Maternity allowance for self-employed professionals
This information is provided by Netherlands Enterprise Agency
If you are a female self-employed professional based in the Netherlands, you are entitled to an allowance during pregnancy or after childbirth under the Maternity Benefit Scheme for the Self-Employed (Zelfstandig en Zwangerregeling, ZEZ). You can apply for this allowance by sending a ZEZ application form (in Dutch) to the Employee Insurance Agency (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, UWV).
Maximum allowance
The maximum amount of the prenatal or childbirth allowance is 100% of the statutory gross minimum wage. You receive a benefit to this amount if you have worked for at least 1,225 hours in the preceding year. If you have worked fewer than 1,225 hours, the benefit depends on profit/income in the years before the benefit is paid. The minimum term of the benefit is 16 weeks.
Temporary childbirth compensation
Self-employed women who gave birth between 7 May 2005 and 4 June 2008 did not receive a pregnancy allowance and therefore may be eligible for €5,600 euro gross in compensation. If you were pregnant during this period, you can apply for this compensation from the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) between 15 May – 30 September 2018. The compensation will be paid as of 1 January 2018. Please note that opening date for applications for this regulation may be postponed.