Everything you need to know about the STAP-budget

image-772

The STAP application period begins on the 17th of March, 2023.

In March 2022, the Dutch Government introduced a subsidy for training and schooling purposes. The budget gives you the opportunity to further educate yourself in a field you are interested in and encourages people, who live in the Netherlands and meet certain requirements, to develop themselves.

What is the STAP-budget?

STAP stands for Stimulering Arbeidsmarkt Positie (stimulating your position within the labour market). This subsidy has been created to do exactly that: to help stimulate and improve your position within the labour market by means of offering a budget for training and educational courses or retraining in order to be able to work in a different role. The government makes it possible for individuals to apply for a maximum compensation of € 1.000 per year. You can use this compensation to contribute fully or partly towards paying for a course or training with a recognized educational or training institution, which could help improve your position within the labour market.

Who can apply for STAP?

In order to be able to apply for the STAP-budget you have to meet the following requirements:

  1. You are 18 years old or older.
  2. You have a DigiD account.
  3. You are an EU citizen or registered partner of an EU citizen.
  4. You have to have a bond with the Dutch labour market, meaning you must have been employed or received unemployment benefits for at least 6 months within the last 27 months.
  5. You have to be insured for Dutch national insurance at least 3 months prior to the application.
  6. You have been insured for the Dutch National Insurance for a minimum of 6 months.

The government wants to encourage individuals to invest in their own development by providing the STAP subsidy. For example:

  • Employees who want to strengthen their own position within their current job
  • Unemployed people who want to develop the necessary skills to better their chances on the market
  • Individuals that are seeing their jobs change rapidly or soon to become non-existent
  • Persons who are employed in jobs demanding intense physical labour, who would like to retrain

Why has a new STAP regulation been introduced?

STAP subsidy is a lot simpler and more accessible than the previous measures. Previously, educational/training expenses could be deducted via the annual income tax return, however those who could benefit from this the most, often did not make use of the regulation, or simply did not know how to administer it. The STAP-budget creates many fiscal advantages, the payment is made directly to the educational/training institution making things clearer and easier to carry out. The labour market is changing rapidly, it is therefore very important that the professional population changes with it. The STAP-budget has been introduced by the government to help achieve this goal.

How can you apply for the STAP-budget?

You can request STAP as of March 17th 2023 with the UWV. After the application, you can see whether the application has been approved or not. If your application is granted you can move forward with your desired education course or training. If it has not been granted there is a possibility to re-apply.

Are you looking for a new job opportunity? Take a look at our jobs board.

Related blog articles