Dormant employment and WIA: checking income, work and pension

1. Start with the current WIA decision

Compare the initial award with later changes. Record the benefit type, effective date and associated reporting or participation obligations. Saying only that you receive WIA is insufficient to assess work and income reliably. Whether an employment agreement exists and whether a benefit is awarded are separate legal questions.

Keep reassessments, payment statements and any objection documents. Make an unresolved decision or ongoing investigation visible. An employment settlement does not determine a dispute about the degree of incapacity. Ask UWV about concrete changes and record any formal challenge deadline. Do not let negotiations about compensation obscure a separate decision that still needs a timely response.

2. Check whether wage continuation was extended

Establish the actual end of wage continuation and any extension or sanction. UWV describes circumstances requiring the employer to keep paying longer. Assuming a fixed 104-week endpoint without checking can create a false income gap or a premature termination proposal. Use the actual documents rather than adding two calendar years to the first sickness date.

If paid suitable work continues, list those hours and amounts separately. Ask which duties, hours and pay arrangements remain. This may affect whether employment is truly dormant and the financial comparison between continuation and termination. You do not need to make every legal classification yourself, but an adviser needs the correct facts to distinguish different situations.

3. Describe each kind of income separately

UWV publishes specific rules about income that must be reported. Identify wages for work, arrears, compensation and other payments by type. Do not assume every departure payment is processed as ordinary monthly earnings. Equally, a bank description using the word compensation does not prove that no reporting is required.

Ask about the actual item where uncertain and keep the explanation. Follow the applicable reporting instructions. Separate one-off capital from continuing monthly income in your household budget. A large compensation offer cannot be evaluated reliably without understanding benefits, supplements, expenses and the purpose for which the money will be needed. This guide does not provide personal tax or investment advice.

4. Investigate supplements and insurance independently

A collective agreement, employer arrangement or insurance policy may provide payments outside the WIA award. Ask who pays, under which terms, for how long and what employment termination changes. Obtain the policy or scheme and current statements. A payment that arrived automatically for years does not establish that it continues unchanged after departure.

Compare the written conditions for maintaining or ending employment without assuming which is preferable. Request confirmation from the insurer or administrator about the relevant date and event. Have unclear wording reviewed. The employer can explain its own arrangement but does not necessarily give a binding answer on an external insurance policy or UWV entitlement.

5. Check pension accrual and incapacity-related premium relief

Ask the pension provider about current accrual and any premium waiver for incapacity. Check whether the correct incapacity information is registered and whether termination requires notification or another action. Coverage depends on the pension scheme and individual position. There is no reliable universal answer covering every dormant employment arrangement.

Keep a written reply and its conditions. Ask about changes in incapacity, new work or recovery as well. An employer no longer paying salary has not thereby explained pension accrual. Keep this check separate from the compensation calculation so a one-off amount does not hide a longer-term effect. An employment adviser may need the provider's answer before assessing a proposed agreement fully.

6. Separate compensation from the final employment account

List compensation, outstanding wages, holidays, expenses and other claims individually. Check gross and net processing and payment dates. A total with final discharge may settle more rights than the original compensation question. Ask which items are included and which remain outside the agreement before comparing offers or accepting that the account is complete.

The valuation date requires legal assessment; the last negotiation day is not automatically correct. Use requesting termination for the proposal and checking final pay for outstanding amounts. Assess post-agreement income separately. An employer statement promising benefit preservation is not a general guarantee from UWV or an external provider.

7. Prepare a decision sheet with separate deadlines

State the actual choice: continuation, termination, an offered amount or an incorrect benefit decision. For each income source list the current amount, duration, legal or contractual basis and unanswered question. Put one-off payments separately. This helps an adviser obtain missing information rather than making a recommendation from an incomplete total.

Track agreement, court and UWV deadlines independently. Do not wait for one organisation's final answer while a deadline with another expires. The main dormant-employment guide connects the issues, while your individual circumstances determine the appropriate choice. Written confirmations and a clear timeline support that assessment without assuming every financial consequence follows automatically from one settlement clause.

Practical checklist

• Compare the relevant dates with the current agreement or decision.
• Keep the application, payslips, correspondence and proof of receipt.
• Ask for a written explanation of discrepancies and monitor the deadline in the decision.
• Discuss medical details with the occupational physician and a legal dispute with appropriate legal assistance.