Can I request special or unpaid leave?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
First check whether statutory leave fits your situation. Special leave for a wedding or move usually depends on a collective agreement, contract or workplace rules. For unpaid leave discuss pay, holiday, pension, benefits and return, not just dates.
On this page
1. Read the special-leave provision
Special leave is not generally governed by a statutory entitlement. The collective agreement, contract or workplace rules may specify events, duration and pay: wedding, funeral, move, examination, service anniversary or union activity. Find the exact provision and family-relationship conditions; a colleague’s different situation does not establish the same entitlement.
2. Separate statutory rights from extra agreements
An urgent bereavement situation may qualify for emergency leave, followed by agreed special leave. Arrange medical appointments outside work where possible; if impossible, short-absence leave may apply. Pregnancy examinations during working time are paid, including necessary travel, without using holiday. Check statutory rights before agreeing unpaid leave.
3. Record the request and return
Request specific dates or hours, the relevant rules and confirmation of paid or unpaid hours in writing. Discuss handover, contact while away, end date and return. Record what happens if illness or changes arise and seek clarification. The request itself is not permission: do not start a discretionary unpaid period merely because the employer has not answered.
4. Calculate income and scheme effects
Lower pay may affect allowances. Update expected annual income and ask about housing, healthcare or childcare allowances; a fall in income does not guarantee meeting all other conditions. Ask DUO about school-cost/student support if relevant. If municipal taxes become difficult, ask the municipality about remission. Prepare a monthly budget before agreeing.
5. Check holiday and pension
Ordinary unpaid leave generally accrues no holiday for those hours; long-term care leave and additional birth leave are exceptions with accrual. Parental leave has separate rules. Ask for the balance before and after leave. Pension schemes vary: ask employer or fund what continues, what you must pay and how cover is affected.
6. Ask UWV about later consequences
For later WW or disability benefits, unpaid leave is not simply treated as lower wages. UWV may use pre-leave pay without increases during leave; if the ordinary daily-wage calculation is more favourable, that correction applies. Over18months of full-time unpaid leave may affect entitlement and duration. Have your period and work history assessed beforehand; this is not an individual benefit guarantee.
Draft request: Can I request special or unpaid leave?
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Do I get paid leave for a job interview?
There is no general entitlement to paid interview leave. Without a more favourable collective or workplace provision, use holiday hours. Request permission in time and do not automatically equate this with statutory short-absence leave.
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- Agreement and exact provision
- Event and possible statutory leave
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Rijksoverheid — bijzonder verlof ↗Rijksoverheid — gevolgen onbetaald verlof ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.