Applying for social assistance

When are you eligible for assistance?

You are eligible for assistance if you meet the following criteria: 

• You legally lives in the Netherlands. 
• You are 18 years or older. 
• You do not have enough income or equity to support yourself. Do you live with a partner or spouse or do you run a joint household with someone? In that case, the income and equity of this person are included.
• You can not claim any other benefit. 
• You are not in prison or a remand. 
• You do your best to find work and participate in activities we offer you to find work.

Do you have roommates (for example a partner, parents or children over the age of 21) and do you share the living costs? Then you will receive less assistance. This is the cost-sharing standard for social assistance.

Equity

If you are single, you may have a maximum of € 6,295 in equity to receive social assistance benefits. In all other cases, this amount is a maximum of € 12,590 (amounts 2021). 

Is your capital higher? Then you first use this money responsibly for the cost of living. There are several ways in which wealth can and should be consumed. For information about your own situation, please contact the Performance – Work and Income Team. You can reach them by telephone (015) 380 42 32 or (015) 380 42 42 or email werkinkomen@middendelfland.nl. 

Own house

You may also be eligible for social assistance benefits if you have your own home. We will then investigate whether you have surplus value on your home. Is the equity higher than € 53,100 (amount 2021)? Then we provide the social assistance benefit in the form of a loan. When your benefit ends, for example if you have found work or move house, you will repay the benefit gross. This also applies if you sell the house.

Other criteria

Social assistance benefits are a temporary solution. The intention is that you earn your own income as soon as possible, preferably through paid work. A condition for receiving assistance is that you make an effort to find work. The job offered to you does not always have to match your level of knowledge and experience. You must accept generally accepted employment. We can assist you in your job search. For example, by offering a reintegration programme, training or guidance. You are obliged to cooperate with this. Are you (temporarily) unable to work? For example because you are sick? Then we look together what you can do. We may then ask you to do other activities such as volunteering, or to participate in a social activation process. Please keep in mind that the extent to which you cooperate in your reintegration process may also determine (the amount of) your social assistance benefit. 

You can find the amount of the benefits on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.

For the application, collect the following information from yourself and your housemates:

• Name, date of birth, citizen service number (BSN), valid proof of identity (no driver's license) and any residence permit
• Income data (salary, alimony, tax refund)
• Data on assets (assets, securities, supporting documents of debts)
• Amount of your rent or mortgage
• Supporting documents rent and care allowance
• Bank statements from the last three months of all bank accounts and savings accounts you and your roommates have
• When you have your own home: purchase deed, mortgage deed, mortgage overview, decision WOZ, policies of insurances taken out.

It is possible that you will receive a request from UVW or from the municipality for further evidence.

You can apply for assistance online via www.werk.nl. For this you need a DigiD. Do you have a partner or spouse with whom you live? Then you both need a DigiD and you both fill in your details.

Did you submit the application? Then fill in the work profile form and contact the municipality within 2 working days. This can be done via (015) 380 41 11. You can also drop by. This is possible from Tuesday to Friday between 09.00 and 12.30 hours. Ask at the desk for the Team Execution – Work and Income.

Visiting address town hall: Anna van Raesfeltstraat 37, 2636 HX Schipluiden.

Younger than 27 years?

Are you younger than 27 years old? Then, after your report to the UWV-Werkbedrijf, you first look for work yourself for four weeks. You will also see if you can go back to school and report to our youth consultant. After these four weeks you can submit your application.

Older than 27 years?

Are you over 27 years old? Then we will invite you for an activation interview after your request. In this conversation, we make agreements with you about what you do in the two weeks after the interview to find work. This can include, for example, drawing up a Curriculum Vitae (CV), applying for generally accepted work and registering with employment agencies. After two weeks we will invite you again. We will then check whether you have kept to the agreements. Therefore, keep all proof of this well.

The municipality has 8 weeks to determine your entitlement to social assistance benefits. This is a long time, especially if you already have little to no income. After four weeks, we will therefore provide you with an advance in the form of an interest-free loan. You don't have to ask for this.

No advance payment

There is not always a right to an advance. There are three exceptions:

• You have not yet provided the information requested by the municipality, not timely or incompletely and this is to blame you;
• You do not cooperate sufficiently; or
• At the time of the application it is already clear that you are not entitled to assistance.
  If any of these situations occur, we will not provide you with an advance payment.

Advance payment for direct purchases ('bread shortage')

In some situations, you can get an advance immediately. For example, if you have applied for social assistance benefits, but do not have enough money to be able to pay for your first necessity (food). You can then request an advance from the work and income customer manager, who will process your application. You submit the following data:

• Recent bank statement of all your bank accounts;
• Supporting documents of debts.

Payment due to clerical errors

You can get an immediate payment if an administrative error results in your benefit not being transferred on time.