Everything you need to know about Health insurance subsidy 2024 (zorgtoeslag) in the Netherlands

1. What is the health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

The health insurance subsidy, known as “zorgtoeslag” in the Netherlands, is financial aid provided by the government to help cover the costs of health insurance. This subsidy is intended for individuals with low or moderate incomes to assist them in meeting their healthcare insurance expenses.

2. Who is eligible to receive the health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

To be eligible for the health insurance subsidy, you must meet certain requirements.

You are 18 years of age or older.
You have Dutch health insurance.
Your income is below the income limit (joint income).
You are a Dutch national or legally residing in the Netherlands.
Your total assets (combined) are not too high.

3. What are the income requirements to qualify for the health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

In 2024, your income cannot exceed €37,496.00 annually. If you have a subsidy partner, the combined sum of your incomes cannot exceed €47,368.00 per year. Additionally, your total assets (bank accounts, second properties, etc.) must not exceed a certain limit. Starting from January 1, 2024, the individual asset limit is €140,213.00, and if you have a subsidy partner, the combined sum of your assets cannot exceed €177,301.00 in total.

4. Who is a subsidy partner (toeslagpartner) in the Netherlands?

A subsidy partner is someone who counts for the subsidy application. This means that both their income and assets are considered for the subsidy application and its receipt. Your subsidy partner can be your spouse or registered partner, or another person registered at the same address. You are not a subsidy partner if you are divorced from your partner or are applying for divorce or legal separation.

You can only have 1 subsidy partner in the following situations:

a) Spouse or registered partner:
If you have a legally married spouse or registered partner, that person is your subsidy partner. Your spouse or registered partner is still considered your subsidy partner even if you are not registered at the same address.

b) Someone registered at your address:
If you are not married or do not have an officially registered partner, but someone is registered at your same address, they can be your subsidy partner. This is the case if any of the following situations apply to you and/or the other person:

Summary of situations:

You have formalized a cohabitation agreement with a civil-law notary.
You have a child in common, or one of you or the registered person at your address has acknowledged the other’s child.
You and the registered person at your address are partners if you share a pension plan.
You jointly own a house in the Netherlands and both live there.
You or the registered person at your address has a child under the age of 18, and this child is registered at your address.
You were already subsidy partners last year.

c) Living in a house with more people:
You can only have 1 subsidy partner. For example, if:

You have a child in common, as in situation 2 of the summary of situations.
Your house is occupied by the owner and another person, as in situation 4 of the summary of situations.
Situation 5 from the summary of situations applies only if you live with another adult and at least one underage child.

d) Your child or parent lives with you:
If you live with your child, stepchild, parent, or stepparent, then that person is your subsidy partner if any of the situations mentioned in the summary of situations apply. However, in that case, you are only subsidy partners if both of you are 27 years of age or older at the beginning of the year.

e) Living with your brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild:
Then that person is your subsidy partner if any of the situations mentioned in the summary of situations apply.

In general, the fact that you haven’t used your health insurance throughout the year does not constitute a criterion for applying for a health insurance subsidy (zorgtoeslag) in the Netherlands. The subsidy is solely determined based on your income and having Dutch health insurance.
It is always recommended to utilize health insurance to take care of your well-being and not compromise your health.

7. If you are not a Dutch citizen, can you receive a health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

If you come to live or work in the Netherlands and are required to take out health insurance in the Netherlands, you can receive a health insurance subsidy to help make your health insurance affordable.

8. How to apply for health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

TAX-IN provides services for applying for health insurance subsidy. We do not require access to your DigiD to process the application since we are registered advisors. We simply need you to provide certain personal data to prepare your application. If you would like to receive a quote for these services, please contact us at info@tax-in.com.

9. How much money can you receive through health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands?

The higher your income, the lower your health insurance subsidy will be. In the table below, you can see how much you will receive per month as a single person without a subsidy partner (toeslagpartner) in 2024.

11. When is the health insurance subsidy paid in the Netherlands?

The health insurance subsidy is generally paid monthly, into the bank account you provided during the application. The exact payment date may vary, but it is usually around the 20th of each month.

12. How much money can you receive through the medical insurance subsidy in the Netherlands when you have a subsidy partner?

