What is the cost-sharing standard?
If people on social assistance benefit live with several adults, the municipality must adjust the amount of the benefit in accordance with the Participation Act. The reasoning is that the more adults share a home, the lower the benefit, because the housing costs are lower. That rule was once introduced to tackle abuse of benefits and to prevent so-called ‘benefit stacking’.
According to the CBS In the Netherlands there are about 429,200 people on social assistance. Approx 12 percent of them fall under the cost-sharing standard.
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