A letter from UWV: WW, Ziektewet and the obligations inside a decision
Published: August 27, 2026 · 5 min read · The Letrin team
Dutch words in this post
Hover over an underlined word in the text (tap it on a phone) and see what it means straight away.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WW-uitkering | unemployment benefit |
| wekeneis | the week requirement · Having worked in at least 26 of the 36 weeks before becoming unemployed |
| jareneis | the year requirement · Having worked at least 4 of the last 5 years; it lengthens the benefit |
| arbeidsverleden | employment history · Decides how many months the benefit runs |
| dagloon | daily wage · The figure the benefit is calculated from; it has a ceiling |
| sollicitatieplicht | the duty to look for work |
| verwijtbaar werkloos | unemployed through your own fault |
| maatregel | a sanction · A temporary cut in the benefit when an obligation is not met |
| Ziektewet | the Sickness Benefits Act · The safety net for people with no employer left to pay them |
| ziek uit dienst | reported sick on leaving employment · The report an employer must make to UWV on your last working day |
| WIA | long-term incapacity benefit |
| Mijn UWV | UWV's digital mailbox |
Most UWV letters never pass your letterbox: they collect in Mijn UWVUWV's digital mailbox and in the UWV app. That is easier to miss than a paper envelope, and a UWV decision is not only news about money; the same letter loads you with obligations, and money can be taken off the benefit when they are not met.
Before the letter: a one week window
You can apply for WW from one week before your first day of unemployment, and the window closes one week after that day. Apply later and your benefit is paid at a lower rate for a while.
Three things are checked:
- You worked in at least 26 of the last 36 weeks (wekeneisthe week requirement · Having worked in at least 26 of the 36 weeks before becoming unemployed). The number of hours a week does not matter.
- You lose at least 5 hours of work a week and are available for work.
- Your unemployment is not your own doing. If you resigned (verwijtbaar werkloosunemployed through your own fault), there is only a right in exceptional cases.
The decision answers three questions
The decision usually arrives within four weeks of the application and says: whether you have a right, how much you get, and for how long.
The amount has two stages. For the first two months you get 75% of your dagloondaily wage · The figure the benefit is calculated from; it has a ceiling, and from the third month 70%. The dagloondaily wage · The figure the benefit is calculated from; it has a ceiling has a legal ceiling, so a high salary does not raise the benefit in the same proportion. Holiday pay is not included in the monthly payment; UWV pays it separately in May.
The duration follows your employment history.
| Situation | Duration |
|---|---|
| Only the wekeneisthe week requirement · Having worked in at least 26 of the 36 weeks before becoming unemployed is met | 3 months |
| The jareneisthe year requirement · Having worked at least 4 of the last 5 years; it lengthens the benefit is met too | Longer, depending on arbeidsverledenemployment history · Decides how many months the benefit runs |
| First 10 full calendar years | 1 month per year |
| Years from 2016 onwards | Half a month per year |
| Legal maximum | 24 months |
This calculation can be wrong, because the employment history in UWV's records can be incomplete. Compare the years shown in Mijn UWVUWV's digital mailbox with your own jaaropgaven and contracts.
The obligations built into the decision
The same letter, usually further down, says what is expected of you:
- Looking for work. Unless something else has been agreed with you, you need at least 4 job search activities every 4 weeks, and you report them yourself through werk.nl or the UWV app. Keep your applications and interview invitations for at least two years; your adviser can ask for proof.
- Reporting changes. Finding work, falling ill, moving house, travelling abroad, any income at all. Each of these affects the benefit.
- What follows if you do not. UWV imposes a maatregela sanction · A temporary cut in the benefit when an obligation is not met: the benefit is lowered for a set period. Unreported income is reclaimed, and a fine can be added on top.
If a letter has sentences that start with "u moet", that is the expensive part of the letter.
Falling ill: which law takes over
If you fall ill while on WW, report it to UWV by the second day of illness at the latest. The WW payment continues for the first 13 weeks. After that the WW stops and a Ziektewetthe Sickness Benefits Act · The safety net for people with no employer left to pay them benefit begins.
If your temporary contract ends while you are ill, the situation is different. Your employer has to report you to UWV as ziek uit dienstreported sick on leaving employment · The report an employer must make to UWV on your last working day on your last working day. Without that report nothing starts by itself, so check that it happened. The Ziektewetthe Sickness Benefits Act · The safety net for people with no employer left to pay them benefit is usually 70% of your dagloondaily wage · The figure the benefit is calculated from; it has a ceiling, and illness is covered for a maximum of 104 weeks in total, with the period your employer paid wages counted towards those 104 weeks. Before the two years are up, a WIAlong-term incapacity benefit assessment comes into view.
In a long illness the most expensive mistake is missing the appointment and form dates in the letters that follow. These files generate a lot of post, and each letter sets up the next step.
Six weeks to disagree
The period for objecting to a UWV decision (bezwaar) is usually six weeks, and it runs from the date on the letter rather than the day it reached you. For some urgent decisions it is two weeks; the exact day is in the letter itself.
If you have no time to write your grounds, send a short pro forma objection: the deadline is protected and you complete the reasons within the extra time UWV gives you. Most files then get a hearing (hoorzitting), where you can explain your situation in person.
How Letrin reads these letters
If the letter is on a screen, print it or open it on your phone and take a photo. Letrin reads the text on the phone itself and tells you in your own language what the decision says, what the amount and the period are, what is being asked of you and by when. It sets reminders for the deadline: 7 days before, 2 days before and on the morning of the last day.
If you have to write back, Letrin drafts a reply in proper formal Dutch with a translation in your own language next to it; you check it and send it yourself. The photo never leaves your phone, and details like your BSN and IBAN are covered before anything is sent.
Check it against the paper
Explanations are generated with AI. They are there to help and they are not legal advice. The calculations in UWV decisions (dagloondaily wage · The figure the benefit is calculated from; it has a ceiling, arbeidsverledenemployment history · Decides how many months the benefit runs, deductions) are specific to your file, so confirm the amounts and dates against the letter.
If you are objecting, or your benefit has been stopped, Juridisch Loket and the municipality's sociaal raadslieden are free. If you are a union member, the union's legal service handles these cases too.