Nationale · compared independently · advice from Finass
Agency workers, interns & volunteers through Nationale-Nederlanden
Volunteers work without a contract of employment, but not without rights: after an accident or in a conflict with the organisation, who answers for what is often written down nowhere.
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 situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Voluntary work involves no pay and no contract of employment. Even so, you work under the direction of a board, with the organisation's equipment and sometimes with an expenses allowance. If something goes wrong, the volunteer agreement rarely turns out to say who bears the loss or what happens if the arrangement ends.
Two lines run into each other. For loss you cause to a third party as a volunteer, the organisation can be held responsible under Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code or Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code. For injury you suffer yourself, the duty of care in Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code extends to the party having the work done.
Many local authorities also have a collective volunteers policy that takes precedence over your own. With Nationale-Nederlanden we first find out what is already in place, so that you use the legal expenses cover for what really remains.
Through Finass or direct with Nationale-Nederlanden?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the essentials. We show what Nationale-Nederlanden and other insurers offer here.
Debt collection on unpaid invoices
Contract & delivery disputes
Legal advice
Disputes with suppliers
Extended cover
As well as debt collection and contracts, also employment law, disputes about your business premises and disputes with public authorities.
Employment law & staff
Business premises (rented or owned)
Public authorities & permits
Recovery of traffic damage
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare Nationale-Nederlanden's extended versions with the market.
Free choice of lawyer in legal proceedings
Tax law & tax disputes
Administrative law
Higher allowance for external costs
What is covered
Situation
Basic
Extended
Dispute with a contractor about work on your home
Yes
Yes
Recovering damages for personal injury after a collision
Yes
Yes
Employment dispute or dismissal
Provided that
Yes
Dispute about a purchase or a delivery
Yes
Yes
Tax dispute or dispute about assets
No
Provided that
A dispute that was already running before the start date
No
No
Legal expenses insurance has a waiting period after the policy starts and a threshold: a case is not taken on below a certain financial interest. If the case goes to court, you have a free choice of lawyer. A dispute whose cause already existed when you took out the insurance is excluded.
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Nationale
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Nationale is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
First look at what the local authority already arranges
Most local authorities have a collective volunteers policy covering everyone doing voluntary work within the municipality automatically, without registration in advance. That cover usually takes precedence over personal insurance. Exactly what it includes differs per municipality. Ask the organisation or the local authority for it before you insure anything extra; double insurance does not produce a double payment when you claim.
A conflict with the board or the organisation
If you are turned away as a volunteer, expelled as a member or taken off a task, that is not a dismissal case but a dispute about the volunteer agreement or the association's articles. The route runs through the internal procedure and only then through the courts. A legal expenses lawyer assesses whether the board followed its own articles. That is more often the weak point than the substance of the decision.
Recovering for injury during voluntary work
If you fall from a ladder while setting up an event, you can hold the organisation responsible. Through subsection 4, the duty of care in Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code extends to anyone having work done by a person without a contract of employment. The organisation then has to show that instruction and safety equipment were in order. Recovery assistance runs that case. Your own injury loss is not part of the legal expenses cover itself.
Free choice of lawyer and its limits
If it comes to court or administrative proceedings, you may choose your own lawyer within the policy maximum for external costs. Outside proceedings the in-house service handles the case. Not covered are disputes that were already running, cases below the threshold amount, fines, and conflicts arising from paid work or running a business: for those you need a business version needed.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Modules chosen. Recovery for injury and the work and income module are not included in every basic cover.
Composition of the household. Family cover insures all family members living at home who do voluntary work.
Nature of the voluntary work. Physical work at events or on maintenance carries a different injury risk from board or office work.
Overlap with a collective scheme. If a municipal volunteers policy is already in place, you do not need to buy that cover again.
Maximum external costs. This amount determines how far free choice of lawyer goes in proceedings before you pay the balance yourself.
Area of cover. Voluntary work or a project across the border falls within the policy only with a wider area.
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.
Am I already insured as a volunteer through the local authority?
In many municipalities there is a collective volunteers insurance covering every volunteer automatically, without the organisation having to pass on names. That policy usually takes precedence over your own insurance. The extent of it differs per municipality. Ask the organisation you work for for the conditions before you insure anything extra yourself.
I was injured doing a job for the association. Who is liable?
Possibly the association. Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the duty of care on organisations that have work done by people without a contract of employment, and therefore on volunteers too. The organisation has to show that its instruction, supervision and safety equipment were in order. If it cannot, it is liable for your loss. A recovery lawyer runs that case for you.
The board has suspended me as a volunteer. Can I do anything about it?
There is no protection against dismissal, because there is no contract of employment. An association does, however, have to follow its own articles and rules: hearing both sides, a properly authorised decision and an internal right of appeal. That is exactly where things often go wrong. A lawyer tests the procedure; that achieves more than a discussion about the substance.
I receive a volunteer allowance. Does that change my position?
An expenses or volunteer allowance within the tax-exempt limits does not turn voluntary work into employment. If the allowance becomes so high that it amounts to payment for work, the relationship may still be treated as a contract of employment, with consequences for tax and contributions. If in doubt, have the arrangement assessed before the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax authority) does.
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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