invitation or saved form is not an award or submission receipt. Income below the social minimum may qualify for a UWV supplement. An existing WW or wage-related WGA supplement continues automatically according to UWV.
7. Keep up with your duties
Complete the monthly Inkomstenopgave even with no income. Report relevant changes and follow job-search duties. The IOW job-search duty ends when AOW is less than one year away. Use our own help-request route for unclear decisions and follow the objection route and deadline in your decision.
Is being 60 years and 4 months old now enough?
No. For this WW route, the relevant age is your age on the first unemployment day. WW start and maximum duration also matter. Ask UWV to check missing dates before assuming eligibility.
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Date of birth and first unemployment day
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- Date of birth and first unemployment day
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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.
UWV · Voorwaarden IOW ↗UWV · IOW aanvragen ↗UWV · IOW en verplichtingen ↗Rijksoverheid · IOW voorwaarden en middelen ↗Rijksoverheid · Verplichtingen IOW en IOAW ↗UWV · Hoogte IOW ↗Wet IOW · artikel 3a en overgangsrecht ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.