Please note: The algorithm descriptions in English have been automatically translated. Errors may have been introduced in this process. For the original descriptions, go to the Dutch version of the Algorithm Register.
Bbz Application Form
- Publication category
- Impactful algorithms
- Impact assessment
- DPIA
- Status
- In use
General information
Theme
Begin date
Contact information
Link to publication website
Responsible use
Goal and impact
The aim of the ‘green track’ option on the Bbz application form is to provide the applicant with clarity regarding their application for a Bbz benefit as quickly as possible. This helps to ensure their financial security. Applications in the ‘green track’ are approved without the intervention of a case worker, meaning the applicant receives a (positive) decision on their application within two weeks. The remaining applications in the ‘red track’ follow the usual route of a manual assessment by a case worker. In this process, the points for consideration for the further assessment of the Bbz application are provided. The provision of these points for consideration helps to speed up the decision-making process.
In the ‘green track’, approximately 5 per cent of applications are approved without the intervention of a member of staff.
The basic principle is that we trust the client and that we use the answers provided in the application form as input to determine entitlement to a Bbz benefit. The client’s answers are compared with data we can access from other sources. In effect, this is the same check that staff carry out manually. If the customer’s answers match the sources and if the business owner declares that they will be generating sufficient income again within six months, the benefit is automatically granted.
An entrepreneur can apply to the Municipality of Amsterdam for a temporary income supplement (benefit), a loan to pay off debts or make investments (working capital), or both. The entrepreneur applies for support under the Self-Employed Persons’ Social Assistance Scheme (Bbz).
The application form includes a decision tree which, based on the applicant’s answers, determines whether the applicant will receive automatic approval of the Bbz benefit (= green track). If, based on the applicant’s answers, further investigation is required (= red track), the application is referred to a case worker for review and is processed manually.
Considerations
Human intervention
No staff are involved in the automatic award of a short-term Bbz benefit.
However, random checks are carried out every quarter to verify that the automatic (positive) decision is correct.
In the ‘red track’, applications follow the usual route of a manual assessment by a case worker.
In the ‘green track’, approximately 5 per cent of applications are approved without staff intervention. 25 per cent of the automatically approved Bbz benefits were checked by the Enforcement team as part of the random sample. No errors were found in this process.
Risk management
The application form contains a decision tree, which is rule-based. The preconditions are not dynamic; only the standards are updated every six months or annually. They are not adjusted (automatically) in response to data entered. Risks are assessed as low.
The risk is that the applicant may enter incorrect information in the application form which would lead to a different outcome, such as, for example, a higher amount of profit in the past, which would mean that the business was viable in the past, or incorrect figures when determining assets. These two aspects cannot be assessed automatically. The remaining answers regarding the applicant’s living situation and the level of other income are cross-checked against available sources.
A user survey was carried out before the form was put into use. This examined whether the form was easy to understand and which questions required clarification to minimise the risk of incorrect answers.
The decision accompanying the automatic award states that this decision was made on the basis of the answers provided by the applicant and that, should an investigation reveal that it was based on incorrect information, we will reclaim the benefit.
The risk of a short-term Bbz benefit being awarded incorrectly is low. Random checks are carried out, which have so far not revealed any errors. Furthermore, the Bbz benefit is always provided as a loan. In the following financial year, once the annual accounts and income tax return are available, the definitive entitlement to the Bbz benefit is determined. The applicant must then submit all financial data relating to the previous financial year. In the event of any discrepancies, the business owner must either repay any overpayment or will be paid the outstanding amount.
Legal basis
Implementation of the Decree on Social Assistance for the Self-Employed (Bbz); performance of a statutory duty.
· Sections 7, 9, 11 and 53a of the Participation Act
· 2004 Decree on Social Assistance for the Self-Employed (BBZ)
· Income Provision for Older and Partially Disabled Unemployed Workers Act (IOAZ)
Link to Processing Index
Impact assessment
Operations
Data
Automatic approval (green track) is only possible for applications for a Bbz benefit. Applications that (also) include a request for working capital are always assessed manually.
When applying for a Bbz benefit, both the eligibility and the viability of the business are assessed. The application form sets out the criteria to determine whether the applicant meets all the requirements.
1. Eligibility criteria.
To be eligible for Bbz, the applicant must be dependent on income from the business and meet the definition of a self-employed person as set out in the Bbz. According to the definition in Article 1b of the Bbz, a self-employed person is a stakeholder who:
- is over 18 years of age and has not yet reached state pension age;
- works for at least 1,225 hours per year in their own business or self-employed profession;
- carries out their business in the Netherlands;
- holds all the necessary licences and/or qualifications;
has full control over that business or self-employed profession and bears the financial risks associated with it (possibly together with partners with whom the business or self-employed profession is carried out).
- These details are requested on the application form
2. Criteria for the viability of the business.
- The average annual profit over the last three financial years is higher than 90 per cent of the annual benefit threshold
- The applicant expects to generate sufficient income again within a maximum of 6 months, meaning that benefits will be granted for a maximum of 6 months.
This information is requested on the application form.
3. Criteria for exclusion from the ‘green track’
- No application for (or combination with) working capital
- The entrepreneur must have been active as an entrepreneur for at least 18 months
- No application for an extension
- The grant is not to be increased by a housing allowance or incapacity insurance
- There are no co-residents
- There is no non-entitled partner
- The applicant is not registered at the address provided, or the partner is registered at a different address
- Total assets exceed the Bbz asset limit
- Turnover must have been generated in the past 6 months.
- There must be no history of bankruptcy or suspension of payments.
Technical design
In addition to the applicant’s answers on the application form, we consult the following sources:
- Suwinet (Tax and Customs Administration, DUO, SVB, Chamber of Commerce)
- Socrates (for existing customers)
- The population register (Basic Register of Persons)
- The Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Register (KvK)
A decision tree is used in the application form. Any details provided by the applicant that could lead to bias are not recorded and do not play a role in the application’s decision tree. Gender, age and nationality are recorded, but do not play a role in the decision tree. No other special categories of personal data are requested and do not play a role in the decision tree.
Approval is granted automatically if no discrepancies are found between the applicant’s answers and the sources consulted, and the applicant meets the criteria of legitimacy and viability, and none of the criteria for exclusion from the ‘green track’ apply.
External provider
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