Starting entrepreneurial activities while unemployed

If you start up new entrepreneurial activities while unemployed, you have the right to obtain adjusted daily allowance for at least the first 4 months of entrepreneurship. The TE office will determine after the first four months of new entrepreneurial activities, whether the activities are full-time or part-time.

Income generated from your business activities is adjusted with your daily allowance according to provisions concerning the adjustment of allowances. If the activities are deemed part-time after the first four months , an adjusted allowance is paid. If however the entrepreneurial activities are deemed full-time, the fund can no longer pay daily allowance.

Send a monthly income statement

Income earned from business activities is primarily adjusted based on accounting records. Send attached to your allowance application a monthly income statement . A profit and loss account may also be formulated freely if you are not liable to keep accounting records. If your form of company is limited liability company, attach a pay slip to your application.

We recommend that you send the allowance application and required attachments via the Entrepreneur Fund’s eService.

Standard entitlement

Income earned during unemployment is adjusted with your daily allowance. Part of your income is protected from adjustment, this is called the standard entitlement. The amount of the standard entitlement is usually € 300 per month, but has now been temporarily increased to € 500 per month until 30 November 2021. This is a temporary amendment to legislation designed to alleviate the effects of the pandemic.

Any share of your income exceeding the standard entitlement is adjusted with the allowance. As a rule, 50 per cent of the income exceeding € 300 is deducted from your daily allowance.

Example 1

Your monthly income: € 300

Income exceeding the standard entitlement: € 0

Effect on your allowance: No effect, daily allowance is paid in full

Example 2:

Your monthly income: € 800

Income exceeding the standard entitlement: € 500, of which 50 per cent is € 250

Effect on your allowance: € 250 is deducted from your allowance

Calculate your adjusted allowance

Calculate your estimated adjusted allowance using our daily allowance calculator.