Money on the shelf

Original title: Geld op de plank

Combating non-take-up of government provisions is one of the central planks in the fight against poverty. However, little is known about the extent of this phenomenon. How many households fail to claim money from the government to which they are entitled. The report looks among other things at non-take-up of housing benefit (now replaced by rent benefit), educational expenses allowances, exemption from local taxes, supplementary assistance and long-term minimum income allowance. It also explores who the members of these households are and what reasons lie behind their failure to claim the benefits to which they are entitled. The report also examines whether there is evidence of cumulative non-take-up: is there a 'hard core' of non-users, or are the non-users of the different benefits different groups of households in each case?
The non-take-up rates were ascertained from national administrative databases plus a supplementary survey of potential claimants. The pros and cons of this method, which was used for the first time in the Netherlands in this study, are also discussed.