Short-term income support more likely to be cut

With the introduction of the law on work and income support (Wet werk en bijstand or WWB) in 2004, municipalities now have the authority to reduce the amount of income support they pay to individuals. They are entitled to do this if, for example, the claimants are not actively looking for work or not taking part in a re-integration project. In such cases municipalities are entitled to reduce the benefit by a certain percentage.

A reduction was applied to nearly 2,690 of the 290 thousand benefits (0.9 percent) paid at the end of June 2007. Municipalities apply these reductions four times more often to benefits paid for less than a year, than to long-term benefits (paid for 5 years or longer).

Income support benefits reduced by duration of benefit, June 2007