What is a WIA benefit from UWV?
You will receive a UWV benefit if you are unemployed or will. We only focus on the WIA benefit if you become not able to work for work due to sickness.
WIA stands for: Work and Income according to Capacity for Work Act. You can apply for the WIA if you are unable to work or can work less due to sickness. If you become will, you receive a sickness benefit for the first 2 years of sickness and is normally paid by your employer. You apply for WIA benefit when you have been sick for almost 2 years. You are then 35% or more not able to work for work. After 2 years, the sickness benefit changes into a WIA benefit.
At the UWV, both the insurance doctor and the labor expert determine your situation. They also calculate for what % you are not able to work (incapacity for work %).
You can receive a WIA benefit if you are 35% or more not able to work. If you are less than 35% not able to work, you do not receive a WIA benefit.
Could you earn 65% or more of your old salary in another work or position according to UWV (insurance doctor? In that case you do not receive a WIA benefit.
Could you earn less than 65% of your old salary in other work according to UWV (insurance doctor)? Then the UWV decides whether you receive a WIA benefit or not.
What does a WIA benefit mean?
The WIA is subdivided into the WGA benefit and the IVA benefit.
- WGA stands for: Return to Work for Partially Disabled People. You may receive a WGA if you have been sick for 2 years or more and can work (in the future).
- IVA stands for: Income Provision for Completely Disabled Persons. You may receive an IVA if you are unable or hardly able to work and there is little chance that you will recover in future.
Various payments are possible as described above.
- You will receive WGA benefit if you are between 35-80 % not able to work.
- You will receive WGA benefit if you are between 80-100 % not able to work. Does the UWV expect that your situation can improve or change? Then you are temporarily unable to work, but it is not expected to be permanent. In this case, you will also receive a WGA benefit.
- You will receive IVA benefits if you are between 80-100% not able to work permanently. Is this not expected to change in the future? Then you will receive an IVA benefit.
When WIA benefit?
After you have been sick for 88 weeks, you will receive a letter from the UWV. The letter states that you can apply for WIA. Please note that you can submit the WIA application until the 93rd week of sickness at the latest. So, apply for the WIA benefit on time. Submitting too late can result in you being without income for a while. This is because the employer no longer pays the salary after 2 years of sickness. Or if you no longer have an employer, the sickness benefit will stop after 2 years.
Apply for early WIA benefit from UWV
In some cases the company doctor has advised applying for an early WIA. This is the case if it is expected that you will never be able to work again now and in the future. In this case, you can apply for the WIA early. This is called “applications with reduced waiting time”. Because you can only apply for this early WIA once, it is important that this is advised by the company doctor.
When to apply for early WIA from UWV
After at least 3 weeks of sickness, you can apply for this early WIA. Apply for the early WIA at least before you have been sick for 1 year and 3 months. Either before you are sick for 68 weeks.
Self-insurer with UWV benefit
Check with your (ex) employer whether this is a “eigenrisicodrager’ (self-insurer) for the sickness benefit. ‘Eigenrisicodrager’ (self-insurer) means that the employer chooses to pay the sickness benefit to employees himself. The employer then partially takes over the role of UWV. The process regarding sickness and reintegration process is then provided by the employer. The employer remains responsible for current and former employees.
In the case of self-insurer status by the employer, you can ask the company doctor for a statement of company doctor.
Do you no longer have an employer? Then let the insurance doctor advise you about the early application.
WIA benefit amount
The amount of your benefit will depend on your last salary earned on your 1st day of sickness. For a WGA benefit, this is 70% of your salary at your last employer. With an IVA benefit this is 75% of your salary. It is the salary you earned in the position from which you became sick.
In addition, the disability % is also considered (=for how much you are not able to work). The UWV uses different disability %s. You can therefore be partially or completely not able to work. Finally, for the calculation of the WIA benefit, it is important whether you receive a WGA or IVA benefit.
WGA benefit
As mentioned earlier, the WGA benefit is intended for people who can work partially. Or be able to return to work in the future. The amount of the WGA benefit depends on which benefit you receive. There are 3 different benefits that fall under the WGA benefit:
- Loongerelateerde uitkering (salary-related benefit)
- Loonaanvullingsuitkering (you work besides the benefit)
- Vervolguitkering (follow-up benefit: you earn less than 50% besides your benefit)
In the letter from the UWV you can read which of 3 benefits you will receive. In addition, the amount of the benefit depends on whether or not you work. It is true that you will be reduced in benefits if you work, but your total income will increase. So, working while on benefits pays off. Be careful if you receive benefits from the tax authorities. Then the total income will change and you may lose some of the tax benefits.
