Employees with a flexible contract who have (almost) no income and cannot receive a benefit due to the coronavirus crisis can now get financial relief through the Temporary Bridging Scheme for Flexible Workers (TOFA).
The programme, launched from Monday, consists of a one-off payment for the period March, April and May 2020.
Dutch benefits agency UWV, which is administering the programme, states that to receive the allowance, employees must meet certain conditions including having been 18 years old on 1 April 2020 and not yet reached the state pension age. Employees must have earned at least €400 in February through April 2020 with a maximum of €550 for April and must not have received any benefit or other contribution to their income for April 2020.
In total, the allowance is €1,650, which is a €550 gross payment per month for the period March, April and May 2020. The allowance is paid in one go.
According to Dutchnews.nl, the programme was developed because some workers, often students and people on staffing agency contracts, are not able to claim financial support via the various other schemes and were not entitled to social security either. Tens of thousands of people, particularly people on temporary or zero-hours contracts, are thought to have been left with no income because the existing rulings do not cover them.
Applications for the allowance opened on 22 June and will close on 12 July.