Assistance benefit

You can get welfare benefits from the municipality if you have no or too little income and not much assets. You will then receive money each month from the municipality to pay for living expenses.

With information on the Participation Act can be found on the central government website.

How does it work?

  • you can apply for benefits through work.nl. You log in with your DigiD;
  • Your application goes to the municipality. Then you will automatically receive notification of whether you will receive the benefit.

Terms

You can get welfare benefits if you meet some conditions:

  • you are over 18 years of age;
  • you have insufficient income or assets to pay your ordinary living expenses. See the Assistance Standards page for more information.

What amount can you get?

  • How much money you can get depends on your age and whether you live alone or together. This is called the assistance standard.
  • There are also rules for how much equity you may have in order to receive assistance.
  • See the Assistance Standards page for amounts and more information.

Labor Duty

If you receive welfare benefits, you - and your partner, if any - are subject to the obligation to work. The obligation to work includes the following:

  • You seek employment and accept an offer of employment;
  • you use a provision of the municipality that can get you working or otherwise active;
  • You are cooperating in an investigation of your employment opportunities.

If you do not comply with this, the municipality may temporarily reduce your benefit entitlement. You will then receive less benefit.

Duty to inquire

Within the Participation Act, you - and your partner, if any - are subject to the obligation to provide information. This includes the following:

  • you must disclose, upon request or as soon as possible on your own, anything that may affect eligibility for assistance benefits or employment.

If you do not or not sufficiently comply with the obligation to provide information, the municipality must review or withdraw the right to the benefit. This may mean that the municipality will reclaim assistance. In addition, the municipality determines whether a fine must be imposed.