Pregnant and your contract ends: benefits, payment and protection

Pregnant and your contract ends: benefits, payment and protection

An expiring contract during pregnancy raises separate questions about employment, benefits and discrimination. Pregnancy does not automatically renew a fixed-term contract, but it must not be the reason for refusing renewal. An existing maternity award also does not simply end with employment. This guide explains how to investigate each issue and prepare an income handover.

No. However, pregnancy must not be a prohibited reason for refusing renewal or otherwise disadvantaging you.

UWV explains that an existing maternity award continues until its applicable end date. Check the switch to direct payment.

UWV describes possible entitlement where the expected or actual birth falls within ten weeks after employment ends. Ask for an assessment of your dates and route.

1. Identify what is actually ending your employment

Check whether the event is an agreed fixed-term expiry, early termination, a settlement agreement or dismissal initiated by the employer. These are different events with different requirements and consequences. An email using the word expiry does not establish that the date matches the existing contract or that an early termination is lawful.

Collect the original contract, extensions and end-of-employment communication. Record when pregnancy was disclosed and the explanation given for the decision. Do not sign an earlier departure as though it were merely administrative confirmation of an existing end date. An agreement can affect wages, benefits and opportunities to challenge termination. Obtain advice on the actual wording and dates before accepting it, particularly if someone says signing will make no difference.

2. Employment expires during an existing maternity award

UWV explains that maternity benefit continues where a fixed-term contract ends during leave. The award end date does not change simply because employment ends. Keep the employment end and benefit end as two separate dates. Ask HR to report the correct last contract day and compare it with the award and remaining leave calculation.

Then check payment handover. UWV contacts the employee about bank details near the end of employment and pays directly afterwards. Ask what the final employer payment covers and when the first direct UWV period begins. A final payslip is not itself confirmation that the handover is complete. [The payment guide](guide:uitbetaling-zwangerschapsuitkering) helps investigate gaps, overlaps or an incorrect recipient.

3. Employment ends before maternity benefit begins

If employment ends earlier, calculate the interval to the expected or actual birth date. UWV describes possible entitlement where that date falls within ten weeks after employment ends. Put both dates on a timeline and ask UWV which application route applies. A general HR assurance that UWV takes over is not an individual entitlement decision.

A separate interval before maternity benefit starts may require investigation of unemployment benefit or sickness benefit. Those schemes have their own conditions. A positive answer about future WAZO does not establish that every day between employment and leave is covered. Ask which application is needed for each period and which obligations remain before maternity benefit starts. Avoid treating the entire pregnancy as one uninterrupted benefit entitlement.

4. Pregnancy-related refusal to renew requires separate examination

An employer does not have to renew a fixed-term contract simply because an employee is pregnant. However, pregnancy, childbirth or related absence must not be used as a prohibited reason for disadvantage. An explanation about continuity may need examination if it actually refers to maternity absence. A disappointing decision alone does not establish that discrimination has legally been proved.

Keep performance reviews, messages about renewal, the stated explanation and the chronology. Request a specific written explanation. A legal adviser can assess which facts support a possible inference of discrimination and which process fits your objective. An equal-treatment finding, reinstatement and compensation are not identical outcomes. The existing [pregnancy dismissal guide](guide:ontslag-tijdens-zwangerschap) provides broader context and should be read alongside the benefit rules.

Illustrative example

A fixed-term contract ends during post-birth leave. The employee keeps the later maternity award end date and arranges direct payment. Separately, she seeks advice on whether pregnancy influenced the refusal to renew. This fictional example distinguishes benefit continuity from an employment dispute.

5. Check notice, compensation and final pay separately

A fixed-term expiry may involve the notification duty, possible transition compensation and the employment final account. Pregnancy or a UWV award is not a reason to omit those checks. List outstanding wages, holiday hours, holiday allowance and other applicable claims. Each item can have its own conditions, calculation and deadline, so avoid treating one final transfer as a complete legal assessment.

Missing notification does not automatically extend employment. Paying compensation does not automatically resolve a discrimination issue. Use the guides on [fixed-term contracts](guide:tijdelijk-contract), [notification compensation](guide:aanzegvergoeding), [transition compensation](guide:transitievergoeding) and [final pay](guide:eindafrekening-controleren). A reliable amount cannot be promised without checking duration, the reason employment ends and relevant exceptions.

6. Prepare for the end of maternity benefit

If you remain unemployed afterwards, investigate unemployment benefit before the award ends. For someone previously receiving unemployment benefit, UWV says to reapply no later than the day after maternity benefit finishes. Do not assume an old award simply resumes without action. A different employment history may require a new assessment of the applicable conditions.

If you are still sick and no employer remains, ask UWV about sickness benefit and timely reporting. The cause and timing of illness can matter. Keep medical assessment and administrative applications with the appropriate recipients. Start preparing before the final payment week so that documents and information are available. An application submitted only after an income gap appears can make an already difficult transition harder to manage.

7. Use three calendars for decisions and advice

Keep an employment calendar for notification, expiry and any legal response dates; a leave calendar for expected birth, start and final end; and an income calendar covering wages, any interim benefit, WAZO and the route afterwards. Identify the payer and evidence of entitlement for each period. This makes an uncovered interval visible before it becomes a missing payment.

Bring the overview to UWV or a legal adviser. Ask whether the route matches your current position, who reports contract expiry, which interval remains uncertain and which deadline is running. Seek explanation of an incorrect formal decision while also preserving the right to challenge it. An HR conversation or discrimination report does not automatically suspend a UWV deadline. Separate actions can therefore be necessary at the same time.

Identify natural expiry or an early termination proposal.

Compare employment end, expected birth and the WAZO period.

Check payment handover and any interim unemployment or sickness route.

Keep the non-renewal explanation and protect separate claim deadlines.

Does pregnancy automatically renew a fixed-term contract?

No. However, pregnancy must not be a prohibited reason for refusing renewal or otherwise disadvantaging you.

Does WAZO stop on my last employment day?

UWV explains that an existing maternity award continues until its applicable end date. Check the switch to direct payment.

What is the ten-week rule?

UWV describes possible entitlement where the expected or actual birth falls within ten weeks after employment ends. Ask for an assessment of your dates and route.

Will my old unemployment benefit restart automatically?

Do not assume that. UWV tells previously unemployed recipients to reapply no later than the day after maternity benefit ends.

Sources and editorial notes
Sources current as of: November 5, 2026
1. UWV: einde contract tijdens zwangerschapsverlof
Publisher: UWV
https://www.uwv.nl/nl/zwangerschapsverlof-bevallingsverlof/einde-contract-tijdens-zwangerschapsverlof
2. UWV: de WAZO-uitkering aanvragen
Publisher: UWV
https://www.uwv.nl/nl/zwangerschapsverlof-bevallingsverlof/zwangerschapsverlof-aanvragen
3. UWV: betaling van de zwangerschapsuitkering
Publisher: UWV
https://www.uwv.nl/nl/zwangerschapsverlof-bevallingsverlof/uitbetaling-zwangerschapsuitkering
4. UWV: zwangerschap met een UWV-uitkering
Publisher: UWV
https://www.uwv.nl/nl/zwangerschapsverlof-bevallingsverlof/zwanger-met-uitkering
The source publications are in Dutch. All language editions cover Dutch law.