Do you have employees who want or need to upskill, retrain, or further develop their skills? They can apply for the STAP budget. This is a compensation of at most €1,000 for further training and development. The STAP budget replaces the tax deduction for employee training and education.
The STAP budget (Incentive for improvement of labour market position, STimulans ArbeidsmarktPositie, in Dutch) can be used for a training or education listed in the STAP training register (in Dutch) on the Employee Insurance Agency’s (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, UWV) STAP portal (in Dutch).
Trainers can sign up via the STAP register (in Dutch). You can only register an educational activity if the trainer is recognised (in Dutch).
Who can apply?
The Stap Budget is meant for all employees and job seekers who want to improve their chances on the labour market.
You are eligible for this budget if:
- you can demonstrate ties with the Dutch labour market, and
- you cannot apply for other forms of financing for education, such as student finance
You can apply if:
- you have not applied for the STAP Budget in the current calendar year
- you are over 18 years of age
- you do not receive old age pension (AOW)
- you or your (registered) partner have the Dutch nationality, or the nationality of another EU country
- you are covered by social security
All conditions are listed in UWV’s STAP portal. You can check if you are eligible with the Dutch-language pre-check.
How to apply?
You can apply for the STAP budget (in Dutch) via UWV's STAP portal. You need DigiD to login. In 2023 there are 5 application rounds (in Dutch), the 1st opens on 17 March 2023, 10.00 hours. Every 2 months a new application round opens (1 May, 3 July, 4 September, and 1 November 2023).
You should apply before you start your training. If your application is approved, the trainer will receive the budget. You can apply for a STAP budget once a year.
