Reviving your WW benefit

Unemployment and self-employment

Are you ending your sole proprietorship? And did you earlier have an unemployment benefit (WW)? Then you are sometimes able to get your WW back if its full term was not reached. This is called revival of WW benefit (herleving WW-uitkering

Were you employed before you had your own business? Then you may be able to get an unemployment benefit (WW). Read when you can get WW benefit as a self-employed person on the website of the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV).

How long are you entitled to your old WW benefit?

The period during which you may receive WW benefit again or in full depends on how long you were entitled to WW benefit:

- Were you entitled to WW for 18 months or less? Then you can reapply for WW benefit within 18 months from the date you started being self-employed.

- Were you entitled to WW for longer than 18 months? Then you can reapply for your benefit from the date you started as self-employed within the number of months you were entitled to WW.

See examples (in Dutch) on the UWV website.

Reapplying for WW benefit

You can revive your old WW benefit by reapplying for WW benefit.

Please note that you will then again have to apply for salaried jobs and report your application activities to UWV.