Coronavirus financial aid Netherlands
Many companies in the Netherlands have been seriously affected by the measures taken by the Dutch government to limit the further spreading of the coronavirus. Below, we outline financial aids against some of these measures. Check this page regularly for updates.
NOW (for personnel expenses)
The NOW (Noodfonds Overbrugging Werkgelegenheid) is a Temporary Emergency Bridging Measure for Sustained Employment. It is meant to help employers to pay their employees’ wages to a maximum of 90% for a period of three to six months, depending on the turnover loss. You can apply for the NOW measure until 31 May 2020. The unemployment benefit during short-time working scheme, which was the predecessor of the NOW measure has been cancelled.
An advance payment of maximum 80% of the compensation will be made. For this allowance businesses should continue to pay 100% of the salary to the relevant employees. Another important condition is that the business during this period cannot dismiss employees on business grounds.
You can apply here for the NOW measure.
TOGS (for fixed expenses)
The TOGS (Tegemoetkoming Ondernemers Getroffen Sectoren) is a one-off donation for entrepreneurs in affected sectors and who see their turnover largely disappear due to necessary closing of their enterprise, restriction of meetings and/or curtailment of travel. The donation amounts to € 4,000 for the three-month period.
Eligible are companies that have fixed costs of at least €4,000 in the period 16 March through 15 June 2020 for a separate workspace outside the own home (unless the company is hospitality related). In addition, the company should be registered with the Chamber of Commerce under a certain SBI Code: at the bottom of the published SBI code list (see here) you can enter your KVK number to find out your eligibility. This list has been updated several times already, so if not now you may be eligible in the future anyway. If your SBI code is registered with the KVK wrongly, you can indicate that, which may be dealt with later.
This TOGS allowance can be requested with the RVO until Friday 26 June 17:00 hours. Application is only possible online with eHerkenning level 1 or Digid but you can also authorize your intermediary to do that for you (click here for the Authorization Form). You can apply here for this measure.
TOZO (welfare)
The TOZO (Tijdelijke overbruggingsregeling zelfstandig ondernemers) provides an extra temporary benefit for self-employed professionals, such as a sole proprietor, zzp’er, partner in a general partnership but also the owner of a private limited company (dga). This special form of welfare is meant to compensate for the loss of income from 1 March onwards and needs to be requested from the municipality where the entrepreneur lives.
The TOZO consists of (1) Income support, which depends on the income and your household situation and can amount to a maximum of €1,500 (net). You do not have to repay, while there is no capital or partner test. The TOZO also consists of (2) a loan for business purposes to a maximum amount of €10,157. This needs to be repaid, though delay of payment obligations can be requested.
To apply, see here for your municipality’s website with more information.
Tax payment extension
In case of liquidity issues, a company can apply for a payment extension of 3 months for all income tax, corporate income tax, payroll tax, and turnover tax (VAT) assessments at once. This is done by filling out a special online form (in Dutch). For this, a DigiD is required, whereas it is allowed for an employee or a financial advisor to login for you using their DigiD. Upon receipt of your request, the Dutch Tax Office immediately will seize payment collection measures. A statement from a third-party expert will be requested if extension for more than 3 months is required.
Help and more information
If you need help with any of the aforementioned financial aids, please contact us. For more information on the coronavirus and your company, please have a look at the English website of the Dutch government on measures to help businesses.