If you are not able to work

If you live in the Netherlands and work as a self-employed person exclusively in Belgium, you will normally be insured under the Belgian social insurance system.

You become unemployed

In some situations, Belgium will pay a bridging benefit (overbruggingsrecht) to people who are self-employed.

You become incapacitated for work

In Belgium, you can get a benefit under state health insurance if you are ill or incapacitated for work. If you are incapacitated, the problem must not have resulted from a serious error on your part. 

You can qualify for a benefit if:

• you are registered with a health insurance fund. This fund can be 1 of the mutual health insurance funds (ziekenfondsen) or the regional office for health and disability insurance (Hulpkas voor Ziekte- en Invaliditeitsverzekering; HZIV)
• you are registered with a social insurance fund for the self-employed
• you have paid the necessary social insurance contributions

If you have been incapacitated for 8 days or more, you can get an incapacity benefit for up to 12 months. The exact amount will depend on your family situation and whether you need help from third parties. 

You are pregnant

You may be entitled to maternity benefit for a total of 15 weeks’ maternity leave before and after the birth. If so, this benefit will be paid by your insurance fund. Maternity leave is mandatory for 1 week before the baby is due until 2 weeks after the birth. You are not allowed to work during this 3-week period.

If you live in the Netherlands and work as a self-employed person exclusively in Germany, you will normally be insured under the German social insurance system.

You become unemployed

In Germany, you can continue your current unemployment insurance on a voluntary basis by applying to the Bundesargentur für Arbeit. Or you can take out private unemployment insurance with an insurance company.

You become ill

You are not covered by compulsory insurance against illness. You can take out private insurance.

In Germany, you can take out Krankentagegeldversicherung, which would pay a sickness benefit (Krankengeld) for the first 78 weeks of illness. 

In the Netherlands, you cannot get a benefit under the Sickness Benefits Act (ZW). Instead, you can apply to the UWV for voluntary sickness insurance.

You become incapacitated for work

You are not covered by compulsory insurance against incapacity for work. You can take out private insurance for this.

In Germany, after you have been ill for 78 weeks, you can get an incapacity benefit providing you have taken out insurance for this. You can continue your German incapacity benefit insurance on a voluntary basis by applying to the Deutsche Renteversicherung (DRV).

In the Netherlands, you can take out voluntary insurance with the UWV to cover incapacity for work. This will pay you a benefit if:

• you were insured in the Netherlands in the past and you are now receiving a German incapacity benefit (Erwerbsminderungsrente) or
• you were covered by voluntary insurance for incapacity for work

If you live in Belgium and work as a self-employed person exclusively in the Netherlands, you will normally be insured under the Dutch social insurance system.

You become unemployed, ill or incapacitated for work

In the Netherlands, self-employed persons are not insured against loss of income as a result of unemployment, illness or incapacity for work. If you wish, you can take out voluntary insurance for this. 

You are pregnant

You may be able to receive a maternity benefit for the time you are on maternity leave, before and after the birth. This benefit is available under the ZEZ scheme (maternity benefit for self-employed professionals), for a maximum period of 16 weeks.

If you live in Germany and work as a self-employed person exclusively in the Netherlands, you will normally be insured under the Dutch social insurance system.

You become unemployed

In the Netherlands, you are not entitled to a Dutch unemployment benefit (WW benefit). Instead, you can take out voluntary insurance with the UWV so that you can receive a benefit if you become unemployed. Or you can take out private insurance. 

You become ill

In the Netherlands, you cannot get a benefit under the Sickness Benefits Act (ZW). Instead, you can apply to the UWV for voluntary sickness insurance. Or you can take out private insurance.

In Germany, you can take out private health insurance (Krankentagegeldversicherung) with a German health insurer. You will then receive a sickness benefit (Krankengeld) for the first 78 weeks of illness.

You become incapacitated for work

In the Netherlands, you can take out voluntary insurance with the UWV so that you can receive a WIA incapacity benefit if you become unemployed. Or you can take out private insurance. In Germany, you can take out voluntary insurance so that you can continue to receive the German incapacity benefit.

If you take out insurance, please bear in mind that the commencement dates for benefits from the Netherlands and Germany are different. You can start receiving a Dutch WIA benefit after 104 weeks of illness. If you have incapacity insurance in Germany, you can start receiving a benefit after 78 weeks of illness.

You are pregnant

You may be able to receive a maternity benefit for the time you are on maternity leave, before and after the birth. This benefit is available under the ZEZ scheme (maternity benefit for self-employed professionals), for a maximum period of 16 weeks.