If your partner has died
Losing your partner can be very difficult. Your income may also go down as a result. If you meet the necessary conditions, you may qualify for a survivor benefit under the Anw scheme.
What are the conditions?
Your partner must have been insured under the Dutch survivor benefit scheme (Anw scheme) on the date of death. You can get an Anw survivor benefit if, on the date your partner died,
- you had not yet reached your AOW pension age, and
- you were caring for a child under 18 who lives with you, or
- you were at least 45% incapacitated for work
The Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) will assess whether you are at least 45% incapacitated for work, also if you live outside the Netherlands. In that case, the UWV will contact the social security organisation in your country.
Your Anw survivor benefit will stop if you no longer meet the qualifying conditions or when you reach your AOW pension age.
Entitlement to an Anw survivor benefit depends on your income and living situation
Some types of income are deducted from the Anw survivor benefit. Your living situation can also affect the amount of benefit you can get.
Extra conditions concerning living or working outside the Netherlands
If you live or work outside the Netherlands, there are some additional conditions. Choose the situation that applies to you and find out what the conditions are.
If you live in the Netherlands or a member state of the EU (European Union), EEA (European Economic Area) or in a treaty country, you can get an Anw survivor benefit if:
- on the date of death, your partner was insured under a state survivor benefit scheme in the country where you live, or
- you qualified for a state survivor benefit from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland after your partner’s death
The amount of your Anw survivor benefit depends on the number of years your partner worked in the Netherlands. The more years your partner worked, the higher the amount of the Anw survivor benefit.
You can get an Anw survivor benefit if your partner:
- lived or worked in the Netherlands in the past, and
- was insured on the date of death under a survivor benefit scheme in a member state of the EU (European Union), EEA (European Economic Area) or a treaty country
The amount of your Anw survivor benefit depends on the number of years your partner worked in the Netherlands. The more years your partner worked, the higher the amount of the Anw survivor benefit.