Yes, you can provide information for either a Dutch or foreign bank account to receive the subsidy. If it’s your first time receiving the subsidy, you will need to update the account information once, or if you change your bank account, you will need to update it again.

You can make the change online using your DigiD.
If you have a Dutch bank account or by postal mail if you have a foreign bank account or don’t have a DigiD.
You can contact TAX-IN if you need information on how to update your bank account by emailing info@tax-in.com

13. How is the health insurance subsidy adjusted in the Netherlands if my income, family situation, or health insurance is changed?

If your income, family situation, or health insurance changes during the year, it is important to inform the relevant authorities. The health insurance subsidy can be adjusted accordingly to reflect your new financial situation.
TAX-IN provides services for updating health insurance subsidy. You can contact us at info@tax-in.com.

14. What would happen if you don’t report changes in your income, family situation, or cancellation of health insurance to the subsidy department after applying for the subsidy in the Netherlands?

Not reporting changes could have negative consequences. Some possible repercussions are as follows:

a) Overpayment
If your income increases and you don’t report it, you may continue receiving the same level of subsidy as before. This could result in an overpayment by the government, and you may be asked to reimburse the additional amount received.

b) Insufficient subsidy
On the other hand, if your income decreases and you don’t report it, the subsidy you receive may be insufficient to cover your actual needs. This could lead to financial difficulties and a greater financial burden.

c) Penalties
Failing to report relevant changes in your financial or family situation may be considered a violation of the established rules and regulations. As a result, you could face penalties or fines for non-compliance with your reporting obligations.

Therefore, it is crucial to keep the subsidy department informed of any changes in your income or family situation as soon as they occur. This will ensure that you receive the appropriate subsidy and avoid future issues related to the health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands.

15. Can you get a health insurance subsidy if you are going to study in the Netherlands?

This depends on whether you are also working or doing an internship alongside your studies. The following situations exist:
a) If you are only studying: If you come to study in the Netherlands and do not have a part-time job in addition to your studies, you cannot receive a health insurance subsidy. This is only possible if you are required to take out Dutch health insurance.

If you come to the Netherlands for your studies, you will still be insured for medical expenses in your home country. Therefore, you are not obligated to take out Dutch health insurance.

b) If you work or do an internship:
If you have a part-time job in addition to your studies or receive an internship subsidy, then you may be required to take out Dutch health insurance. If you have Dutch health insurance, you can receive a health insurance subsidy in the Netherlands.

c) Temporary student health insurance:
In this case, you cannot receive a health insurance subsidy.

16. What is the deadline for submitting the subsidy application in the Netherlands?

The health insurance subsidy application for the year 2023 must be submitted before September 1, 2024. For the health insurance subsidy of the year 2024, the deadline is before September 1, 2025, and so on. It is important to note that retroactive subsidy applications can only be made within the established deadline.

For example, if today is May 20, 2024, and you have paid your Dutch health insurance since October 10, 2022, you can only retroactively apply for the health insurance subsidy for the entire year 2023. It is no longer possible to apply for the health insurance subsidy for the year 2022, as the deadline was before September 1, 2023. You should also consider that when applying for subsidy for two different years (2023 and 2024), you must meet the requirements for each year. The requirement for 2023 is to have an income lower than 38,520.00 EUR, and the requirement for 2024 is to have an income lower than 37,496.00 EUR.

17. Is it necessary to submit a subsidy application for each year in which you want to apply for health insurance?

It is not necessary to submit separate applications. You can make a single health insurance subsidy application starting from the year 2023, and the subsidy department will continue applying the subsidy consecutively, year after year, until you request its cancellation. However, it is important to note that if you have different wages each year, you should mention the corresponding wage for each year in your application. If you are unsure of the estimated salary for the year 2024 at the time of application (for example, if today is May 20, 2024), you can provide an estimated salary and, throughout the year, when you know the actual salary, you can request an update.

18. After submitting the subsidy application, when will you receive a response?

Generally, the timeframe can range from 5 weeks up to a maximum of 13 weeks, after which it will be determined if you are eligible to receive the subsidy and the amount you will be granted.

Note: It is important to consider that the subsidy requirements may vary each year. This article is based on the requirements for the year 2024, but there may be changes and variations every year that you should review and take into account.

Source: Toeslagen