How Much Is My Unemployment Benefit in Netherlands?

The short answer

The amount of your unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) under Dutch law depends on your previous salary and how long you've been unemployed. For the first two months you receive 75% of your daily wage. From the third month onwards this drops to 70% of your daily wage. Your daily wage is calculated by dividing your average gross salary from the last 12 months by the number of working days. There is a maximum daily wage that is set annually in the Netherlands.

What does Dutch law say?

The Dutch Unemployment Act (Werkloosheidswet) regulates the amount of your benefit. The UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) calculates your daily wage based on your salary data from the last 12 months before your dismissal. You receive first 75%, later 70% of this daily wage. Dutch law also sets a maximum daily wage to prevent benefits from becoming too high. For 2024, the maximum daily wage is €289.01 per day.

What should you pay attention to?

Pay close attention to the calculation period of your daily wage, as this determines the amount of your benefit. If you had variable income or received bonuses, these are also included in the calculation. Make sure all your salary data is correctly registered with the UWV. Tax and premiums are still deducted from your gross unemployment benefit, so your net benefit is lower.

Example from practice

Suppose you earned an average of €3,500 gross per month over the past 12 months and worked 5 days a week. Your daily wage would then be €3,500 x 12 = €42,000 per year, divided by approximately 261 working days = €161 per day. For the first 2 months you would receive 75% x €161 = €121 gross per day. From month 3 onwards this becomes 70% x €161 = €113 gross per day. Per month this is approximately €2,640 for the first two months and €2,460 afterwards, before tax.

What can you do?

Take these concrete steps to apply for your unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) and get the correct amount under Dutch law.