A WIA advance payment is a temporary payment from the UWV for when the decision on the WIA application has not yet been made at the moment continued pay or the sickness benefit stops. That way someone is not left without income while waiting for the final decision. The advance is an estimate of the later WIA benefit and is offset against it as soon as the decision is made.
In this article you will read when an advance payment comes into play, how much it is, what is expected of the applicant and how repayment or offsetting works. You will also read what an advance means for employers who are own-risk bearers.
When does someone receive a WIA advance payment?
A WIA benefit starts after two years (104 weeks) of illness. During those two years continued pay during sickness runs on, and at the end of that period the employee applies for a WIA benefit. It happens that the decision on that application is not yet ready at the moment the wage or the sickness benefit stops. Without an interim solution, someone would then temporarily be without income.
To prevent this, the UWV calls the applicant, at least two weeks before the WIA benefit should start. In that conversation the UWV discusses whether the applicant wants an advance on the benefit, running until the decision is made. So the advance is not a separate benefit you are entitled to on its own, but a bridge until the final assessment.
Has the applicant heard nothing from the UWV one week before the intended start date? Then it is wise to call yourself. If there is still no decision after sixteen weeks, the applicant can get in touch about the status of the WIA assessment.
How much is the advance?
The amount of the advance is an estimate of the final WIA benefit. If the applicant has other income, the UWV deducts that from the advance. The advance is therefore deliberately estimated cautiously, so that as little as possible has to be corrected later. How the amount of the eventual benefit is determined is explained in the article on the level of the WIA benefit.
The advance stops as soon as the UWV has made a decision on the WIA application. From that moment the final benefit applies, and the advance is offset against it.
What is expected of the applicant?
An advance comes with a few obligations. Precisely because it is an estimate, the UWV can only set it correctly if the applicant passes on the right information in time:
- Report income and any changes to it immediately. That keeps the advance as close as possible to the actual entitlement. If someone received too much advance because of income the UWV did not account for, that part has to be repaid.
- Report changes in the situation. Think of detention, moving abroad or entitlement to another benefit. In those cases the right to an advance can lapse.
- No WIA but entitled to unemployment benefit? Then apply for it. If the applicant does not apply for that unemployment benefit, the advance has to be repaid.
Repaying or offsetting: how does that work?
What happens to the advance after the decision depends on what someone turns out to be entitled to. The main line:
| Situation after the decision | What happens to the advance |
|---|---|
| Entitled to WIA benefit | The UWV offsets the advance against the WIA benefit |
| No WIA, but entitled to unemployment benefit | The UWV offsets the advance against the unemployment benefit |
| No WIA or unemployment benefit and no other income | Usually no repayment; the UWV does not want someone to have to repay in that situation |
| No unemployment benefit due to own fault in the unemployment | The advance does have to be repaid |
The exception at the bottom matters: whoever has no right to unemployment benefit through their own doing falls outside the leniency and has to repay the advance. For most people who end up in the WIA or unemployment benefit after a long period of illness, however, the advance is settled smoothly through offsetting.
After the WIA application, incidentally, the applicant can start reintegrating right away, even if there is no decision yet. Both the applicant and the employer can call the UWV for help with that reintegration.
What does the advance mean for the employer?
For most employers the advance is something between the UWV and the employee. There is one important exception: the employer who is an own-risk bearer for the WGA. In that case:
- the employer pays the employee’s advance, until a decision has been made;
- the employer keeps helping the employee with reintegration.
If the employee turns out not to be entitled to a WIA benefit, the employer gets the advance paid back from the UWV. Whether own-risk bearing is wise in your situation is something you weigh up using the pros and cons of being an own-risk bearer.
The official rules
Care4Careers explains the main points in plain language, but the source is the UWV itself. The current rules are on the WIA advance payment page of the UWV. Amounts and deadlines can change, so check those there for a specific case.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to apply for an advance myself? No. The UWV calls the applicant, at least two weeks before the WIA should start, and offers the advance then. If you have heard nothing a week beforehand, call yourself.
Do I always have to repay the advance? No. If you are entitled to WIA or unemployment benefit, the advance is offset against it. If you are entitled to nothing and have no other income either, you usually do not have to repay it. Only whoever has no unemployment benefit through their own fault does have to repay.
Can I already reintegrate while waiting for the decision? Yes. After the WIA application you can start reintegrating right away, even without a decision. Both you and your employer can call the UWV for help.
What if the decision takes a long time? If you still have no decision after sixteen weeks, get in touch with the UWV about the status of your application.
Questions about the WIA application and reintegration?
Are you dealing with an employee on long-term sick leave and do you want to keep a grip on the process towards the WIA application? Care4Careers guides employers and employees through the entire second track, with complete file-building. See what second-track reintegration for employers can mean for your organisation, or discover the approach of a full second-track reintegration programme.