Wage expense allowance
Not everyone has an equal opportunity when it comes to accessing the jobs market. Fortunately the government has introduced several schemes to help in this respect. The wage expense allowance and the no-risk policy are allowances that employers can claim if they employ people from certain target groups. Through these schemes, the government’s intention is to ensure that vulnerable groups of workers have better and fairer opportunities in the jobs market. Looking for advice concerning these schemes? We can assist you with applications for subsidies for wage expense allowances, low-income allowances and no-risk policies, or alternatively we can handle the whole process for you.
Subsidy options for you as an employer
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There are subsidies available for employers who take on disabled employees or people who have been on benefits. A condition for the wage expense allowance is that the employer must have a target group statement. This statement must be applied for on behalf of each individual member of staff within three months of the commencement of their employment. We can help to ensure that you qualify for the subsidy, and we can handle the application process for you.
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If you employ low-income staff, you can benefit from the low-income allowance, which is an annual allowance for employers. This subsidy is paid out automatically and reduces the labour costs for the members of staff in the target population. We can assist you with this too. Please note: this subsidy applies until 1 January 2025.
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If members of staff fall ill, sickness benefits under the Sickness Benefits Act can be a safety net in some cases. We can help you to negotiate the process by asking your employees about their situation prior to employment and the reason for the sickness or absence, so that we can assess whether the safety net scheme applies. As an employer, you can then notify the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), after which you may be compensated for sickness benefits in accordance with the safety net scheme.
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Each year, employers receive a Return to Work Fund (Whk) decision. If you’d like to be certain that everything is in good order, we can check the decisions for you, file pro-forma objections when needed and analyse inflows based on data and smart tooling. If we discover any inaccuracies or discrepancies, we file an objection and ensure that this process is properly settled.
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The contribution differentiation for unemployment benefits has been in force since 1 January 2020. This means that employers pay a lower unemployment contribution for employees on permanent contracts than for those on flexible contracts. Under certain circumstances, it’s possible to pay lower unemployment benefit contributions. The advisory department analyses the contributions applied and advises employers accordingly.
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It is possible to claim back the cost of a transition payment for an employee who has been off sick for a prolonged period. Under the compensation scheme for transition payments, the employer can recover these payments.
To qualify for compensation, the following conditions apply:
The member of staff was dismissed due to long-term illness
The member of staff was entitled to the transition payment by law
The employer paid the transition payment to the member of staff
