Where to apply for social assistance in the Netherlands

Applications go to the municipality where you live

Each municipality sets its own first step. In some places you apply online with DigiD, in others you phone first, which can fix your application date, or sign up on werk.nl before an adviser contacts you. Offices also have their own help for people who find the form hard, and their own list of what to prepare.

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1 office in Zoetermeer

  • Zoetermeer

    Gemeente Zoetermeer — Locatie Zuidwaarts 9

    Zuidwaarts 9, 2711 HA Zoetermeer

    From age 27, apply on werk.nl with DigiD, and if you hear nothing within two weeks, phone the city to check it arrived.

    Apply onlineOffice website14 079

    Prepare BSN (citizen service number), DigiD (the Dutch digital ID for government websites), income and current benefit information, rent or mortgage costs, assets and debts, recent employment dates and relevant partner or household details requested by the form. Bring your own and any partner’s identification and your CV to the interview. Keep the submission confirmation. If a document deadline is difficult, contact the income officer to request more time. Ask that officer about an advance if money cannot last until a decision; it is conditional and repayable if entitlement is refused.

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Social assistance for basic living costs

See who can apply for income support, what a municipality takes into account and where to get advice if the application is difficult.

Social assistance in the Netherlands

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