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 Rijssen-Holten

Here is some information from your municipality.

Request assistance

If you do not have enough money to live on, you may receive social assistance benefits. To receive social assistance benefits, your income and equity must be below the social assistance limit. For example, equity is your house, car and savings. You will receive social assistance benefits until you have enough income again.

The request

You apply for social assistance benefits via Werk.nl. You first register as a job seeker. You will receive an email from them within 2 working days confirming your benefit application. You will then receive a list of documents that we need from you. After you have provided the requested documents, we will assess the application as quickly as possible.

The application is completely digital. We try to process requests quickly. Is it not possible to submit the application digitally? Please contact the Social Questions Square.

You don't have enough money for your living expenses.
You are 18 years or older.
You live in the Netherlands.
You have basic knowledge of the Dutch language (level 1F). This means that you can write and understand short, easy texts.
You are not entitled to any other benefit.
You do not belong to an excluded group of people, such as prisoners or people without a residence permit.
You adhere to the rules that the municipality imposes on you.

Your Burgerservicenummer – BSN (citizen service number) and, if applicable, that of your partner and/or children.
Your most recent bank statements and, if applicable, those of your partner and/or children.
Your mortgage details if you own a home.
Your email address.
Your DigiD.
If you apply at the service desk, you will need a valid form of identitification. This cannot be a driving licence.

The application is completely digital. We try to process requests quickly. Is it not possible to submit the application digitally? Please contact the municipality.

You will hear from us within 4 to 8 weeks whether you will receive social assistance benefits. Can't make it within 4 weeks? Or do you rather need money to buy food or drink? Then we can also give you an advance if you ask us to.

Request assistance