Applying for social assistance

If you have too little money to get by, you may be entitled to social assistance (bijstand). You can apply for social assistance at your municipality or the werk.nl website, an online work platform operated by the Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen – UWV (Employee Insurance Agency).

You are entitled to social assistance if you:

are a Dutch citizen or lawfully resident in the Netherlands, and;
are aged 18 or over;
do not have enough income or funds to get by. Your (joint) income must be below the social assistance standard (in Dutch);
cannot claim any other provision or benefit;
are not in prison or in a detention house.

There are also a number of obligations when you receive social assistance (in Dutch).

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of Borger-Odoorn

Here is some information from your municipality.

Applying for social assistance

Please note: you can only apply for bijstand (social assistance) if you live in the Netherlands and are registered with a municipality.

You can apply for social assistance from the municipality of Borger-Odoorn if you meet the following additional conditions:

You live in the municipality of Borger-Odoorn
You are 18 years or older.
You do not yet receive any provision or benefit, such as Algemene Ouderdomswet – AOW (State Pension).
Do you live with your partner or have a joint household with someone? If so, the income and savings of that person are also taken into account.
You are participating in activities offered to you by the municipality of Borger-Odoorn to find work.
You must understand, speak, read and write Dutch to a sufficient standard. You are entitled to social welfare assistance even if your Dutch is not good enough. However, the municipality may reduce your welfare benefit if you do not do your best to learn Dutch.
Are you between 18 and 27 years old? If so, you can also apply for social assistance on the condition that, first, you actively look for work or education for 4 weeks.

Go to UWV's website Werk.nl. You will need your DigiD. The UWV indicates which documents you need.
- Register yourself as a job seeker.
- You apply for social assistance.
After applying for social assistance, you will receive a letter. In the letter we will inform you about the process you will follow at Menso.
If you are older than 27, you will receive an invitation from Menso for a kick-off meeting. Together with other job seekers, Menso explains the process and how Menso will support you.
You then have a personal interview with a work and training coach from Menso. This coach guides you in the process of finding a job.
In the meantime, we have received the application for your social assistance benefit from the UWV. We determine whether you are entitled to social assistance benefits and how much money you will receive.

Are you between 18 and 27 years old? Then you first need to actively look for school or work in a 4 week period. Keep track of the steps you take. After 4 weeks, your request for social assistance will become final. You will have an interview with the work and training coach at Menso. Together with Menso you draw up a plan to find a job.

You will find out within 8 weeks whether you will receive social assistance. You will receive social assistance from the date of the application.