Netherlands WIA disability benefit compensation

In July 2026 the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, led by Minister Hans Vijlbrief, confirmed a new scheme to compensate people who received incorrectly calculated disability benefits under the Work and Income Act (WIA) between 2020 and 2024. The scheme, which takes effect on 1 September 2026, authorises the UWV to issue a one‑off lump‑sum payment to eligible claimants covering missed income. Overpayments will not be reclaimed and the compensation will not be treated as taxable income, so it will not affect means‑tested allowances such as housing or health subsidies.

Eligibility is defined in three categories: claimants whose daily wage was set too low during the 2020‑2024 period; those whose daily wage was not indexed between July 2006 and December 2022; and certain WIA claims that began on or after July 2015 and involve “loonloze tijdvakken” under Central Appeals Tribunal rulings. The policy aims to restore correct monthly benefit amounts and provide a single lump‑sum correction.

The announcement follows a broader discussion on victim compensation in debt‑restructuring cases, where the Dutch creditor‑debtor federation urged reforms to allow partial retention of immaterial damage compensation outside bankruptcy estates. However, the core development remains the implementation of the WIA compensation scheme.