What is a ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit) from UWV?
You will receive this benefit at the start of the WGA benefit. As with unemployment benefits (WW-uitkering), the duration of the salary-related benefit depends on how many years you have worked. The condition is that you have worked at least 26 weeks of the last 36 weeks before you became sick. The salary-related benefit lasts at least 3 months.
Calculation of ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit) from UWV
Your monthly WIA benefit per month is calculated as follows: UWV looks at the average (sv-loon) salary in the year before your 1st day of sickness. The social security salary (sv-loon) of 12 months before the 1st day of sickness is added together and divided by 261 days. After that, the amount is multiplied by 21.75 days. The amount that comes out is your WIA monthly benefit.
What is social security salary (sv-loon) when calculating WIA benefit?
The SV salary (sv-loon) is the part of your salary on which the employer paid the premium. Your social security salary is used to calculate the amount of the benefit. Usually the SV salary is stated on your paycheck. If this is not the case, they will use your gross monthly salary (bruto), holiday allowance, shift allowance and end-of-year bonus or 13th month.
If you are not working, the salary-related benefit is 75% of the WIA monthly benefit for the first 2 months. From the third month, the salary-related benefit is 70% of your WIA monthly benefit.
Calculation of social security salary (sv-loon) for the amount of WIA benefit
You multiply your monthly (sv-loon) salary x12 months. The holiday allowance (VT) and year-end bonus or 13th month are paid once a year. Check your paycheck to see how much shift work allowance (ORT) you have received. Add everything together and divide by 261 days. Finally, multiply the amount by 21.75. This is your monthly WIA benefit.
Example: your monthly salary is: 1600 x12 months = 19200.
Your holiday allowance per year is: 1536.
19200 + 1536 = 20 736 social security salary
20736: 261 = 79.44 payout per day
79.44 × 21.75 = 1727.82 WIA benefit per month.
Sv salary are usually slightly less than the gross salary (bruto).
Calculation of ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related) UWV benefit
If you do work, the salary-related benefit for the first two months is 75% of the WIA monthly benefit, minus 75 % of the amount you now earn. From the third month onwards, the benefit is 70 % of the WIA monthly salary minus 70% of your income.
There is a maximum amount of benefits that you can receive. This amount is determined by law and is determined twice a year. If you were a millionaire before, you will never be awarded the same amount in benefit during a WIA benefit. This will always be lower.
WIA benefit and work
If you start working in addition to your ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit), this will affect your benefit. You can use the LGU calculation tool to see what the effect of working is.
When the salary-related benefit ends, there are 2 options:
loonaanvullingsuitkering benefit or vervolguitkering (follow-up) benefit.
What is a ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering’ (LAU) (salary supplementation benefit) from UWV?
The salary supplement benefit (LAU) looks at what you earn on the one hand and what you can earn according to the UWV labor expert on the other. You receive a salary supplement benefit (LAU) if you work and use more than 50 % of your earning capacity. You can get an LAU with 35% to 80% incapacity (=not able to work) for work. Finally, you can get an LAU with 80% to 100% disability. 80% to 100% means that you are not able to work at all and get the full benefit.
Loonaanvullingsuitkering (LAU) (salary supplementation benefit) at 35% to 80% incapacity for work (not able to work)
What means earning capacity?
The earning capacity is the amount that the labor expert (arbeidsdeskundige) of the UWV has calculated that you can still earn.
There are two options:
1. Earning between 50% and 100% by working of what you can earn according to the labor expert. Your benefit is 70% of your WIA monthly benefit minus 70% of the amount you could earn according to the UWV.
2. Earn 100% or more than what you can earn according to the labor expert. In that case, the benefit will be 70% of the WIA monthly benefit minus 70% of your actual earnings.
Loonaanvullingsuitkering (LAU) (salary supplementation benefit) with 80% to 100% disability
Is it expected that you are temporarily fully not able to work for work (80-100%)? UWV will then give you a WGA benefit for partially disabled people.
The difference with the LAU where you are 35% to 80% not able to work is that you do not have to work in addition to the benefit. In short, without income you still get an LAU.
Will the disability % change after a consultation or medical examination at the UWV? Has the disability % now become between 35 and 80%? Then there is an income requirement (earning more than 50% of the earning capacity) to receive an LAU.
If you do not meet the income requirement requested by UWV, you will fall back to the ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) (VVU). This benefit is a lot lower. You will receive a ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) if you can receive no or a lower income from work (less than 50%) in addition to your LAU that is less than 80% to 100%. Will the incapacity (=not able to work) for work % be lower than 35%? Then you do not receive the WIA benefit.
