For many people, filing their 2015 income tax return will also be an opportunity to take a moment to look at the 2015 benefits. In the Netherlands, there are four types of benefits: healthcare benefit, housing benefit, childcare benefit and the child-related budget. Each of these benefits has its own eligibility criteria.
Allowances 2015
Anyone entitled to a benefit must apply for it in good time. Applications for healthcare benefit, housing benefit and the child-related budget can be submitted up to 1 September of the year following the benefit year. Applications for the 2015 benefits must therefore be submitted before 1 September 2016.
If you have been granted an extension by the Tax and Customs Administration to submit your 2015 income tax and national insurance contributions return, you must have submitted your application for benefits before this extension expires. For example, if you have been granted an extension until 1 November 2016 to submit your 2015 tax return, you must have applied for the healthcare allowance, housing benefit or child-related budget for 2015 before 1 November 2016.
An application must have been made for the childcare allowance within 3 months after the month in which the child first starts attending childcare. If the application is submitted too late, the childcare allowance will not be refused, but will come into effect at a later date.
Application for benefits
Applications for allowances must be submitted via my benefits. To log in, you must have a valid DigiD. Changes in your circumstances must also be reported via this channel. To avoid having to repay large sums of overpaid benefits at a later date, it is advisable to report any changes to your personal and financial circumstances immediately via my benefits.
In most cases, there is no need to apply for the child-related budget.
For all benefits, you only need to apply once. As long as the applicant continues to meet the eligibility criteria for the benefit, it will continue to be paid.
If your allowance has been stopped but you believe you now meet the eligibility criteria again, you must, of course, submit a new application in good time.