Frequently asked questions about the Sickness Benefit Act (Ziektewet)

1. Which laws and regulations do the Sickness Benefits Act fall under?
When determining your sickness benefit, the rules from the Sickness Benefits Act and the Daily Wage Decree for Employee Insurance are taken into account.

2. How is my daily wage calculated? 
To calculate your sickness benefit, your daily wage is first determined. For this, we look at the salary you received in the year before your first day of illness. We call this period the reference period.

The reference period ends on the last day of the second tax return period before the tax return period in which you became incapacitated for work. The salary from the reference period is used to calculate your Sickness Benefits Act daily wage. The rules for determining the reference period and the daily wage are set out in Article 12b and Article 12e of the Daily Wage Decree for Employee Insurance Schemes.

3. How much is my benefit?
Your benefit is 70% of your fixed gross daily wage.

4. Is the payroll tax credit (loonheffingskorting) applied?
Yes, the payroll tax credit is applied unless you have additional income besides your benefit. If this is the case, you must notify SV Pay of this change.

5. When will I receive my benefit?
Your benefit is processed every four weeks. After the end of each four-week period, you will receive a benefit statement from SV Pay by email. The payment itself is made by your former employer or their insurance company. Please refer to the attached schedule for the payment periods.

6. I have not received my benefit/payment. What should I do?
SV Pay is responsible for the administration of your benefit but does not have access to payment information. Please contact your former employer or their insurance company.

7. Will I receive holiday allowance?
Yes. Your holiday allowance is already included in your Sickness Benefit and is therefore not paid separately.

8. I have a question about my benefit calculation or benefit statement.
Please email your question to Helpdesk@svpay.nl.

9. Can I receive a supplement to my Sickness Benefit?
If your total income is below the Dutch social minimum, you may be eligible to apply for a supplement under the Dutch Supplementary Benefits Act (Toeslagenwet) through the UWV.

10. I am returning to work (partially and/or in suitable work).
Please inform SV Pay and your Occupational Health Service (Arbodienst). In addition, send your payslip every month or every four weeks. 70% of your gross taxable income will be offset against your Sickness Benefit.

Appendix I

Benefit statements are processed after the end of each four-week period. You can expect to receive your benefit statement in weeks 05, 09, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 41, 45, and for Period 13, in week 01 of 2027.

Four-Week Periods – 2026

Period	Weeks
01	1 - 4
02	5 - 8
03	9 - 12
04	13 - 16
05	17 - 20
06	21 - 24
07	25 - 28
08	29 - 32
09	33 - 36
10	37 - 40
11	41 - 44
12	45 - 48
13	49 - 52 + 53