Calculation of ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering’ (salary supplementation) benefit from UWV
As with the ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit), the WIA monthly benefit is calculated in the same way. The UWV looks at the average (sv-loon) salary’ in the year before your 1st day of sickness. The social security salary of 12 months before the 1st day of sickness is added together and divided by 261 days. After that, the amount is multiplied by 21.75 days. The amount that comes out is your WIA monthly benefit.
WIA benefit and work
If you start working in addition to your ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering’ ( salary supplementation benefit), this will affect your benefit. You can use the LAU calculation tool to see what the effect of working is.
What is a ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) from UWV?
The ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) is a % of the minimum salary in the Netherlands (Dutch law), in which the disability % (how much you are not able to work) is also taken into account. Usually you first receive a ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit). After that, you may receive either a ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering’ (salary supplement benefit) or the ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit). The letter from the UWV states which benefits you are going to receive.
If you receive a ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit), your monthly benefit will drop sharply compared to the ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related) or ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering’ (salary supplement benefit). This is because the UWV is no longer based on your last-earned salary but on the minimum salary that is the same for anyone in the Netherlands. This makes it important to check whether you may receive other benefits again.
Calculation of ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) from UWV
The amount of the ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit) depends on the degree of incapacity for work (how much you can’t work). This is calculated on the basis of for which % you are not able to work. The labor expert has determined the % of incapacity for work. The % you fall into can be seen in the letter from the UWV. If you earned less than the minimum salary in advance, the benefit will be calculated on the basis of your old salary.
The % are as follows:
- 35 to 45 % not able to work: 28 % of the minimum salary
- 45 to 55% not able to work: 35 % of the minimum salary
- 55 to % not able to work: 42 % of the minimum salary
- 65 to 80 % not able to work: 50.75 % of the minimum salary
WIA benefit and work
If you start working in addition to your ‘vervolguitkering’ (follow-up benefit), this will affect your benefit. You can use the VVU calculation tool to see what the effect of working is.
UWV benefit below minimum salary
It may be that in terms of monthly benefit you come below the minimum salary and are not able to pay all your expenses. Then apply for an allowance at the UWV. Maybe you may receive an extra amount in addition to your monthly benefit.
What is an IVA benefit from UWV?
An IVA benefit is for people who are completely and permanently not able to work. The UWV assumes that you will remain not able to work for work in the future. The IVA benefit amounts to at least 75% of the WIA monthly benefit. With an IVA benefit you do not have to deal with the % classes we covered before. You will therefore always receive at least 75% of the WIA monthly benefit. This % never changes and offers financial security.
Sometimes this benefit can be higher: up to a maximum of 100 % of the WIA monthly benefit. You will receive the benefit up to your state pension age if nothing changes to your health. Sometimes the UWV requests a new examination of your health condition, but this rarely happens.
Calculation of IVA benefit from UWV
The calculation of the IVA benefit is calculated in the same way as for the salary-related benefit. The UWV looks at the average (sv-loon) salary in the year before your 1st day of sickness. The social security salary of 12 months before the 1st day of sickness is added together and divided by 261 days. After that, the amount is multiplied by 21.75 days. The amount that comes out is your WIA monthly benefit.
WIA benefit and work
If you start working in addition to your IVA benefit, this will affect your benefit. You can use the IVA Calculation Tool to see what the effect of working is. However, volunteering does not affect the IVA benefit.
Sometimes an IVA benefit can already be applied for during the sickness benefit period. These are the 1st 2 years that you are sick before you apply for a WIA. You are then still employed by the employer. Unfortunately, this is a bad sign. This means that it is known early on that you will be completely not able to work forever.
Duration of WIA benefit
If you receive a WGA benefit, there is a maximum duration.
You will receive the IVA benefit up to your state pension age. With a WGA benefit you need to go to the insurance doctor from the UWV once a year normally to determine whether you are still not able to work. In addition, the earning capacity is regularly reviewed. The duration of the ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit) is stated in the decision letter from the UWV.
Are you going to work during or after the ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ (salary-related benefit)? Do you earn more than 65% of your old salary with this? Then you will receive a ‘loonaanvullingsuitkering ‘(salary supplementation benefit) or vervolguitkering (follow-up benefit) from then on up to a maximum of 1 year. This can also be less than a year. Sometimes you will no longer receive any benefit after the ‘loongerelateerde uitkering’ salary-related benefit.