The Ziektewet (ZW), or Sickness Benefits Act, is the Dutch scheme under which UWV pays sick benefits to workers who fall ill but have no regular employer obliged to continue their wage. It functions as the safety net behind the employer's two-year sickness continuation duty set out in the civil code.
Typical ZW claimants include temporary agency workers whose contract ends while they are sick, employees whose fixed-term contract ends during illness, unemployed people on WW benefit who become ill, and workers on maternity or adoption leave. The benefit equals 70% of the daily wage, capped at the statutory maximum.
Financing runs through the Ziektewet component of the Whk premium paid by employers. As with the WGA, employers can opt for the eigenrisicodrager route to self-insure the risk, subject to UWV approval and guarantees.