Your privacy when receiving benefits or an allowance

Applying for benefits or an allowance

If you apply for benefits or an allowance, you will be dealing with an implementing body. This is an organisation that implements the statutory rules for benefits or allowances. You submit your application to this organisation. For example:

• You are applying for unemployment benefits. You can do this at UWV Werkbedrijf (the work placement branch of the Employee Insurance Agency).
• You are applying for an old-age pension. You can do this at Social Insurance Bank (SVB).
• You are applying for social assistance benefits. You can do this at the municipal social services.
• You are applying for an allowance, such as childcare allowance, rent allowance or healthcare allowance. You can do this at the Tax and Customs Administration.

Required data to assess your application

The implementing body must assess whether you are entitled to benefits or an allowance. To that end, the body needs your personal data. For example:

• data about your employment history;
• financial data, such as your income or rent.

The recording of your data is allowed

The implementing body is by law authorised to record your personal data if you apply for benefits or an allowance. This means: the law states that the implementing body is allowed to do this. For example, in the Participation Act.

Only necessary data

The implementing body must take your privacy into account, because you have to provide a lot of personal information. That is why the implementing body may only request data from you that are strictly necessary.

This means: data that are truly necessary to determine whether you are entitled to benefits or an allowance. And once you receive benefits or an allowance, whether you are entitled to continue receiving it.

For more information about what social services may and may not ask you, see: Your privacy at social services.