Processing of applications

Incoming earnings-related allowance applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis according to the type of application. You can find out which date’s applications we are processing at any given time on the front page of our website. Processing time depends on, for example, the time of the month, whether we need further information, whether you have worked during the application period and the TE Office’s statements. We will contact you if we need any further information to process your application.  

Is my application already being processed?

The dates shown next to the different types of applications on the front page of our website tell you which date’s applications we are processing at any given time. If you submitted your application before the date shown on our website but have not yet received a payment notice about your earnings-related allowance, your application is still being processed. We always get the most applications at the start of the month. This is why processing times tend to be longer during the first half of the month than towards the end of the month.  

What are the different types of applications?

First application

‘First application’ means your first earnings-related allowance application. Our definition of a first application also includes all earnings-related allowance applications submitted after a break of at least six months since the previous application. If you have spent at least six months working or on parental leave or sick leave, for example, we will process your application as a first application. First applications always take longer to process, as we will need to check your eligibility for an earnings-related allowance and calculate the amount of your allowance. The average processing time for first applications is between two and three weeks.  

Follow-up application for an adjusted allowance

‘Follow-up application for an adjusted allowance’ means an application for an adjusted earnings-related allowance. Your follow-up application will be classed as a follow-up application for an adjusted allowance if you have worked part-time or been paid for part-time work during the application period. The processing time for follow-up applications for an adjusted allowance is approximately two weeks.  

Follow-up application

‘Follow-up application’ means any application you submit after your first earnings-related allowance application for periods during which you have been fully unemployed or laid off. If your circumstances have not changed, we will pay your allowance into your account within a couple of days. If we need to check something or make enquiries about your follow-up application, the processing time will be up to one week. Follow-up application can be filled in as an express application, if you have applied for earnings-related unemployment allowance in periods of one month or four calendar weeks, there is no gap between applications, the previous application period has been processed, you are completely unemployed or laid off, and there have been no other changes in your situation. If all prerequisites are met, the system will offer the option automatically. Express applications, like other applications for daily allowance, are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. With an express application, you can send us the application faster, but all follow-up applications are processed in the order in which they are received.  

When will my earnings-related allowance be paid and where can I find payment notices?

Once we have begun to process your application, we will contact you if we need any further information. We cannot finish processing your application until we have received all the information we need. We will pay your earnings-related allowance into your account within a few business days after receiving all the information we need to process your application. Earnings-related allowance payments are made five days a week (Mon–Fri). No payments are made on public holidays. You can change your payment notice preferences via our eService yourself. Log into our eService and open ‘Settings’ on the front page. In ‘Settings’, select your preferred method of receiving payment notices. You can choose to be notified about your earnings-related allowance payments

• via our eService and by post,
• via our eService and by text message, or
• via our eService only.

The text message and eService notifications are sent on the day we finish processing your application. As a rule, your earnings-related allowance will be paid on the first business day (Mon–Fri) after the day we send you the payment notice.  

Enable electronic decisions

You can receive benefit decisions and payment notices electronically through eService instead of by post. You can easily change the delivery methods for decision yourself through the settings of eService. Once you have selected eService as the delivery method for decisions, we will notify you of new decisions via text message or email. If you do not read the decision within seven days, we will send it to you by mail. If needed, you can print the decision from eService or save it to your device in PDF format. If desired, you can always revert to receiving decisions by mail by changing the delivery method in eService.  

Processing time guarantee

Unemployment benefit applications are subject to a processing time guarantee laid down in the Unemployment Allowances Act. We will make a decision on your eligibility for an earnings-related allowance no later than on the 30^th day after receiving your application. However, we cannot make a decision until we have all the information we need to process your application. We will make our decision no later than on the 14^th day after receiving all the necessary information.