We understand that our decisions can have a significant impact on your life. We therefore recommend contacting us before filing an appeal. This ensures we are able to clarify things for you and explain why we took the decision we did. It also gives you an opportunity to pass on any information we might not have.

To get in touch with us, refer to the contact information in your decision letter.

To appeal against a decision, you will need to appeal to the Administrative Court (‘sector Bestuursrecht van de rechtbank’). To do this, complete the online Appeals form (‘Aantekenen beroep’). You will need a DigiD account to do this.

Please note: This online form is only intended for individuals. Businesses and organisations must appeal by post.

After the court receives your completed Appeals form, it will ask us to respond. We will then prepare a statement of defence (‘verweerschrift’) and enclose any documents the court might need. If anything is unclear, the judge will contact us both for more information.

The judge will usually hold a hearing before deciding on your appeal. You and UWV will both be invited to attend the hearing, which will occur in court. During the hearing, each side will be given the opportunity to tell their side of the story. You may choose do this yourself or have a lawyer speak on your behalf. The court will inform you of its decision in writing.

Please be aware that going to court costs money. You will probably have to spend money on court fees, travel expenses and legal fees. If the judge rules in your favour, or if the decision is partially in your favour, some of these fees might be covered. However, you should not assume this will be the case.

If you want to claim damages (‘schadevergoeding’), you should inform the court of this during the appeals process.

It can take quite a while to get a court decision on an appeal. This can make things difficult if your benefits have stopped and you have no other source of income. In such a situation, you can ask the court for temporary financial support via the ‘Voorzieningenrechter’ (a judge specialised in these cases). You might then be entitled to an advance payment from UWV.

Please note: This advance is a loan. You will either have to pay it back or it will be set off against your benefits. In addition, you will have to pay court fees when applying for temporary financial support.