Loss of knowledge · projects · mental health absence
Sickness absence insurance (verzuimverzekering) for IT companies
In an IT company the risk lies not in the number of sickness reports but in the salary level and in the question of who holds the knowledge of a system.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
IT companies report little absence, but what there is lasts a long time and costs a great deal per case. Salaries are high, and that is precisely why it matters whether your policy has a maximum per employee. Above that maximum you continue to pay wages without cover.
The second feature is the concentration of knowledge. The administrator who is the only one with the migration in their head cannot be hired in. Sickness absence insurance (verzuimverzekering) covers their wages, but not the delay at your client's end and not the penalties or discounts arising from a service agreement.
If your team largely works from home, your duty of care for the workplace still applies. That is a liability question that runs alongside the absence.
What does sickness absence insurance cover for IT companies?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Two years
Continued payment of wages
What you are legally required to continue paying.
First year one hundred per cent
Second year seventy per cent
A collective labour agreement may require more
The waiting period
Own retention
How many days you bear yourself.
Shorter is more expensive
Longer brings the premium down
Choose according to what you can bear
Optional
Support and case handling
Guidance with reintegration.
Case management
Gatekeeper Act monitoring
Risk of a wage sanction
What is covered
Situation
Conventional
Full-service option
Continued payment of wages during sickness
Yes
Yes
Guidance with reintegration
No
Yes
Risk of a wage sanction borne by the insurer
No
Yes
Occupational health services included
No
Sometimes
Cost of replacing a member of staff who is off sick
No
No
Sickness absence that already existed at inception
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
High salaries run up against the insured upper limit
Many absence policies have a maximum insured annual wage per employee. In most sectors no one notices that. In IT, architects, lead developers and security specialists are often above it. So ask explicitly about the upper limit and have it recorded what happens to the part of the wage above it; otherwise you bear that entirely yourself, for two years.
Partial return to work is the rule here
With absence for mental health reasons, someone rarely returns in full at once. The build-up runs through a few hours a week, often on adapted duties. The insurer then pays according to the percentage of incapacity for work determined by the company doctor. Have every change in that percentage reported, because an increase in hours reported too late means you miss out on payment for that period.
The policy covers wages, not a delivery obligation
If an implementation is delayed because the project manager is off work, the loss at your client's end falls outside this insurance. Contractual penalties, discounts on a service agreement and re-hiring external capacity are not covered. Limit that risk organisationally: record documentation, make sure critical access rests with more than one person, and agree a realistic force majeure clause in contracts.
What falls outside the cover
Excluded are: hired-in self-employed professionals and seconded workers, because they are not on your payroll; absence already running on the start date; and wages above the insured upper limit. A workplace conflict without medical limitations does not count as illness and gives no entitlement to a payment. For injury at a home workplace, Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code continues to apply; that runs through your liability insurance.
What does your premium depend on?
Wage bill and average salary level. High wages make every case expensive and weigh more heavily on the premium than the number of reports.
Insured maximum per employee. A higher upper limit per person raises the premium but prevents an uninsured portion.
Share of own staff versus hired-in staff. Only employees on your payroll count; hired-in self-employed professionals do not.
Absence history with emphasis on long-running cases. One case lasting more than a year weighs more heavily here than ten short reports.
Waiting period chosen. Short-term absence is limited, so a longer waiting period costs relatively little cover here.
Guidance aimed at mental strain. A full-support variant with quick access to psychological interventions is taken into account in the premium and at acceptance.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
No. The cover follows your payroll records. A self-employed professional (zzp'er) or a seconded consultant is not on them and falls outside the policy. If such a person is off work, you receive no payment and must arrange replacement yourself. Self-employed professionals cover their own income risk with disability insurance (AOV) or a mutual support fund.
Does the policy cover project delays or a penalty under a service agreement?
No. Sickness absence insurance covers only the wages you continue to pay during illness. Loss at your client's end, discounts on a service contract, penalty clauses and the costs of extra external capacity fall outside it. You limit that risk with contractual arrangements and with documentation that allows a colleague to take over the work.
How does the payment work with a partial return to work?
The company doctor determines for what part someone is unfit for work, and the insurer pays according to that percentage. If the employee works half their hours, you receive roughly half. Report every change in capacity straight away; changes reported afterwards are usually not compensated retrospectively.
Does the duty of care also apply to the home workplace?
Yes. As an employer you are responsible under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code for a safe workplace, including when it is at the employee's home. Complaints caused by a poorly set-up home workplace can therefore lead to liability. That is a claim on your liability insurance. The absence policy pays only the wages you continue to pay.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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