ZEZ benefit conditions: are you entitled?

Who the scheme applies to

The ZEZ scheme is for self-employed people with business profit, but the group is broader than just sole traders.

• Freelancers and sole traders with business profit
• Partners in a general or professional partnership
• Director-shareholders of their own private limited company
• Contributing partners in their partner's business

What is not a condition

This is where most misunderstandings sit. Three things people often assume, which are not true.

• You do not need to be insured. Disability insurance is not required and does not affect your entitlement.
• You do not need to have paid a premium. It is a statutory right, funded from general resources.
• You do not need to meet the hours criterion to receive anything. It only determines the amount; see calculating the ZEZ benefit.

What does have to be right

The hard requirements are limited: you are pregnant, you are self-employed at the time your leave starts, and you apply on time. In practice, that last point is where things go wrong.

You must submit the application no later than two weeks before the start date, with a pregnancy declaration from your midwife or doctor. The step-by-step guide with deadlines is in a separate article.

Special situations

A few cases that deviate from the standard situation and that entrepreneurs often ask about.

• Multiple pregnancy: your leave is twenty weeks instead of sixteen.
• Ill due to your pregnancy or the birth: there is a separate sickness benefit for that, which you apply for separately at UWV.
• Just started in business: you are still entitled. If you have not yet reached 1,225 hours, UWV looks at your income from the previous calendar year.

Frequently asked questions