Ziektewet-uitkering (ZW)
Sickness Benefits Act payment
UWV pays 70% of your daily wage if you fall sick without an employer to keep paying you — agency workers, ex-employees, voluntarily insured self-employed.
Start application →The Ziektewet-uitkering (ZW) is the Dutch Sickness Benefits Act payment from UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen). It targets people without an employer who would otherwise have to keep paying them: agency workers (uitzendkrachten) between contracts, those whose contract has just ended, voluntarily insured self-employed (vrijwillig verzekerd ZZP), and pregnant women in similar situations. The benefit pays 70% of the SV daily wage, capped at the maximum daily wage (€304.25 in 2026), so roughly €213/day for a typical claimant. Application is made by phone or online via MijnUWV. ZW typically runs up to 104 weeks (or as long as the cause of incapacity continues) before transitioning to a WIA assessment.
Eligibility
You may qualify for Ziektewet if:
- You are insured under Dutch employee social insurance and unable to work due to illness
- You have no employer obliged to keep paying your wage during illness
- You belong to a covered category: agency worker, ex-employee, WW recipient who falls sick, voluntarily insured self-employed, or no-fault termination
- You report your illness to UWV on time (typically within the legal deadline)
- You cooperate with UWV's reintegration plan and medical reviews