Everything you want to know about the NOW

As an employer operating in the Netherlands, you will partly be able to compensate for any loss of turnover through the Temporary Emergency Bridging Measure for Sustained Employment (NOW), which was made available on 6 April. Here are a number of key tips.

In short

Under the NOW, as an employer, you receive compensation for wage costs via an advance from the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). Compensation is contingent on the condition that you have incurred or are expecting loss of turnover of at least 20% as of March 2020.

• The NOW scheme will allow you to continue to pay your employees. Compensation will be paid to employers by the UWV.
• The NOW also applies to any on-call (0-hours) employees and temporary workers (employed by the temporary employment agency) you may have.
• You will be able to claim compensation for three months.
• All applications must be submitted by 31 May. The UWV will then pay the compensation due with retroactive effect.

Careful consideration

We recommend that you carry out a thorough assessment of whether applying for the NOW would be advisable in your circumstances. If you apply for the NOW, you are obliged to keep your wage bill at the same level as much as possible. The NOW is based on an estimate of your turnover. As such, you may be required to repay a specific amount if it appears that you received too much in compensation.

Compensation amount

The level of compensation will depend on the decline in your turnover. Compensation will amount to up to 90% of the wage bill in case of a 100% loss of turnover.

The UWV will use your overall wage bill for January 2020 to calculate compensation. If your company had a low wage bill in January, you will unfortunately receive less compensation.

Before you apply for the NOW, please carry out a realistic estimate of your turnover for the period from March to July. Based on that estimate, you will then have to select a three-month period for your turnover: March-April-May, April-May-June, May-June-July. Our consultants at Accon International will be on hand to allow you to make an informed decision.

Companies in a group

If your company is a subsidiary, a holding company or a part thereof, the qualifying loss in turnover is that for the group. This means that you will have to add up the turnover of the various companies to calculate the loss in turnover. The NOW applications, however, must be submitted individually for each company.

Next steps after submission

1. Once you have submitted your application, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) will pay an advance sum: you will receive 80% of the expected compensation in three monthly instalments.
2. Often you will also have to submit an audit statement at a later date, but it is not yet known what form such a statement will take.
3. Once your compensation has been determined, a correction may take place at a later date. This means that you may receive or may have to repay an amount.

On hand to help

If you would like advice regarding your NOW application or would like more tips or advice on how to weather the coronavirus crisis as best you can, we are here to help.

Get assistance

If you would like guidance when applying for a tax payment extension, my colleagues at Accon International are happy to assist however they can. Please consult your contact or email international@acconavm.nl and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch

Want to find out more?

At accon■avm, we have put together a special team, which closely monitors all developments on issues relating to coronavirus, allowing us to provide advisory services in every field.
If you are an existing customer, please get in touch with your contact. He/she will have the best knowledge of your circumstances and will be able to work with a fellow specialist if necessary. If you are not an existing customer but do have questions, we are happy to help or for you to share your concerns! Our international colleagues are likewise available to assist. Please get in touch via international@acconavm.nl. Together, we can help you grow your business, even under challenging circumstances.