UWV opens NOW counter on Monday 6 April, 9.00 a.m.

Employers who wish to qualify for the temporary Emergency Measure Bridging Employment (NOW) can submit an application to the UWV from Monday 6 April at 9.00 a.m. onwards. The UWV expects tens of thousands of applications per day.

Maintaining employment in difficult times

The NOW scheme is intended to retain as many jobs as possible in these difficult times. Employers with at least 20 percent loss of turnover over a period of three months are eligible for an allowance for wage costs for the months March to May, provided they continue to pay their staff. This allowance is a maximum of 90 percent for a loss of turnover of 100 percent and proportionally less for a lower loss of turnover. In the first instance, the UWV pays an advance of 80 percent of the allowance. The advance is paid in three instalments.

Tens of thousands of applications per day

The UWV counts on tens of thousands of applications a day. UWV: ‘We are prepared for that. If the run-up gets too big, there is a kind of queueing mechanism built in, where people are asked to try again a little later. Anyway, it’s of course nice if the applications come in a little spread out. We hope that employers, if possible, will take this into account. Nevertheless, everything has been done at a record pace. So it is inevitable that we will run into unforeseen matters and bottlenecks. We try to resolve them as quickly as possible, but we ask for your understanding.

Checklist for employers

The UWV expects to be able to pay out employers who submit a complete application within two to four weeks. It will often go even faster’, according to the UWV. It is important, however, that employers complete the application correctly and completely in one go’. To help employers with this, a checklist with the necessary information can be found on the UWV website:

• your company details: name, address, telephone number, e-mail, contact details
• if you have applied for reduced working hours: the case number (the case number can be found on the confirmation of receipt from the ministry. The number consists of 5 or 6 digits)
• the wage tax number (you must submit a separate application for each wage tax number)
• the 3 months over which you expect at least 20% loss of sales
• the expected percentage of loss of sales in that period
• the account number and the name (this must be the account number used by the tax authorities to reimburse you for overpaid payroll taxes. The UWV only transfers the allowance to that account number)
• a copy (scan or screenshot) of your bank statement (this is a copy of the bank account mentioned above. Account number and name of the account holder must be clearly visible)

Please note: you can only provide a Dutch address and account number.

You must sign a declaration of intent on the application. By doing so, you declare that:

• you have filled in the correct information and have been complete
• you understand and accept that the provisions of the General Administrative Law Act apply to the application
• you are authorized to represent the company
• no suspension of payments or bankruptcy has been applied for
• you agree to the storage and processing of the data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR/AVG).

What do you have to do?

Go to: now.uwv.nl

Fill in the form, print it out and sign it

• Fill in the form.
• Make sure you have filled in all the information correctly.
• Save and print a pdf version of the form.
• Put your name, the date of signature and your signature on the printed form.
  Please note: only signed forms will be processed.

Scan the form

• Now scan the signed form.
• Save the scan as a pdf, jpeg, jpg or png file. The maximum size of the file is 4MB.

Scan a bank statement

• Also make a scan of your bank account statement.
• The bank account number and the name of the account holder must be clearly visible on the scan. You may blacken the other details.
• Save the scan as a pdf, jpeg, jpg or png file. The maximum size of the file is 4MB.
• This is the bank account number that the Tax Authorities use to refund you overpaid payroll taxes.

Upload the scanned files and submit the form

• Upload the scan of the form.
• Upload the scan of your bank statement (or the screenshot of your online account statement).
• Have you uploaded both files? Then click on ‘Submit application’.
• The form has now been sent.

Upon receipt of the form, UWV will assess whether you are entitled to a NOW grant.