Can I take out voluntary UWV insurance as a self-employed person?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
After employment or benefits, voluntary Ziektewet or WIA insurance may be available through UWV. Applying within 13 weeks is often important, but remaining partly employed leads to a different route. No medical examination does not mean unconditional eligibility.
On this page
1. Identify the risk and your situation
This concerns self-employment in the Netherlands. Voluntary Ziektewet insurance covers income during illness, with benefits lasting at most 104 weeks; WIA concerns income loss after two years of illness. WIA insurance alone therefore does not automatically cover the first two years. Company director-shareholders, domestic service and work abroad have specific rules: ask UWV which route applies. Voluntary sickness insurance pays 100% of the insured daily wage for pregnancy/maternity; below the social minimum ZEZ may top up to that minimum. Without sickness insurance ZEZ may be available. A director-major shareholder usually does not need sickness insurance because the company continues sick pay; WIA may apply. That wage duty does not cover maternity leave: voluntary sickness insurance can cover those 16 weeks.
2. Check when compulsory coverage ended
If you become self-employed after employment or benefits, apply within 13 weeks after compulsory employee insurance ends. Voluntary coverage then connects from the next day. UWV normally requires a preceding year of compulsory sickness and disability insurance, allowing a break of at most 60 days. If your employment lasted less than a year and you previously had voluntary coverage, a separate reapplication route within 13 weeks after leaving employment applies.
3. Will you remain partly employed?
If you remain partly employed alongside your business, UWV does not impose the 13-week application requirement: you can apply at any time. It does require at least three years of preceding compulsory sickness and disability insurance. Voluntary insurance then starts when UWV receives the application. Do not assume any old employment history is enough for this exception.
4. Do you already receive benefits?
You are already insured for hours covered by WW, and coverage continues during the UWV start-up period from WW. Other business hours may need separate insurance. With Ziektewet, WIA or WAO benefits, eligibility depends on your situation: ask UWV which insurance is possible. Under this UWV route, people receiving WAZ or Wajong cannot take out voluntary insurance.
5. Compare insured income and premiums
Identify the income you would lose during illness and the daily amount you wish to insure; UWV applies a maximum. Premiums and benefits do not promise a particular net income. Use current UWV premium guidance and its calculator, because rates change annually. No medical assessment is needed to take out coverage, but eligibility requirements still apply. We do not compare or sell insurance products.
UWV · Soorten vrijwillige verzekering ↗
6. Prepare the official application
Prepare the end date of compulsory coverage, insurance history, remaining employment, any benefits and income. Follow the appropriate insurance route on the official UWV page; contact UWV promptly if eligibility or timing is unclear. Keep the application and decision and check the start date, insured schemes, daily amount and premium. Do not share DigiD codes or medical files here; use our own help request for a legal dispute.
UWV · Verzekering als zzp’er ↗
Do the 13 weeks always start with KVK registration?
No. For the ordinary continuation route, UWV refers to the end of compulsory employee coverage through work or benefits. Partial employment follows a different eligibility route. Use your insurance dates, not just the KVK date.
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End of compulsory coverage and business start
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- End of compulsory coverage and business start
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- Ziektewet and/or WIA coverage required
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- Application, confirmation and eligibility question
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UWV · Verzekering als zzp’er ↗UWV · Soorten vrijwillige verzekering ↗UWV · Voorwaarden vrijwillige verzekering ↗UWV · Kosten vrijwillige verzekering ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.