To report your employees cannot work, complete the Employees cannot work due to the weather form (‘Verzuim melden wegens onwerkbaar weer’). You will need to log onto the employer portal with your EH3 level eHerkenning account to do this.
Let us know by 10:00 a.m. on the first day that your employees cannot work due to extreme weather conditions. You must continue to report this each day before 10:00 a.m. for as long as your employees are unable to work.
If your employees have to stop working due to prolonged rainfall, you can report this to us after 10:00 a.m. as long as it’s on the same day.
If you own a business in an industry that is affected by extreme weather, you will have to bear some of the cost of this. This means if your employees are unable to work due to extreme weather, you will have to pay their wages for a number of waiting days (‘wachtdagen’) before they are entitled to an unemployment benefit.
The weather determines how many waiting days you will have to pay your employees’ wages for:
- In the event of frost, black ice or heavy snowfall: 2 waiting days apply per winter season (which runs from 1 November to 31 March).
- In the event of other types of extreme weather such as storms: 2 waiting days apply per year.
- In the event of prolonged rain: 19 waiting days apply per year.
The following days do not count as days on which your employees cannot work due to the weather:
- public holidays
- special leave
- part leave days or weekends
- time off in lieu (‘ATV-uren’) or scheduled days off
- holiday leave, other types of leave and mandatory days off
- mandatory days off for older employees
If the extreme weather continues beyond the set waiting days, you can apply for an unemployment benefit for your employees (in Dutch). Upload the completed form and any supporting documents by logging onto the employer portal. You will need to submit a separate form for each employee.
Keep in mind this is not a regular unemployment benefit, but a benefit specifically meant for periods of extreme weather.
Please note: You have a maximum of 26 weeks to apply for an unemployment benefit from the day you reported your employee as unable to work. If you apply for the benefit on time, it will be paid within 6 weeks of your application.
- You can only apply for an unemployment benefit for your employees if an agreement already exists in your business’ collective labour agreement (‘CAO’).
- You have done everything possible to help keep your employees working.
In addition, to qualify for an unemployment benefit, your employee must be unable to work for at least 5 hours per week due to extreme weather. Or, less than 50% of their working hours if they normally work less than 10 hours per week.
If your employee receives an unemployment benefit and works for someone else during extreme weather, the employee must report the number of hours worked during extreme weather (in Dutch). Upload this form along with the unemployment benefit application form in the employer portal.