Unemployment benefits
Thursday, 15 Sep 2005 | Leaving the Netherlands
Today I investigated the impact of this adventure on unemployment benefits. I had a meeting with a lady at the agency who does the intake and she explained it all to me. These benefits could, depending on how things work out the upcoming weeks, be a safety net for me. If things don’t work out for me in Asia and I come back here, these can help me through the time of trying to find a new job here.
To qualify for unemployment benefits I have to be unemployed through no fault of my own. So in my case when I am an unvoluntary replacement candidate. If I volunteer to be a replacement candidate, I give up my rights to unemployment benefits. Benefits here are a percentage of your last earned salary, kicking in at 90% of and after a while dropping to 70% of that salary. There is a maximum of €167.70 per working day, but this is supplemented for employees of the federal government. So, assuming I do qualify…
- The first day of unemployment is also the first day I have the right to benefits. Basically, I have to apply for these benefits within 3 months after that day. I’m allowed a 13 week grace period between being unemployed and applying for benefits, because of the ‘26/39 rule’ which says I have to be employed for 26 of the last 39 weeks to for benefits. The fact that I am not actually working those first doesnt make a difference, because in legal terms I will be employed. Freelance jobs don’t qualify as employment.
- After having been assigned benefits, the government needs a couple of weeks to process my application. She advised me to be in the country during that period.
- After that, I can leave again for a maximum of 6 months. During those 6 months I will not receive any benefits, but I won’t loose the right to them upon my return either.
So, depending on my own financial resources I could spend as much as 16 months trying my luck in Asia, with a one month vacation in The Netherlands.